Tool Chest Identification Needed

Many years ago, a large tool chest was dropped off at the Society’s former storage area at St. Andrew’s Road. It was too heavy and large for the museum so it remained in storage. Unfortunately, this one particular item was not documented when it arrived. It is an 1870s carpenter’s chest or jointer’s chest (we’re not sure which) and there are several drawers for small tools and a large section for hand saws. We would like to know its provenance, whether it belonged to someone in Scarborough and who gave it to the Society. If any member has information about this large tool chest, please contact the Society’s Archives at 416-995-6930 

This year’s partnership with the UTSC Nearby History class was amazing!  Nearby History is a service learning course, led by Professor Chris Berkowitz, where students are partnered with local organizations to experience working in public history and providing assistance to the organization.  

Working with the Scarborough Archives, UTSC student volunteers from the Nearby History course created an Archival Guide focusing on pre-settlement Indigenous History resources. In conjunction with the Guide, students also catalogued all the material in the Scarborough Archives collection pertaining to Indigenous history.

The resulting Pre-Settlement Indigenous History Collection includes information on archaeological sites, educational material and other research materials.  Please check out the outstanding work done by these UTSC students both in cataloguing the collection and creating an online accessible resource for the website. 

Thanks to Professor Berkowitz, UTSC students and Scarborough Historical Society volunteers who made this project so successful.

The Scarborough Historical Society hosted the programme “Steal Away Home” on February 27, 2018.

The guest speaker was Karolyn Smardz Frost, author & archaeologist.

The true story of a teenage black slave Cecelia Reynolds who made the dangerous crossing into Canada at Niagara Falls to make a new life in Toronto but years later, widowed and with her children returned to her homeland Kentucky and reunited with her white mistress with whom she had grown up with.