According to a Toronto Star article from Saturday, Zion Schoolhouse is one of the museums on Rob Ford’s shuttering list. This North York school opened in 1869 and served the community until 1955. In recent decades, it operated as a museum for school groups, creating an early 20th century school day experience for kids. Though I never got to go to Zion Schoolhouse as an elementary school kid – my Grade 5 class went to Blackcreek Pioneer Village instead (where we learned how to make homemade cookies), the idea of closing down this place makes me sad. I think our city has somehow gotten the idea that this kind of history isn’t “everyone’s history” because we come from such different cultural backgrounds (that’s why so many historical buildings are taken down rather than preserved). As a graduate of a history degree, I find it a load of bull. So what if my family didn’t come to Canada until the 1970s? It doesn’t mean that a) I can’t appreciate history and culture or b) I can’t consider this part of “my” history. There wouldn’t be museums of any kind if that were the case, nor would many newer Canadians want their children in old line private schools.
Personally, I’d love to be able to help preserve the museum. I mean, I won’t be able to do it all on my own, but I could make a contribution. Unfortunately, there’s very little information on how to do so. In fact, I’m not even sure of the place takes donations. Zion Schoolhouse doesn’t have an official website, only a page on the City of Toronto site, with only contact information and hours of operation. That makes it more difficult to do anything to help. I mean…HOW? And is the city actively looking for a buyer for Zion Schoolhouse or any of the other museums on the shutting list?
Image By SimonP (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
