The Sunderland & District Historical Society
Home of The Sunderland Museum
Rich 108 River Street – 108 River Street This home at one time belonged to Ada Marquis. Her family lived near Leaskdale and she was a very close friend to Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of green Gables. In 1920 she was married to Robert Dusto by Reverend Ewan McDonald, Lucy’s husband, Bob Dusto, … Read more
The Sunderland Memorial Arena 1948-2009 – 20 Park St The Brock Memorial Community Center arena was built in 1948 at a cost of $20,000. It had a large ice surface and seating capacity for 1,400 people. This was a project organized by the members of the Sunderland Legion Branch, number 140. Stanley Miller, James A. … Read more
Our speaker at the June 2, 2026 meeting was Jesse Gillis. Kuman Thong (Thailand) One of the most unusual artifacts I shared was a Kuman Thong from Thailand, a figure rooted in Thai folk beliefs. The name translates to โGolden Child,โ and these talismans have traditionally been believed to bring their owner good fortune, prosperity, … Read more
The Beall Block – 93 River St This set of three buildings was named after George Beale who lived from 1872 until 1939. Currently it contains on the east, Kathy’s Country Cuts Hair Salon, Le Petit Fleur flower shop, and to the west, Katie’s Coffee House. On the map of 1910 there’s a barber shop … Read more
Taylor’s Store – 85 River St In 1870, Henry Conlon tore down a shed and stable at this site and a general store was built here. About the start of the 1900s, Matthew Taylor opened his general store at the southwest corner of Albert and River Street. This business was passed on to his son … Read more
The Sunderland Presbyterian Church – 5 Albert St King Edwards Lodge A.F. & A.M. No. 464 G.R.C The original church was built just north of the Sunderland Cemetery and in about 1875 after the Toronto Nipissing Railroad came through Sunderland, a new church was built at this location. The Insurance maps of 1910 show that … Read more
The McDermott Block – 1 Albert Street S Nowadays, the southeast corner of Albert and River streets is the Foxfires Restaurant. Years ago, in 1949, there was a whole block of buildings here. Built around 1870, these buildings were originally known as the Porritt Block and pictures of them are shown in the Ontario County … Read more
The Bank – River Street (CIBC) – 74 River St Today, the CIBC bank sits on the northeast corner of river and Albert Streets. In 1902, a branch of the Western bank of Canada opened in Sunderland. The maps of 1904 show the bank as the Western Bank, but by 1910 it shows it had … Read more
The Brock House Hotel – 82 River St This three-story brick building was constructed in 1910 with the supervision and financing of Dr. James McDermott who lived from 1845 to 1920. At that time, the main road through town came right up to the hotel. It was a wonderful place for a meal. But after … Read more
The Hardware Store – 92 River St Early maps and photos show the home bank in 1904 to the west of Taylor’s store on the south side of River Street. At some point before 1920, the Home Bank had moved across the street to where Elgin Bagshaw ran his hardware store from 1920 to after … Read more