The Sunderland & District Historical Society
Home of The Sunderland Museum
The Brock House Hotel – 82 River St The history of this site reaches back to Sunderland’s earliest days. In 1840, when the small settlement was still known as Jones Corners, a log building owned by the Jones family stood here. Over the following decades, buildings on the property were destroyed by fire and replaced … Read more
The Hardware Store – 92 River St Before this building became associated with hardware, it was home to one of Sunderland’s early banks. The Home Bank originally operated on the south side of River Street beside Taylor’s Store, where it appears on a 1904 map. Sometime before 1920, the bank moved across River Street to … Read more
The Magic Door – 100 River St The present building at 100 River Street was completed in 1892, a date still visible in the stonework at the top of its façade. A 1910 fire insurance map shows a hardware store operating here during the building’s early years. In 1918, Arthur “Art” Brether moved his barber … Read more
The Sunderland Legion – 104 River St The Sunderland branch of the Royal Canadian Legion was formed in 1929 and is officially known as Royal Canadian Legion, Brock Branch 141. The Ladies Auxiliary was established 20 years later, in 1949. For its first decades, the branch operated without the present Legion hall. In 1958, the … Read more
“Old” Fire Hall – 5 Church St N It may be difficult to imagine today, but this former fire hall was originally built as a creamery. After studying at Guelph College and gaining experience working with his uncle at a creamery in Belleville, Elwood Free decided to establish his own business. In 1936, Elwood and … Read more