Sharon Temple facts for kids
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| Established | 1832 |
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| Location | 18974 Leslie St., Sharon, ON |
| Public transit access | GO Transit |
| Designated: | 1990 |
The Sharon Temple is a unique outdoor museum located in the village of Sharon, Ontario. In 1990, it was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada. This means it's a very important place in Canadian history.
The site has eight old buildings and homes. It also holds about 6,000 historical items. The whole area covers 1.8 hectares (about 4.5 acres). Today, the Sharon Temple Museum Society owns and cares for the site. They make the buildings available for public tours, concerts, weddings, and other special events.
The temple was built between 1825 and 1832. It was created by a religious group called The Children of Peace. Their leader was David Willson, a former Quaker. The temple was built on his land.
Other old buildings have also been restored here. These include David Willson's Study, which is a smaller building. The Ebenezer Doan house, built in 1819, was moved to the site. Ebenezer Doan was the main builder of the temple. His house has been restored in an old-fashioned garden setting.
You can also see the "cook house" where people made and ate meals together. There's a "drive shed" with old carriages. And don't miss David Willson's interesting round outhouse! The Ontario Heritage Trust helps make sure these buildings are kept in good condition.
Contents
Discovering the Historic Temple and Its Uses
The Children of Peace Community
The Children of Peace were led by David Willson. He was born in New York State in 1778. He moved to Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1801. Willson joined the Quakers, a religious group his wife belonged to. However, his ideas were not accepted by the Quakers. This happened when he started preaching around the War of 1812.
His new group, the Children of Peace, focused a lot on special ceremonies, music, and learning practical skills. They were also strong supporters of political change. Willson helped create the Canadian Alliance Society. This was the first political party in the province.
Some members of the Children of Peace joined William Lyon Mackenzie in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion. This was a fight for more democratic government. The group continued to play a big part in Canadian democracy. They helped elect Robert Baldwin and Louis LaFontaine. These two men are known as "fathers of responsible government" in Canada. The Children of Peace helped them win elections even when there were threats of violence.
After David Willson died in 1866, the group slowly became smaller. The last church service was held in the temple in 1889.
Understanding the Temple's Symbolism
David Willson had a vision to make the Christian Church beautiful. He wanted it to have "all the glory of Israel." So, the Children of Peace built their temple to look like Solomon's Temple. They saw it as the center of their "New Jerusalem." People found this three-story building amazing because of its size and design.
The Children of Peace felt like new Israelites. They had left a difficult situation in England. They saw themselves wandering in the wilderness of Upper Canada.
The temple's design mixes Quaker traditions with ideas from the Old Testament. The temple is built in a square shape. This showed their belief in "dealing on the square with all people." There is a door in the middle of each of the four sides. This meant that people could come in from all directions, "on equal and the same footing."
In the very center of the building is the "ark." It holds a Bible open to the Ten Commandments. Four pillars surround the ark. They represent "Faith, Hope, Love and Charity." These were seen as the main supports of their church.
Around these inner pillars are twelve more pillars. They are named after the twelve disciples. The temple rises over 70 feet (21 meters) high. It has three levels that get smaller as they go up. This represents the Trinity.
At each corner of the roof on every level, there is a fancy lantern. Each lantern has four golden spires on top. These twelve lanterns, when lit up, were like the twelve apostles. They were seen as going out into the world to share their message. At the very top of the temple is a golden globe. This was the highest point in the village of Hope. On it, they wrote their biggest hope: "peace to the world."
How the Temple Was Used
The temple shows the Children of Peace's ideas for a society. They believed in peace, equality, and fairness for everyone. The building was used once a month to collect money for people in need. It was also used for two special feasts and on Christmas. Two other meeting houses in the village of "Hope" (now Sharon) were used for regular Sunday services.
The "Illumination" was an evening service. It was held by candlelight during their two yearly feasts. One feast, the Feast of the Passover, was in June on David Willson's birthday. The other, the Feast of the First Fruits, was on the first Friday evening in September. The feast held the next day would attract over a thousand people.
These Illumination ceremonies were also used for political reasons. For example, Willson planned election events for politicians Robert Baldwin and Louis LaFontaine. He made them happen at the same time as the Illumination and Feasts in 1843.
Ebenezer Doan, the Master Builder
The main builder and designer of the Sharon Temple was Ebenezer Doan (1772–1866). Doan was a very skilled builder. You can see his clever building methods in the temple's structure. The simple rock foundation doesn't even go deep into the ground. Yet, the building is still strong after more than 175 years!
