What is Black Creek Pioneer Village?
An open-air heritage museum on the site of a 19th century homestead, Black Creek Pioneer Village offers a unique opportunity to experience first hand what it would be like to walk through an Ontario town in the 1800s.
It is built up of over 40 buildings, all furnished as they would have been 200 years ago. These include a blacksmith's, a doctor's, a church, an inn, a town hall, a storage cellar, a cemetery, and several shops and houses. All of them date back to between 1815-1860. A small number of them were originally built on site, as part of Daniel Stong's homestead, but the majority have been moved there from elsewhere in Ontario.
Alongside these buildings, the village also boasts 70 rare and heritage breed animals, costumed actors (some of whom play historic people who they have researched in local archives) and a collection of 50,000 artifacts.
The History of Black Creek Pioneer Village
The site on which the village now stands was settled on by Daniel and Elizabeth Stong in 1816. Together they raised a family of eight children there, working the land and living in houses they themselves built. These structures were resided in by the Stong family well into the 20th century and can still be seen in the village today.
In 1958 the first historic buildings (a blacksmith shop and a rural Georgian house) were transported to the area and placed alongside those of the Stongs'. Two years later the heritage village opened its doors for the first time.
To begin with the bulk of its collection was made up of agricultural artifacts, these having been what the Stongs would have used in their day to day lives. Over the years however it has been expanded to include everything from fine art to machinery to lights to toys. With it, the village itself has expanded too, more buildings having been added through the 60s, 70s and early 80s.
What To Do At Black Creek Pioneer Village
There is plenty to keep visitors entertained beyond just the buildings themselves, much of the village having been set-up to provide insight into specific lives and parts of history. Flynn House, for example, is arranged to tell the story of its former residents, a dual-faith refugee family from Ireland.
Alongside this are places where you can learn about such topics as: the formation of the Canadian Confederacy in 1867, 19th century photography and sports fashion across the last 150 years.
Visiting Black Creek Pioneer Village
The village is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11am-4pm. Tickets cost $16.07 for adults, $11.76 for children under 13 and $12.86 for seniors and students. You can get there via TTC line 1, Pioneer Village Station, or bus lines 108A or 108B.
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