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EAST GWILLIMBURY: VILLAGE WALKING TOURS |
The communities of East Gwillimbury have done a remarkable job in
preserving their heritage. Foremost among these are Sharon, Mount
Albert, and Queensville. Each of these communities has more than a
dozen 19th-century buildings clustered within their historic cores,
making for ideal walking tours. The Town of East Gwillimbury has even
provided in-depth guides for just that: go to www.eastgwillimbury.ca/profile/attract.htm
You can easily visit all three villages in one day. Start in Sharon, a most attractive community…
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Sharon |
The community was founded in 1812 by David Willson, an Irish Quaker who
formed his own religious sect, the Children of Peace. For a time the
community was known as Hope or Davidtown, but when the post office was
opened in 1841 it took the name Sharon and the village followed suit.
Obviously, the historic and spiritual heart of the community is the
Sharon Temple, now a National Historic Site museum, and any tour of the
village should start there. In fact, the museum is so beautiful and
engaging, hours could be lost there alone. But don’t miss out on an
opportunity to stroll through the rest of Sharon. There are plenty of
other heritage buildings to see. Right beside the temple, for example,
is the fine old Temperance Hall, where teatotallers met to talk about
the evils of alcohol. Then there’s the rustic 1869 St. James the
Apostle Anglican Church, the prototypical pioneer house of worship. And
there are more than a dozen quaint 19th century homes to admire.
….travel north on Leslie Street…
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Queensville |
Queensville was originally known by the apt, but uninspiring, name The
Four Corners, because it developed astride the Leslie Street and
Queensville Sideroad intersection. For a while after, it was Hackett’s
Corners. The name was changed to Queensville in honour of Queen
Victoria in 1851, at the suggestion of Elizabeth Aylward.
It’s therefore appropriate that the James Aylward Home (James was
Elizabeth’s husband) still stands, a centrepiece of any Queensville
walking tour. Other attractions include the 1870 Presbyterian Church, a
little altered today, but now a quaint private home, and the Wright
Carriage Shop, the business of one of Queensville’s most prominent men
of industry.
….and last, but not least…
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Mount Albert |
Though younger than the other communities on this tour, Mount Albert
still dates to 1821, when it was known as Birchardtown, after founders
Rufus and Samuel Birchard. It then became Newland, and finally, in
1864, Mount Albert after Prince Edward of Britain.
Despite its relative youth, a walking tour of Mount Albert will reveal
over a dozen heritage buildings. Amongst them is the Victorian-era
Rowland General Store, whose architecture is typical of general stores
across Ontario, and the circa-1838 Royal Oak Hotel, now an absolutely
gorgeous private home. A stop in the pioneer cemetery is a sobering
experience, as visitors note the number of children who died of
illnesses we would today consider mundane. These sad headstones
demonstrate the trials and tribulations that settlers endured while
creating the communities we live in today.
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