King Township Museum

Last updated
King Township Museum
King Township Museum in 2007.jpg
King Township Museum
Established1979 (1979)
Location King City, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates 43°55′25″N79°33′02″W / 43.923615°N 79.550564°W / 43.923615; -79.550564 Coordinates: 43°55′25″N79°33′02″W / 43.923615°N 79.550564°W / 43.923615; -79.550564
TypeMunicipal museum
Key holdingsArtifacts associated with township history
Collection size1800
Owner King Township

The King Township Museum in King City, Ontario, Canada is a local history museum for the township of King at 2920 King Rd. It was previously known as Kinghorn Museum, and is located on what was once known as Kinghorn, now subsumed by King City. It is operated by the township Community Services Department. [1]

Contents

The Museum is affiliated with the Canadian Museums Association (CMA), the Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), and the Virtual Museum of Canada.

Campus

The museum consists of a building which houses the majority of collections held. This building was originally built in 1861 as the site of the Kinghorn School SS #23. [1] It was updated and expanded in 1958 and again in 1963, [2] and purchased by the township in 1978. [1] The township gave operational control of the building to the King Township Historical Society, which established the museum in 1979 and opened it in 1982. [1] The museum was operated on a volunteer basis until 2001, when the township municipal government assumed control of the museum. [3] The government established a management board, to which individuals are appointed by the township council. [4]

In 2012, a 749 square feet (69.6 m2) addition was built by the real estate development company Genview Homes, which leased it and used it as its sales office for a development adjacent to the museum grounds [1] in exchange for repairing or upgrading damaged parts of the building. [5] The flat, leaky roof was rebuilt as a peaked roof. [5] Once vacated by Genview, the space may be used for various services, such as a lecture hall with a capacity of 60 to 80 guests. [6]

On the grounds of the 2.5 acre property [1] owned by the museum are several heritage sites. The King Township Historical Society raised funds to acquire and move King Station from Black Creek Pioneer Village to the grounds in 1989, [1] where it now fronts King Road. It was the original railway station building of Springhill (now King City), and believed to be the oldest surviving railway station in Canada, built by the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway in 1852 and first served passengers in 1853. [7] [8] The single-storey board and batten structure was in poor shape by then, and restoration began soon after to repair the damage. [1] It was painted green and grey after the initial restoration, [8] and is now painted cream yellow with green trim. It is the only surviving station building of the original Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railway buildings. [9]

The other heritage building is the King Christian Church built in 1851 by local community members with Quaker and Loyalist backgrounds. [10] It was renamed to the King Emmanuel Baptist Church in 1931 and permanently closed in 1978. [1] It was moved from its original location at Kettleby Road and Jane Street to the museum grounds in 1982. [1]

Laskay Hall in 2017, before it was moved to the museum grounds Laskay, Ontario.jpg
Laskay Hall in 2017, before it was moved to the museum grounds

In August 2017, Laskay Hall was moved to the site from its original location in Laskay. [11] It will be used for cultural programs such as art, music, dance, and theatre; an event venue for Laskay residents; a performing arts space; and as an additional exhibit for the museum. [11] A basement will eventually be built for it, which will be used for storage by the museum and Arts Society King. [11]

The site also contains a dredge built in the 1970s that was used to clear the canals of the Holland Marsh until the 1990s, and was obtained by the museum in 2001. [12]

Collections and programs

The museum's collection contains over 1,800 artifacts associated with the township's history, such as books, clothing, tools, and other household items. [1]

King Township Museum operates a variety of March break and summer camps, [13] and established an Art Camp and Puppet Theatre Camp in 2006. Since 2006, the museum has hosted Music at the Museum, a weekly concert showcasing local musical talent.

Works of local and regional artists are also exhibited by the museum. [14] [15]

Events

The museum conducts several annual events, including a trunk sale, a fundraising antique appraisal, an appreciation barbecue for its volunteers, and a garden tea hosted by the Nobleton and King City Horticultural Society at the beginning of summer. [16] It participates in Doors Open and the Arts Society of King studio tour, and hosts Christmas and Halloween celebrations. [3]

The church may be rented for small weddings. [17]

One-time events hosted by the museum include a reenactment of the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion, retracing the route of the rebels from Lloydtown to Toronto. [18] The six-hour tour stopped at the rebel statue in Lloydtown, Gibson House in North York, and Mackenzie House in Toronto. [18]

Other

The most famous person associated with the museum is Walter Rolling, who taught at the schoolhouse for over 40 years. The school was originally one room, but was expanded later. In the late 1970s, the school was converted into what is now the King Township Museum.

In 2012, the museum board undertook a program to create a 5-10 year strategic business plan to replace the ad-hoc volunteer administration plan. [3] As part of the project, physical accessibility to the museum will be improved and business hours extended. [19]

It will also change the administrative structure to eliminate board appointments by the township council, replacing the board with a community museum board. [19] [4]

In late 2011, the museum received a bequest of C$ 400,000. [20]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pavilons 2013.
  2. ↑ Virtual Museum of Canada.
  3. 1 2 3 Township of King: 2012 Budget and business plan, p. 24.
  4. 1 2 Pavilons 2014.
  5. 1 2 Martin 2013a.
  6. ↑ Martin 2013b.
  7. ↑ King Township Museum Visitor Guide, p. 2, Building and site history.
  8. 1 2 Brown 2013, p. 90.
  9. ↑ Brown 2008, p. 60.
  10. ↑ Baird, Erika (2020). "Quakers in Transition: The Early Families of King Christian Church" (PDF). Mosaic Magazine. Fall 2020: 5.
  11. 1 2 3 Pavilons 2017.
  12. ↑ King Township Museum Visitor Guide, p. 2, The dredge.
  13. ↑ King Township Museum Visitor Guide, p. 1.
  14. ↑ Newmarket Era 2007.
  15. ↑ Newmarket Era 2008.
  16. ↑ King Township Museum Visitor Guide, p. 1, Annual events.
  17. ↑ King Township Museum Visitor Guide, p. 1, Contact information.
  18. 1 2 Aurora Banner 2012.
  19. 1 2 Pavilons 2013b.
  20. ↑ King Township Historical Society 2013, p. 2.

Related Research Articles

Regional Municipality of York Regional municipality in Ontario, Canada

The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. It replaced the former York County in 1971, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area and the inner ring of the Golden Horseshoe. The regional government is headquartered in Newmarket.

King, Ontario Township in Ontario, Canada

King is a township in York Region north of Toronto, within the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada.

Barrie line railway line in Ontario, Canada

Barrie is one of the seven train lines of the GO Transit system in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Union Station in Toronto in a generally northward direction to Barrie, and includes ten stations along its 101.4 kilometres (63.0 mi) route. From 1982 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2007, it was known as the Bradford line, named after its former terminus at Bradford Station until the opening of Barrie South Station.

King City, Ontario Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

King City is an unincorporated Canadian community in King, Ontario located north of Toronto. It is the largest community in King Township, with 2,396 dwellings and a population of 6,970 as of the Canada 2016 Census.

Schomberg, Ontario Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

Schomberg is an unincorporated village in northwestern King, Ontario, Canada located north of the Oak Ridges Moraine and south of the Holland River.

Laskay, Ontario Unincorporated rural community in Ontario, Canada

Laskay is an unincorporated rural community in King Township, York Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada. It is west of King City and Highway 400, and south of the King Road—Weston Road intersection.

King Township Public Library

The King Township Public Library is a public library system that serves King Township, Ontario in Canada. It consists of four branches located in King City, Nobleton, Schomberg, and Ansnorveldt.

Northern Railway of Canada

The Northern Railway of Canada was a railway in the province of Ontario, Canada. It was the first steam railway to enter service in what was then known as Upper Canada. It was eventually acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway, and is therefore a predecessor to the modern Canadian National Railway (CNR). Several sections of the line are still used by CNR and GO Transit.