Doan was an early Quaker who moved from Pennsylvania. He joined the Children of Peace in 1812. His first house (built in 1819), a drive shed, and a granary have all been moved to the temple grounds and fixed up.
The Temple as a Museum Site
The York Pioneer & Historical Society's Role
In 1917, a group called the York Pioneer and Historical Society bought the temple and its land. They were led by Rev. James L. Hughes. They opened the temple as a museum in 1918. Soon after, the York Pioneers moved David Willson's study to the site. This was one of the first times an old building was saved in Canada. This is one reason the temple became a National Historic Site in 1993.
The York Pioneers collected old items from all over York County. They created a county museum and park. They showed these items in the temple. A baseball field, a play area, and a snack stand were added to the surrounding grounds.
In the 1950s, the museum started to focus more on the story of the Children of Peace. The York Pioneers restored and moved Ebenezer Doan's 1819 home to the site. They also moved a log house linked to Jesse Doan, who was the bandmaster for the Children of Peace. In 1967, Canada's 100th birthday, they built a new exhibit building. The baseball field and other parts of the old park were removed. Finally, they moved the Cookhouse and the Gatehouse to the temple grounds.
Music at Sharon Concerts
To celebrate 150 years since the temple was finished, the York Pioneer and Historical Society started "Music at Sharon" in 1981. This was a yearly summer concert series. It ran from 1981 to 1990. The concerts grew from five in the first year to fourteen in 1989. In 1990, the whole festival was used for an opera called Serinette. Many new musical pieces were created for these concerts. Most of the concerts were broadcast on CBC radio.
Samuel Lount, the Film
The 1985 film Samuel Lount was mostly filmed at the temple site. It was released in December 1985. The film was produced by Elvira Lount, a relative of Samuel Lount. He was a person who died for his part in the Rebellion of 1837. The movie was written and directed by Laurence Keane. R.H. Thomson played Samuel Lount, and David Fox played David Willson.
Serinette, the Opera
Serinette is an opera with music by Harry Somers and words by James Reaney. It was created for the tenth season of Music at Sharon in 1990. It was designed to be performed inside the temple. The opera first opened on July 7, 1990. It was also broadcast on CBC radio.
The story of the opera is based on a real argument between two families in the 1830s. It also features a made-up character named Colin Jarvis. He is drawn to the peaceful community at Sharon. A key symbol in the opera is a "serinette," which is a mechanical bird that sings.
Each part of the opera began with the performers and audience walking into the building. The final part was performed inside the candle-lit Temple. The audience watched from outside. This was done to copy the original yearly "illumination" of the temple. The opera's success led to the return of the yearly fall "illumination" tradition.
The Sharon Temple Museum Society Today
In 1991, the Sharon Temple Museum Society was created. This is a charity group that does not make a profit. It took over from the York Pioneer and Historical Society. Now, it owns and takes care of the site. This includes all the buildings, historical items, and documents.
The temple is now a National Historic Site and a museum. It is also a National Peace Site. The 2010 album The Wind That Shakes the Barley by Loreena McKennitt was recorded there in the summer of 2010. McKennitt said that the temple's design and sound were inspiring. The site and grounds are very active. They host many public and private events.
Temple Restoration Efforts
Since the York Pioneer and Historical Society saved the temple in 1917, it has been repaired many times. However, no major changes have been made to its structure. The Ontario Heritage Foundation paid for big repairs to the outside in 1995. They also help make sure this and other buildings on the site are preserved. More big repairs were done with a special government grant.
Recent work includes:
- Fixing the wood shingle roof.
- Painting the outside.
- Replacing all the glass in the temple windows (1993).
- Partially restoring the Ark and replacing the gold globe (1996).
- Repairing the floors (1998).
- Restoring and painting the temple doors (2001).
- Repainting ground floor windows (2003).
- Repairing ceiling plaster inside the Temple (2005).
- Fixing the foundation and installing a fire detection system (2011).
Images for kids
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The Sharon Temple, Sharon, Ontario around 1860.
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Richard Coates' keyboard organ, a musical instrument at the Sharon Temple Museum.
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A "Rebellion box" from the Sharon Temple Museum, possibly related to the 1837 Rebellion.
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Jacob's Ladder, an interesting feature at the Sharon Temple.
