The Harbinson Collection

The majority of the furnishings in this section reflect the cultural roots of the two principal immigrant groups that settled in the York Region in the 1800s. Many of the earliest settlers were Pennsylvania Germans who travelled north in search of religious and cultural independence, and the furnishings they made often incorporated design features and motifs from their former home. The York Region was also populated by settlers from England and Scotland, and some of the items in the collection are in the British tradition. The furniture designs of Eastern Ontario reflected a larger variety of ethnic influences.