Our Mission
The Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre is committed to being a dynamic local point of community interaction through public programming, heritage conservation, research & education initiatives in a welcoming, authentic, and sustainable way.
Our Vision
Continuing the legacy provided by the early settler families and museum founders, the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre is a unique focal point of community partnerships, appreciations and interpretation for the Town and its heritage preservation. As such, the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre enables and empowers its diverse audience to:
Gather and celebrate with community members
Develop a shared sense of community and understanding of societal development in Canada
Learn about the many cultures who have shaped & continue to shape our community
Connect to the past
Contribute to local preservation
In the Upper Canada of the 1820s, in the Village of Sharon, a small community known as the Children of Peace crafted, with simple tools but consummate skill and artistry, a dramatic architectural testament to its vision of a society founded on the values of peace, equality and social justice.The center piece of their activity was The Temple. Completed in 1832 and restored in 2011, it is now part of the Sharon National Historic Site, which encompasses nine historic buildings in a park like setting.
Saturdays, Sundays and Holiday Mondays12:00 to 4:00.July and August.The Port Dover Harbour MuseumThe Port Dover Harbour Museum is partially housed in an original fisherman's net shanty. This section is dedicated to the history of Port Dover's commercial fishing industry, which continues to be an important part of local life.Permanent Galleries present exhibits on the days of commercial sail as well as Lake Erie shipwrecks, ship building, Long Point, rum running, and other aspects of lakeside life in this unique community.Outdoor Attractions include the 1932 fishtug Almidart, a 1912 lake-freighter wheelhouse, and access to the river along our picturesque wooden dock. Since 2002, the museum has been the home to a major collection of artifacts from the 1852 wreck of the Steamer Atlantic near Long Point.
Norfolk County Heritage and Culture operates three community museums and municipal archives, offering educational programs, exhibitions, and events to celebrate local heritage and engage the community.
St Mary's Museum is a large 1850's home overlooking St. Marys. St Mary's offers changing and permanent exhibits. A new wing for community archives was opened in 2006, which is used by researchers throughout the year. There are 2 outbuildings at St Mary's museum. One being a woodworking shop and the other displays farm implements and early methods of transportation.