Aurora HS

Based out of Hillary House, Aurora Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the heritage of Aurora and the Hillary Family. 15372 Yonge Street.

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🎄✨Holiday Closure Notice. Hillary House NHS will be closed for the holiday season from Dec 20-Jan 4. We look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year for tours, programs, and a chance to explore Aurora’s rich history.📅Reopening: Monday, January 5, 2026.

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During WW1, Sisman Shoe Company supplied shoes of all types to soldiers overseas? Located at 34 Berczy street, the company moved to Aurora from Markham in 1901 & became an important industry to the town. Images courtesy of Postcards of Olde Aurora by Bob McRoberts.#TriviaTuesday

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#CollectionsCorner This model steam engine in the Study was given to Stuart Hillary by Herbert Fleury. Fleury owned the Aurora Agricultural Works that manufactured farm machinery & equipment. A larger, working version operated at the engine house near Wellington & Temperance Sts.

[Aurora HS @Aurora_HS]

💊Meet the pill cutter machine! Featured in our new exhibit, this tool was used to hand-roll medicine into pill form. A paste of ingredients was shaped into a log, placed on the cutter, and pressed with a wooden paddle to form individual pills. Come see this tool at Hillary House

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#FreakyFriday Christmas cards are a beloved way to share seasonal cheer, but in the Victorian period, not all cards were merry and bright. Some featured strange and unsettling images such as frogs dueling with knives, snowmen with sinister grins, and even dead birds.

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In 1957, former Aurora resident, Lester B. Pearson, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work negotiating peace during the Suez Crisis. He was the very first Canadian to receive the award. 🍁

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This week for #CollectionsCorner we’re featuring Hill’s Vest Pocket Webster, A Pronouncing Dictionary by Prof. C.M. Stevans. 📖 It was designed to be carried easily, offering quick guidance on spelling and pronunciation. 📚

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#DYK During the Mesolithic period, flint tools were used to scrape and cut through skulls?🔪Today’s scalpels are engineered for precision & crafted from high-grade steel. The image here shows a scalpel ca. 1900 from the Hillary House collection.

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In partnership with Garden Aurora, the AHS is hosting a Holiday Wreath-Making Workshop on Sat, Nov 29th. Tickets $50/person, & all materials will be provided. Morn session - 10am to 12pm, or the aft session - 2pm to 4pm. Register to claim a spot before it's too late! Link in bio!

[Aurora HS @Aurora_HS]

#FreakyFriday💆‍♀️DYK in the 1800s, people fought wrinkles by putting raw beef or veal on their faces before bed?😳In 1875, Madam Rowley patented the “toilet mask”-a rubber sheet mask infused with oils and ointments. From meat facials to modern serums, skincare has come a long way!

[Aurora HS @Aurora_HS]

Today, we honour the brave men & women from Aurora & across Canada who served and sacrificed for our freedom. From the Aurora War Memorial, to the stories held by our community and in our local archives at Hillary House NHS and the AM&A, their legacy lives on in our community.

[Aurora HS @Aurora_HS]

Celebrate the holidays at Hillary House! Join us for Hot Chocolate on the Verandah during the Santa parade☕️, Holiday Wreath Workshop led by Garden Aurora🎄, Victorian Christmas Afternoon Tea🫖, &/or A Family Christmas with Santa🎅. There's something for everyone! Link in bio.

[Aurora HS @Aurora_HS]

#CollectionsCorner In the Consulting Room, there's a pair of Windsor-style eyeglasses with round lenses & thin metal frames, popular since the 1800s.👓The first wearable eyeglasses appeared in Italy around 1286, while bifocals were invented by Benjamin Franklin in the 1700s.

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#MedicalMonday The stethoscope was invented in 1816 by René Laennec & changed how doctors listen to the body.🩺 This Douglass-style stethoscope was sold by J.F. Hartz in the early 1900s. Today, stethoscopes are still used in medicine & even even to hear machine trouble.🎧

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Happy Halloween! DYK the Victorian era saw a widespread cultural fascination with death & the afterlife, including elaborate mourning traditions & seances. Today, we still have mediums, psychics, & astrology consultants which show our continued interest spiritualism.

[Aurora HS @Aurora_HS]

Speaker Series: Wed, Oct 15 at 7pm. Join Katrina Pyke & Darryl Withrow as they share an interactive exploration of Pickering's involvement in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 and challenges you consider if you would have risked your life. Tickets $12.50pp. Link in bio

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#CollectionsCorner Starting in the mid-1870s, the local militiamen of the York Rangers would drill and train in Holland Landing. This engraving by P.A. Gross captures a bird’s eye view of what the Brigade Camp looked like.

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#MedicalMonday This handbook belonged to Robert Michael Hillary and would have given him important details while attending Trinity Medical College. It included information on fees for the year, classes that were being offered and by which professor.

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#DYK in the Victorian period, drinking beer had a positive impact on health? At this time, illnesses caused by contaminated drinking water were common. Water was boiled during the beer brewing process, killing pathogens & inadvertently made beer safer to drink than regular water!

[Aurora HS @Aurora_HS]

Join us Wed, Oct 15 at 7pm for our next Speakers Series event. Join Katrina Pyke as she shares an interactive exploration of Pickering's involvement in the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 and challenges you consider if you would have risked your life. Tickets $12.50pp. Link in bio