Saturday, May 3, 2025

The community of Sharon holds one of Canada’s National Historic Sites. The Sharon Temple was built under the direction of David Willson. David had been born to Presbyterians in New York in 1778 and converted to being a Quaker when he married Phebe Titus, a member of The Society of Friends. He emigrated with his family to Upper Canada in 1801 and joined the Yonge Street Meeting of The Society of Friends. After serving there for seven years he had a theological disagreement with the group when he rejected some of the mysticism while embracing music and personal education. As a result, he was expelled from the Society. So, in 1812 he founded The Children Of Peace who were also known as Davidites near his home in Sharon. David was an avid proponent of Responsible Government and worked to get William Lyon Mackenzie elected in his riding on the Reform Platform. Members of the Children of Peace participated in the armed Rebellion of 1837 with Mackenzie. Willson later helped both Robert Baldwin and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine get elected in his riding. They met in 1844 in the Second Meeting House of the Children of Peace in a move that led directly to the formation of Responsible Government for Upper and Lower Canada. The 1877 county atlas image below shows the community of Sharon with “CP” representing the Children of Peace and circled in green.

The Children of Peace left quite a legacy including building several structures on the property. The centre piece is the Temple which was built between 1825 and 1832 and designed to represent Solomon’s Temple and the description of the New Jerusalem from the Bible. David Wilson died in 1866 and the importance of the Children of Peace declined in the following years. By 1886 the final service was held in the temple and it was closed. The York Pioneer & Historical Society rescued the building from demolition in 1917 and had it restored as a museum the following year. It was listed as a National Historic Site in 1991. The Children of Peace developed a co-operative economy that led to Upper Canada’s first credit union in 1832. They also had the first farmer’s co-operative for marketing wheat and lending money to member farmers in need. The Children of Peace also started the first homeless shelter in the province and had the first civilian band in Canada.

David Willson had a separate building constructed to serve as his study. It is very similar in design to the temple and was completed in 1829. It was built so that Willson would have a place to work on his writing. Inside is a desk and chair and an 1820s style wood stove that was used for heating the space on cold winter nights. David wrote many theological volumes as well as books of hymns for the church.

There is a log house on the property which was moved from the farm of Jesse Doan. It was the original homestead on the farm and was built out of logs gained from clearing the land. The red paint used to colour the door frame and window frames was made from mixing buttermilk with a red powder. Jesse was related to Ebenezer Doan who was the master builder of Sharon Temple. The cabin was purchased by the North York Women’s Institute and moved to the temple grounds on May 9, 1957 where it was restored. It is currently part of the museum exhibit and houses some of the artifacts that used to be stored in the temple.

There is much more to be seen inside and on the grounds of the temple but it is closed until the end of May. When it is closed you are not allowed to explore the grounds which contain the 9 historical buildings that make up the collection. Aside from those pictured here there is a cookhouse. the Doan House where the master builder lived, an outhouse, drive shed, lean-to and a granary.

Related stories: William Lyon Mackenzie,

Google Maps Link: Sharon Temple

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