Between 1937 and 1957, the
last 20 years of his life,
artisan John McNeely McCrea
reproduced finely detailed
models of the furnishings,
homes and buildings used by
Ontario pioneers. This
exhibit, put on by the
cultural division of the
Museums and Heritage Services

of the City of Toronto,
showcases a large portion of
the total collection of
McCrea’s work, which was
formerly held by the Royal
Ontario Museum. Each
duplicate, whether it takes
the form of a tiny flycatcher
on a mantle or a large grist
mill, is true to the original

and a testimony to the
permanent legacy McCrea left
behind of pioneer Ontario’s
"wooden age."