1956 – The Scarborough Historical Society was established.
1962 – the Society was instrumental in relocating the Cornell House from Scarborough Village to its present site in Thomson Memorial Park. For the next twenty-five years, the Society’s volunteers operated the Scarborough Historical Museum later turning the facility over to the city.
1967 – A Provincial plaque was erected at the site to honour the pioneer settlement of the Thomson family.
1974 – The Society saved a log house from demolition, and relocated it to the Museum site where it has since been dismantled and restored.
1975 – The Society’s Historic Sites Committee became a Council appointed body advising on preservation issues in the community.
1976 – Scarborough Historical Notes and Comments began as a journal for researched material about local Scarborough history.
1982 – The Society established the St. Andrew’s Committee, then restored the former sexton’s house of St. Andrew’s Church and leased the Scarborough Centennial Memorial Library which was erected in 1896 by the citizens of Scarborough as part of the township’s Centennial Celebration.
- That same year, for its efforts in helping to preserve the heritage of Scarborough, the Ontario Historical Society awarded the Scarborough Historical Society with the Scadding Award of Excellence.
1985 – The Society built a recreation of a Scarborough carriage shop and opened the Hough Carriage Works at the Museum site.
1992 – The Society was honoured by the City of Scarborough as the recipient of the Group of The Year Award.
1996 – The Society undertook a series of projects to commemorate the events celebrating Scarborough’s 1796-1996 Bicentennial:
- The Society restored the Scarborough Centennial Memorial Library, built in 1896 as a legacy of Scarborough’s Centennial and then opened the building to the general public, with displays, artifacts and thousands of photographs.
- Members of the Society’s Archives and Research Committee conducted intensive research to facilitate having an accurate replacement tombstone made and mounted to honour David Thomson, one of Scarborough’s pioneer settlers.
- The Society raised funds, erected the monument, and then held a successful Thomson Memorial Unveiling program involving the public and many Thomson descendants.
- In partnership with the Scarborough Board of Education, the Society published an updated history of Scarborough entitled “Scarborough Then and Now”.
- Also in partnership with the Board of Education and the City of Scarborough, compiled a data base of those Scarborough citizens, past and present, who have made significant contributions to Canadian society both within Scarborough and beyond the community’s boundaries.
- The Scarborough Historical Society worked in partnership with the City of Scarborough as part of the Bicentennial Community Events Committee which hosted events such as the 1996 Metro Toronto Heritage Showcase.
2001 – we participated with the Scarborough Historical Museum in the creation of the Agincourt: Community History Project reflecting encounters with change and the incredible diversity within the community.
2004 – The Society again partnered with the Scarborough Historical Museum on the virtual community history exhibit “Bendale: About Place”.
2006 – The Society celebrated its 50th Anniversary.
2007 – The Scarborough Archives moved from Golf Road Public School to a new location, the former W.J. Morrish General Store in Highland Creek.
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Society members participate in a variety of outreach displays and activities, in addition to our regular programs, and provide historical information, speakers and photographs to individuals and groups, to assist in meeting the goal of promoting Scarborough’s heritage.
These programs, fund raising events, volunteer work, research, newsletters and more; form part of the Society’s years of dedication “to preserve, study and stimulate an interest in the history of Scarborough.”