Sharon Temple National Historic Site & Museum

The Sharon Temple was purchased by the York Pioneer & Historical Society in 1917 and opened as a museum in 1918. Known as the York County Museum, it housed artifacts from all over York Region. In the 1950s, the focus changed, emphasizing the story of the Children of Peace - builders of the Sharon Temple. Other buildings were moved to the site, and an exhibit building was constructed. In 1991, it became evident that a new, locally based organization was needed to run the site and plan its future development. This coincided with the recognition of the Temple as a National Historic Site because of its architectural significance and its history as one of Canada’s first examples of historic preservation. Ownership and operation of the site passed to the newly formed Sharon Temple Museum Society. The STMS continued to add buildings to the site: the Cookhouse, and the Doan drive shed and granary. During the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century, the site benefited from new research made possible, in part, by the discovery of a large collection of original documents hidden in the altar at the center of the Temple. This also was a time when traditions such as the annual Illumination and Music at Sharon were revived and the site increasingly came to be used as a venue for weddings and other special occasions.