Tabla Areas

1:- Historia
Oakville was once a thriving port of entry for merchants and sailors. Set on the eastern side of the Oakville Harbour and the shores of Lake Ontario, sailors and ship merchants wouldenter into the outpost of British North America in the early 1800s. During this time Oakville was also a terminus for the Underground Railroad, and signified freedom for many African-Americans who fledto Canada.

To learn more about Colonel William Chisholm and his family, visit the Founders of Oakville page.

Historic buildings found on the museum property include:
* The Custom House andBank of Toronto (c.1856)
* Erchless Estate (c.1858)
* The Old Post Office (c.1835)
* The Thomas House (c.1829)
The Custom House and Bank of Toronto
William Chisholm completed work onOakville’s harbour in 1828. Soon the port was successfully handling trade between Hamilton, Toronto and foreign cities. In 1834, Oakville was declared a Port of Entry into Canada, with William Chisholmserving as Customs Inspector. The Custom House was built in 1856 by William Chisholm’s son, Robert Kerr Chisholm (1819-1899) as an office for the customs service. The Bank of Toronto occupied one roomof the building.
The Custom House served Oakville until 1910 when the building was boarded up. It remained unused until it was reopened and renovated as a family home by Hazel Chisholm Hart Mathews(William’s great-granddaughter) in the 1930s. With support from the provincial and municipal governments and through the efforts of the Oakville Historical Society, the Custom House was restored andopened to the public in 1983.
Erchless Estate
Erchless was home to six generations of the Chisholm family over a period of 130 years. The home was completed by Robert Kerr Chisholm in 1858 and namedafter the Chisholm clan seat in Inverness-shire, Scotland.
Robert Kerr and his son Allan (1866-1918) made extensive improvements to the home and grounds, adding gardens, a tennis court, gardener’s...