Full Walking Tour

Robert Doble Home – 48 River St Robert Doble, a nephew of Sunderland banker and landowner James Doble, lived in this River Street home. After Robert’s death in 1949, his son Floyd Doble left the family farm on the 4th Concession of Brock and moved into the house. Floyd apparently took the security of his … Read more

The Early Undertaker – 96 River St In nineteenth-century communities such as Sunderland, undertaking and furniture making were closely connected trades. Furniture makers already possessed the woodworking skills and equipment needed to construct coffins, and families generally held funeral services in their own homes before travelling directly to the cemetery. One of the earliest undertakers … Read more

The Printing Shop – 98 River St By 1910, this River Street building was already divided into two commercial spaces. A fire insurance map from that year identifies an implement business in the western half and a printing shop in the eastern half. During the early decades of the twentieth century, the building accommodated a … Read more

108 River Street One of the notable residents of this River Street home was Ada Marquis, whose family lived near Leaskdale. Ada was a close friend of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables, who lived in Leaskdale while her husband, Reverend Ewan Macdonald, served as the local Presbyterian minister. In 1920, Ada … Read more

The Sunderland Memorial Arena – 20 Park St Before Sunderland had an indoor arena, residents skated outdoors at a rink beside the Agricultural Building on the fairgrounds. That changed in 1948 with the construction of the Brock Memorial Community Centre. Built at a cost of approximately $20,000, the new arena provided a large indoor ice … Read more

The Beall Block – 93 River St This group of three adjoining storefronts became known as the Beall Block, named for George Beall, who lived from 1872 to 1939. For generations, the three sections of the block housed many of the small businesses that served Sunderland’s everyday needs. A 1910 map provides a snapshot of … Read more

Taylor’s Store – 85 River St The commercial history of this corner dates back to 1870, when Henry Conlon removed a shed and stable from the property and a general store was built on the site. Around 1900, Matthew Taylor established his general store here at the southwest corner of Albert and River streets. The … Read more

The Sunderland Presbyterian Church – 5 Albert St King Edwards Lodge A.F. & A.M. No. 464 G.R.C Sunderland’s original Presbyterian church stood just north of the Sunderland Cemetery. As the village grew during the nineteenth century, a new church was built about 1875 at this location on Albert Street. The street itself was originally known … Read more

The Bank – River Street (CIBC) – 74 River St A bank has occupied this prominent corner of River and Albert streets for more than a century. In 1902, the Western Bank of Canada opened a branch in Sunderland. Fire insurance maps from 1904 identify the bank at this location as the Western Bank, while … Read more