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Walking Tour Pickering Village Formerly Duffin's Creek WALKING TOUR Pickering Village formerly Duffins Creek The Quaker Meeting House c. 1867 In 1812, Timothy Rogers, a post-revolutionary Quaker settler, envisioned Duffin's Creek, now Pickering Village, as the centre for Quaker Yearly Meetings in Canada. Quaker Meetings were first held in his log home and later he donated two acres of his farm for a Meeting House and Burial Ground. The architecture of the building is not typical of Ontario Meeting Houses which are traditionally single storey frame construction. This structure exhibits simple American Classic Revival features and architectural preciseness in its symmetry. The semicircular arched front door provides a focal point and establishes the importance of the building's function. A gable roof which was destroyed by fire after it was struck by lightning in 1908, preceded the present hip roof. The detailed but unadorned common bond brickwork and the round headed window openings suggest the restraint, the solidity, and the dignity of the Quaker way of life. This Meeting House and the Society of Friends Burial Ground where Timothy Rogers is buried, are daily reminders of the Quaker heritage and roots established early in the settlement of Pickering Township. You are invited to enjoy the streets of the village by following the walking tour. The older buildings serve as a backdrop that reflect the life and times of what was originally named Duffin's Creek. The Ajax Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee is endeavouring to preserve architecturally significant properties that give the village a reminder of the past. While most of the architecture is typical of a rural Ontario town, Pickering Village owes much of its history to the arrival of Quaker settlers from New England led by Timothy Rogers in 1810. #1. The Ontario Government's plaque commemorates the founding of Pickering Village. The Village of Pickering became incorporated in 1953 and twenty-one years later amalgamated with the World War II industrial community of Ajax. #2. 49 Old Kingston Road c. 1890 This charming storey and a half cottage, originally of white stucco, was once the home of the carriage makers in Pickering Village. Its medium pitched roof, broken by a central gable and the Gothic window, were typical of the late 19th century. The discovery of a small trap door and sealed room behind a stone wall led to local hearsay that rum runners once lived here. The most prominent owner of this house was Rachel Irish, a locally famous midwife. #3. 59 Old Kingston Road c. 1890 A widow, Mary Wise, and her son, Isaac, lived in this simple frame store and cottage before the turn of the century. The front door and windows of the west end, now disguised with trim, suggest the former use of this storey and a half as a dwelling. The earliest merchants to keep shop were Mr. Wise and Mr. Alexander Findley. In later years the store side was used as the Pickering Village Public Library.