Scugog Shores Museum Village Virtual Tour

This cabin is the oldest building at the Museum.  It describes life during the mid 1800s. The cabin was moved to the museum grounds from Janetville in the 1970s. 
A log cabin, like this one, is the first style of home an early settler would build.  

Isaac Rodman immigrated from England to Bradford, Canada. He visited Scugog Island and knew it would be the new home for his family. He built this cabin c.1840 and this remained their homestead until the late 1800's when a larger home was constructed.

The Lee House shows life in the late 1800s. This is the style of home settlers would build once they became more established, moving from a life of practicality to a life of moderate comfort.

The blacksmith was one of the most important industries in the 1800s. Rural agricultural communities like Scugog relied on blacksmiths to produce farming and building tools, nails, and horseshoes. They also acted as farriers to shoe horses.

Woodworking was an important skilled trade that included joinery, furniture making, wheelwrighting, cooper work, and more. Tools and nails (called trenail) could also be crafted out of wood.

Barns were built during a barn-raising bee, an important social gathering. Family, friends, and neighbours assembled to help build a barn quickly. Building the framework and raising structure required up to a hundred people and a full day of work to complete.

Before internet, television, and radio, newspapers were how information spread!

The local Scugog newspaper began in 1857 as the Ontario Observer, changed to the North Ontario Observer in 1873, and finally became the Port Perry Star in 1918.

A community beef ring was an effort to solve the challenge of using the meat before it spoiled. Before refrigeration, it was difficult to store fresh meat without curing it. Each family registered would take turns supplying the cow and the cuts of meat would be distributed.

The harness shop produced equipment for horses and oxen for use in agriculture and transportation. John Rolph was one of the early harness makers in Scugog having began his career c.1850 in Prince Albert, Scugog Township.

Head Memorial Church was the first European settler church on Scugog Island. It was constructed in 1860 with a small shed for horses at the price of $677. The Church was dedicated Sunday September 8th, 1861.