160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario ~ Sharon Temple

The Sharon Temple is an open-air museum site, located in the village of Sharon, Ontario, that was in 1990 designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. It is composed of eight heritage buildings and dwellings, and houses 6,000 artifacts on a 1.8 ha. site. The building is made available for public use such as tours, concerts, weddings, and special occasions by its current owner, the Sharon Temple Museum Society.

It was constructed between 1825 and 1832 by The Children of Peace, a sect led by former Quaker David Willson on whose property it was built. Other restored buildings include David Willson's Study, which is a smaller building. The Ebenezer Doan house of 1819, constructed by the temple's master-builder and relocated from the former Doan family farm nearby, has been restored in an early garden setting. Also on site are the "cook house" where communal meals were created and served, the "drive shed' complete with period carriages, and another of David Willson's architectural curiosities, the round outhouse. The Ontario Heritage Trust has a public easement to ensure its preservation meets conservation standards.

The leader of the sect was David Willson, who was born in New York State in 1778 and migrated to Upper Canada in 1801. He joined the Quakers of which his wife was a member, but his ministry was rejected when he began to preach at the beginning of the War of 1812. His sect placed great emphasis on ceremony, music and practical education. Followers of the sect were strong political reformers and Willson played a critical role in the creation of the Canadian Alliance Society, the first political party in the province. Several members joined William Lyon Mackenzie in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion. They continued to play a key role in the development of democracy in Canada by ensuring the elections of both "fathers of responsible government," Robert Baldwin and Louis LaFontaine, in their riding despite threats of political violence by the Orange Order. After Willson's death in 1866 the sect slowly diminished. The last service was held in the temple in 1889.

Called by a vision to "ornament the Christian Church with all the glory of Israel,” the Children of Peace rebuilt Solomon's Temple as the seat of their "New Jerusalem.” This three-tiered building was "calculated to inspire the beholder with astonishment; its dimensions – its architecture – its situation – are all so extraordinary.” The Children of Peace, having fled a cruel and uncaring English pharaoh, viewed themselves as new Israelites lost in the wilderness of Upper Canada. The symbolism of the temple is a careful blending of Quaker tradition and Old Testament imagery. The temple was built square (unlike Quaker meeting houses) signifying "dealing on the square with all people. The door in the centre of the four sides is to let the people come in from the east and west, the north and south on equal and the same footing." At the centre of the building is the "ark" containing a bible open to the ten commandments. The ark is surrounded by four pillars: "Faith, Hope, Love and Charity" – the pillars of the church. Surrounding these inner pillars are twelve more, named after the disciples. The temple rises more than seventy feet (21 m) in three diminishing storeys, representing the Trinity. At each corner of the roof on every storey is an ornate lantern, capped with four golden spires; these twelve lanterns, "when illuminated," are "symbolical of the twelve apostles going out into the world to preach salvation." At the apex of the temple, suspended between the top four lanterns, is a golden globe; on this, the highest point in the village of Hope, they inscribed their highest hope – peace to the world.[Schrauwers, Albert (1993). Awaiting the Millennium: The Children of Peace and the Village of Hope, 1812-1889. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 111.]

The "Master Builder" or architect-contractor in charge of designing and building the Sharon Temple is Ebenezer Doan (1772–1866). Doan was a highly accomplished builder, as evidenced by the creative techniques used in the temple structure. The simple rock foundation does not even go below the frost line; yet the building remains structurally sound after more than 175 years. Doan was an early Quaker immigrant from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who joined the Children of Peace in 1812. His first house (1819), drive shed and granary have now been relocated on the temple grounds and restored.

Under the impetus of the Rev. James L. Hughes, the Toronto-based York Pioneer and Historical Society raised funds to purchase the temple and its grounds in 1917 and opened the temple as a museum in 1918. Shortly afterwards, the York Pioneers moved David Willson's study to the site. This is significant as one of the earliest examples of historic preservation in Canada, one of the reasons for which the temple received its National Historic Designation in 1993. The York Pioneers collected artifacts from throughout York County and created a county museum and park, which they displayed in the temple. A baseball diamond, recreation area and refreshment stand were added on the surrounding grounds. In the 1950s, the site's focus began to change, emphasizing the story of the Children of Peace. The York Pioneers restored and moved the 1819 home of Ebenezer Doan, master builder of the temple, and a log house associated with Jesse Doan, bandmaster of the Children of Peace, to the site. These acquisitions were followed in 1967, Canada's centennial year, by the construction of an exhibit building. The baseball diamond and other remnants of the park's early days were removed. Lastly, they moved the Cookhouse, and the Gatehouse, to the temple grounds.

In 1991 the charitable, not-for-profit Sharon Temple Museum Society was created, and it assumed the obligations of the York Pioneer and Historical Society, and now owns and maintains the site and its legacy of buildings, artifacts and documents. The temple is now a National Historic Site and museum as well as a National Peace Site. 

Since the temple was rescued from demolition by the York Pioneer and Historical Society in 1917, the building has undergone periodic restoration work but without significant structural intervention. The Ontario Heritage Foundation funded extensive restoration of the exterior in 1995 and currently holds a conservation easement on this and other buildings on the site. Further extensive work was accomplished with an Infrastructure Stimulus Fund grant. The most recent work includes: restoration of a wood shingle roof, exterior painting, full reglazing of Temple windows (1993); partial restoration of the Arc, replacement of the gold globe (1996); remedial repair to the floors (1998); restoration and painting of the temple doors (2001); repainting ground floor windows (2003); ceiling plaster repairs on interior of Temple (2005); foundation repairs, installation of fire detection system (2011).