Established in 1992
The first story of the house was built in 1851 by Philander King. John Downing, one of the founders of the limestone quarries in Beachville, purchased the home in 1880. In 1902, the second story was added. The house remained in the Downing family until they sold it in 1969. Beachvilime Ltd. retained the house for several decades before selling it to The Beachville District Historical Society (founded on 18 February 1975) for $2 in 1992.
Beachville hosted the First Recorded Baseball Game in North America. Here, you can photograph the plaque designating this momentous sports event. You can also see early examples of catcher gloves, cedar bats, and woollen baseballs or hear about the rules that influenced early games.
The Beachville District Museum is home to a vast selection of historical artifacts from Beachville and the surrounding region (upwards of 15,000 pieces). Explore period rooms in our beautifully restored house to learn what domestic life was like at the start of the twentieth century. Tour exhibits about the history of the limestone quarries and view mastodon bones, rock fragments, and other archaeological finds.