Archives - Scarborough Historical Society

Scarborough Heritage Showcase

Article by Rick Schofield

Heritage Day or Family Day is the third Monday of February, and Heritage Week gives us a chance to look back at our community’s history. Unfortunately, Sears court was not available that week. However, to mark the occasion, our annual Heritage Showcase display was set up in the Scarborough Town Centre at Sears Court on the weekend of Feb. 27-March 1st, 2015.

Scarborough’s documented history is barely 200 years old, yet local heritage is something on which we can all reflect, regardless of our ancestral roots.

During the post war boom, developers quickly transformed open farmland into streets of closely packed houses, commercial buildings and industry. By 1955, the population had surpassed 100,000 and Scarborough had become one of the federated municipalities of Metropolitan Toronto. Aerial photographs from the Scarborough Archives dating from 1949-1970s illustrate the rapid transformation of the landscape and were on display.

In 1998, with a population of more than half a million, municipal government was amalgamated into a new City of Toronto but community names such as Scarborough, Agincourt, Highland Creek and West Hill are still recognized Our municipal government has changed, but the Scarborough community names still survive.
As we celebrate Heritage Week 2015, we reflect briefly upon the days when early settlers set out to clear the land and build homes for their families.

Once again, the Scarborough Historical Society and Archives set up a Heritage Showcase display at Sears Court in the Scarborough Town Centre, during regular shopping centre hours from Friday, Feb. 27 to Sunday, March 1st, 2015.
Archives’ volunteers were on hand to meet the general public, answer questions about our heritage and display the archives’ extensive photo collection for all to view.

Residents were invited to come look at the hundreds of post war aerial photographs showing the development of Scarborough and look through community photo albums filled with street scenes and historic landmarks.

Those interested in Scarborough’s history can also visit our Facebook page: “Scarborough, Looking Back“

Scarborough Archives after restoration of wooden verandah. Photo: Don Allen

By Jeremy Hopkin.

The Scarborough Historical Society is pleased to announce the restoration of the upper woodwork on the verandah of the Scarborough Archives building is complete. The facility in which the Scarborough Archives now resides was formerly the W.J. Morrish general store. Constructed during 1891, the building served residents of Highland Creek and surrounding rural areas as a general store until closing its doors in 1967.

Although essential repairs to the exterior of the building were made when the Archives first occupied the building, the verandah could not be included as it did not work within funding guidelines. In the meantime Scarborough Historical Society volunteers continually painted all exposed woodwork on the verandah to protect it from further deterioration until project funding could be acquired.

Earlier this year, Hydro One stepped forward to provide the Scarborough Historical Society with a donation to commence with restoration. A request for tender was publicized and the architectural restoration specialists of Colonial Building Restoration were awarded the work contract. They began the process of dismantling and stripping the wood on July 3rd, 2012.

Scarborough Archives verandah woodwork under restoration, 2012. Photo: Rick Schofield.

Over a century of accumulated paint was painstakingly removed from the wood by use of heat guns and stripping tools. This revealed that although most of the underlying wood is in great shape for its age, time has taken its toll – two of the main posts had to be replaced along with other small deteriorated areas. Sections with dry rot or damage were replicated and replaced so that the entire verandah could be properly reassembled and painted.

As paint was removed, notes were made on the layers of coatings which once covered the wooden members over the years. Deep under the paint remained evidence of a coat of linseed oil from what most likely is the original sealing coat made during construction in the 1890s.

Molding details which had disappeared from the posts several years ago were also re-created, utilizing an 1894 image of the W.J. Morrish general store front as reference.

The tin plated roof of the verandah, also in need of repair, was not included in the current restoration project, although the Scarborough Historical Society plans to undertake this secondary task in the near future when additional funding can once again be acquired.
The existing tin roof is not original when one examines the 1894 photograph. However, the original roof material needs further research and in the short term, to protect the existing tin, the Society will repair the joint where the roof meets the building and repaint the existing tin with rust inhibiting primer/sealer and quality paint.

Verandah restoration image gallery: