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Artifact Gallery

Below are artifacts to explore from the Pickering Museum Village and  partnering sites. Use the tabs to switch between items from each site.

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Rebellion Box

 

Ashael Scott was a Pickering settler. He was cited as following Peter Matthews to Montgomery's Tavern on December 1837. He is also mentioned as assisting to burn down Don Bridge. On December 15, 1837, he was committed to Toronto Gaol (jail). In July 1838, Ashael was tried for treason and sentenced to 3 years in Kingston Penitentiary. Arriving in Kingston, Ashael was already sick with tuberculosis.  Petitions were sent to have Ashael pardoned. A month after arriving in Kingston, he was pardoned. Three weeks after being discharged, Ashael died from his illness.

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 This box was made by Ashael Scott for his daughter Mahala. On the top of the box, he wrote: “A Present to Mahala Scott From her Father while confined in Toronto Gaol for High treason July 6th 1838”. On the sides of the box are the words “Liberty” and “Equal Rights”.

Mackenize House
Toronto History Museums

“The Constitution”

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‘The Constitution’ was William Lyon Mackenzie’s second newspaper. His first newspaper, ‘The Colonial Advocate’ had begun regular publication in 1824 in Queenston, Ontario. By 1826, Mackenzie had relocated the newspaper, and his family, to York (later renamed Toronto).

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Mackenzie began publishing ‘The Constitution’ on a significant date: July 4, 1836. The fourth of July commemorates American independence from British rule. This was a deliberate and symbolic choice.

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Articles in ‘The Constitution’ covered the Reform party in Ontario, the abolitionist movement in the United States, and criticized the ruling elite, dubbed by Mackenzie as “The Family Compact.” By the spring of 1837, even as Mackenzie was addressing the need for constitutional reform in Canada, he hinted that revolution might be necessary. The final issue of ‘The Constitution’ was published in November of 1837, days before the rebellion would take place.

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Sharon Temple
National Historic Site & Museum

Samuel Lount’s Axe

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Lount was one of two individuals to be sentenced to death in the aftermath of the Rebellion of 1837. Before the rebellion, he was a member of the Legislative Assembly. Lount became frustrated as he worked along side the Family Compact. He noticed they didn’t push for fair practices in taxation, land grants, or creating laws. They would rather stick to methods that favoured their family and friends. These frustrations led Lount to become an organizer in the rebellion.

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This broad axe is made from cast steel, and

the wear on its handle indicates that it saw

a great deal of use.

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Militia Musket

 

This is a replica musket from the Fort York National Historic site collection. It was the type of weapon used by government soldiers during the 1837 rebellion. Weapons like this would have been handed out to militiamen for battle. After the rebellion ended, the weapons were taken back and the militiamen became civilians again. 

 

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Rebellion Banner

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Sir Francis Bond Head reportedly found this banner in Montgomery’s Tavern on December 7, 1837.  It reads "BIDWELL AND THE GLORIOUS MANORITY 1837 AND A GOOD BEGINNING." He had led his army up Yonge Street to the tavern in pursuit of the rebels.  It was kept in his family until they donated it to the Archives of Ontario in the 1960s.

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The banner has been the subject of some controversy.  Originally, it was thought that an old banner from 1831 had been modified to suit the rebel cause.  Further investigation has shown that this banner, while using an old slogan from Mackenzie’s victory march after he returned to parliament, was made specifically to support the rebellion of 1837.

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Pickering Museum Village will ignite imaginations through a museum that fosters a connection to Pickering by collecting, preserving and interpreting artifacts and social culture.

Contact

Phone: 905-683-8401

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Email: museum@pickering.ca

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Address: 3550 Greenwood Rd, Greenwood, ON L0H 1H0

Land Acknowledgements

We acknowledge that the City of Pickering resides on land within the Treaty and traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and Williams Treaties signatories of the Mississauga and Chippewa Nations. Pickering is also home to many Indigenous persons and communities who represent other diverse, distinct, and autonomous Indigenous nations. This acknowledgement reminds us of our responsibilities to our relationships with the First Peoples of Canada, and to the ancestral lands on which we learn, share, work, and live.

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