Canada #22 Black Creek Pioneer Village
In a quiet place far from Toronto’s bustling CBD, a little cemetery sits beside a mill pond. On an overcast day the pond mirrors its surroundings in a perfect reflection.
In the middle of the cemetery is a memorial to the Stong family, who migrated from Pennsylvania in 1800 to start a new life in Ontario. Daniel Stong and his wife Elizabeth both lie at rest here in the cemetery.
On the other side of the pond is a flour mill, dating from 1842 and nearby is a whole village of mid-19th century buildings. Of all these old buildings, the only ones original to the site are those which Daniel and Elizabeth built.
Black Creek Pioneer Village, in the Toronto suburb of North York, has grown around the Stong family farm as historic buildings from elsewhere in Ontario have been added to the collection. Some have been moved here complete, while others have been reconstructed after being carefully dismantled at their original sites.
Many of the old buildings are 19th century stores where, like the original occupants, modern artisans practise traditional crafts. They are passing their knowledge onto a new generation keen to keep the old skills alive.
Others are small museums, with their tools of the trade left as if the crafters will return for a new day. The village is a time capsule, set in 1867.
Meanwhile, back at the farm, chickens wander where they please and sheep and goats graze in the field near the barn Daniel Stong built in 1825.
Two farm houses sit side by side next to the mill pond. The first, a simple three room log cabin, was built by Daniel and Elizabeth in 1816. Here they raised eight children before moving in 1832 to a new, two storey home next door. Their second home is much grander, evidence of their hard work and resulting prosperity. Elizabeth must have been delighted with her beautiful new home after living for 16 years in the cabin. It became a hen house and storage shed.
Daniel died in 1868, one year after the time in which the pioneer village is set. If he returned now the little stores, the peaceful mill pond and his 19th century neighbours going about their daily tasks might all look quite familiar.
I wonder what would he think if he stepped beyond its boundaries into 21st century Toronto?
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These places are so important to keep, a snapshot of time.
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The places and also the trades. It was interesting to see the artisans at work.
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Rustic with a Pennsylvania Mennonite look and feel!
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There was no mention of Mennonites here Hal, but I had the same thought. There are large Mennonite communities elsewhere in Ontario and I wondered if some of these buildings came from there.
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Are they Dutch communities?
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Swiss and Russian origin, according to what I’ve read.
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There are Swiss communities in the Maryland area and also Pennsylvania Dutch.
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Interesting! I love these living history sites.
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We enjoyed this one Anabel because of the simplicity and also because it was a very quiet day. We were able to wander at will and stand and watch for as long as we wanted.
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I love these places – just reading about this one really touches me – the honour done to the pioneers, the living reminder of a world and way of life that is gone and so often dismissed and yet it is home to skills and practises that one day may be needed again. I should like to visit that place!
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You would enjoy visiting, Pauline. It’s such a gentle place, although we did visit on a very quiet day. It was so nice to wander along the roads from one building to the next. It was great to watch the artisans at work, especially the girl in the tinsmith’s shop. She was so quick with her hands.
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Now this would be a fun place to work, Carol! 🙂 🙂 Thanks for the link, hon!
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It would be fun, like real life dress ups!
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A very interesting place for a wander. That barn is holding up very well considering it’s age. I can’t get my head around the thought of raising eight children in a log cabin. 😳
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I stood inside that cabin and wondered where they all fitted. It would have been very crowded! I suppose everyone and everything would have had their place.
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Yes, they would have had to have been very tidy and no room for frippery. 🙂
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I suppose they didn’t own a lot of “stuff”.
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No internet shopping in those days. 🙂
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Love the historical villages. Always amazes what they accomplished and everyone seemed to work together and help each other. Love to visit but really appreciate all the modern inventions. Do like cars, indoor plumbing with hot water. And of course my microwave. Certainly have a lot of respect and admiration for the pioneers. Thanks for sharing.
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I couldn’t help but think how thrilled Elizabeth must have been when she moved into that new house with all the large rooms.
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I love places like these where you can take a peek into the past!
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It’s almost as if you’re back there for real. All the people working there were very authentic in their dress and attitude. It was a lovely day.
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How quaint. Now theres a real history lesson for you. Lovely Carol. 🙂
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Thanks! The buildings have been beautifully restored and maintained.
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Great insight into past times. I love these Pioneer reminders.
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We do too – a bit of time travel is quite fascinating.
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Gorgeous photos of yesteryear!
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It was a very pretty place and we were lucky to go on a quiet day. There were two wedding parties having beautiful photos taken in the beautiful old buildings.
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A beautiful backdrop for a wedding.
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It’s so wonderful when places like this are preserved, frozen in time. Your photos really capture the flavor of the town. I love the weaver’s workshop. 🙂
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There was some beautiful work in that shop.
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They’ve done such a great job recreating the atmosphere back then! I often wonder how future generations will see our lives.
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With all our digital records, our lives might not be quite so mysterious but I suppose future generations will think we were primitive. 🙂
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My old fridge has just given up the ghost so while I wait for the new one to be delivered, I’m putting milk etc in our back porch (well below freezing in there!) and thinking about how people had to buy ice cut from the St Lawrence in the old days. I always love these places. You were lucky to get a quiet day. I think one can soak up the atmosphere so much better than when it’s teeming with other visitors. I love watching the craftspeople. There’s an 18th century market in Old Montreal at the beginning of September that is well worth visiting if you can get the timing right on your next visit!
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That would be great to see. I’ll remember! Yes, life would have been so different. I wondered how they kept warm in the freezing winters in that tiny cabin.
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Huddling close together? Fur coats?
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Maybe that’s how they got eight children! 🙂
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😀
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That must have been such an interesting place to visit. People then, and now, have a lot to thank the Stong family for.
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It was a really nice away to spend a day, Elaine. I googled Daniel Stong to see if I could find out more – there are a lot of Stongs in Canada and USA. I suppose they are all related. 🙂
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It’s an unusual surname so perhaps they all are!
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Looks fabulous. History brought to life. 🙂
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I enjoy seeing what life was like in the past, but I’m glad to live in the present. 🙂
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I’m with you!
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Beautiful photos! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks!
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Great post! I’d love to visit there – thanks for the virtual tour!
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Thanks! It was a really fun day and nice to have not so many people as 2018 Toronto. 🙂
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Very interesting post. Thank You. In Finland the years 1866–1868 were big famine years. The total death toll was 270,000 in three years. Texts are from Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_famine_of_1866–68
Have a good day.
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It’s hard to imagine such losses.
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Can you imagine indeed what he would think of downtown Toronto today! How wonderful that visitors can time travel to a quieter day and be surrounded by authenticity of how life was lived.
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It’s great to see these precious old buildings preserved. I know we can’t save everything but a collection like this helps to remind us what life was like in the past.
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