Aurora GO Station railway station in Aurora, Canada

Aurora GO Station is a railway station and bus station in the GO Transit network located on Wellington Street East between Yonge Street and Bayview Avenue in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. It is a stop on the Barrie line train service, and connects with York Region Transit local bus routes, and the GO Express Bus between Newmarket Bus Terminal and Union Station Bus Terminal.

King City Secondary School High school in King City, Ontario, Canada

King City Secondary School, or KCSS, is a secondary education facility in King City, Ontario, Canada. It is a secular public school administered by the York Region District School Board. The school is located at 2001 King Road, and the current principal is Joseph D'Amico. The school day runs from 08:20 to 14:30.

The Schomberg Fair is an annual agricultural fair held in late May in Schomberg, a community in the township of King in Ontario, Canada. It starts on the Thursday following Victoria Day, and runs through to Sunday. It is staged at the Schomberg Agricultural Fairgrounds.

The Marylake Augustinian Monastery, also known as Marylake Monastery, Marylake Shrine, or simply Marylake, is an Augustinian monastery in King City, Ontario, Canada. The campus is nearly 1,000 acres (4.0 km2), residing on Keele Street, just north of 15th Sideroad (Bloomington). It is part of the Province of Saint Joseph, the Canadian province of Augustinians which operates under the jurisdiction of the Chicago-based Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel.

Schomberg and Aurora Railway Short line railway in Ontario, Canada

The Schomberg and Aurora Railway was a 36 km long railway in Ontario, Canada, running from the town of Schomberg to Oak Ridges, just south of Aurora. It connected Schomberg to the Metropolitan Line of the Toronto and York Radial Railway (T&YRR) tram service running along Yonge Street, and from there into the Toronto city proper. The service ran for 25 years between 1902 and 1927; the rails were pulled up shortly thereafter.

<i>Shift</i> (sculpture) sculpture by Richard Serra

Shift is a large outdoor sculpture by American artist Richard Serra, located in King City, Ontario, Canada about 30 kilometers north of Toronto. The work was commissioned in 1970 by art collector Roger Davidson and installed on his family property. Shift consists of six large concrete forms, each 20 centimetres thick and 1.5 metres high, zigzagging over the northwest portion of the 4.03 hectares (40,300 m2) property's rolling countryside. In 1990 the Township of King voted to designate Shift and the surrounding land as a protected cultural landscape under the Ontario Heritage Act. The property is now owned by a Toronto-based developer who announced in 2010 that they appeal the decision of the Ontario Conservation Review board with plans to develop the property for housing, necessitating the removal of Shift. In 2013 the Township of King voted to prepare a bylaw to designate Shift as protected under the Ontario Heritage Act, preventing its destruction or alteration.

St. Jacobs Farmers Market Farmer And Flea Market In St. Jacobs Ontario

St. Jacobs Farmers' Market is a farmers' market and flea market in St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada. It is located to the south of King Street North, to the east of Weber Street North, and to the west of the railway tracks. It is the largest year-round farmer's market in Canada, and is a popular destination for residents of the town and nearby communities, as well as tourists from Canada, the United States, and Europe. It draws about 1 million visitors annually.

Newmarket Citizens Band

The Newmarket Citizens' Band is a concert band based in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's oldest continuously-operating community concert band, and one of the country's oldest marching bands. It is a member of the Canadian Band Association, Ontario chapter. Its conductor is Les Saville, who succeeded Bob Thiel in 1990.

The municipal government of King, Ontario consists of the mayor and six councillors who are elected to office during the municipal elections in Ontario or who are acclaimed to office because their candidacy is unopposed. It also includes civic staff responsible for the operational affairs of the township.

Joseph Hobson Canadian land surveyor, civil engineer and railway design engineer

Joseph Hobson (1834–1917) was a Canadian land surveyor and railway design engineer. Early in his career he apprenticed under various professionals and became a provincial land surveyor when he was 21 years old. He did layout work for towns and counties in Ontario.

Mackenzie Health is a company based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada that provides health care services in southern York Region. It operates a hospital system that includes the Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital in Richmond Hill, and will include the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital in Vaughan currently under construction and expected to open in 2020.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.