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The York Pioneer and Historical Society (YPHS), the oldest historical society in Ontario, began on April 17, 1869, as an informal gathering of men at the Mechanics’ Institute, at the corner of Church and Adelaide Streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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Within a few months, the York Pioneers Association was founded under the leadership of Richard Oates, with Colonel Richard Denison as the first president. Its purpose was “to keep alive reminiscences of a primitive day and of making collections of them before they became lost”.

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The YPHS is the oldest historical society in Ontario and is thought to be the second oldest in Canada. Annual fees were $1.00 in the early years compared to $30.00 today.

 

In 1891, the YPHS was incorporated as a registered charity, and, for the first time, it accepted women as members. Among the first was Sarah Anne Curzon, who along with Mary Agnes Fitzgibbon went on to form the Woman’s Canadian Historical Society of Toronto in 1895.

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