Prior to the creation of the community as we know it today, and for more than 12,000 years, Indigenous Nations had many powerful leaders. Since time immemorial (a time beyond the reach of memory), what is now known officially as the Corporation of the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, was home to the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat, and other Indigenous Peoples, each with distinct systems of governance.

A legacy of oral histories, traditions passed on to their descendants, and traces of their settlements confirm the presence of Indigenous Nations. The Jean-Baptiste Lainé Site is the largest, but not only, example of this presence. In the late 16th century, the site, located just east of Reeves Way Boulevard, was home to a village with a population of between 1,500 - 2,000 people. The Wendat, Iroquoian speakers and farmers of corn, beans and squash, lived in densely populated villages of longhouses. This site was occupied around 1500 to 1540, at a time when the Wendat Confederacy was first established and the Wendat people were growing their vast trade network by supplying large quantities of corn to their trading partners and allies.

In 1787, lands now part of Whitchurch-Stouffville, were part of the Johnson-Butler Purchase, one of the earliest treaties between the Crown and Indigenous peoples on lands north of Lake Ontario. Crown representatives met with Mississauga Chiefs, setting the terms for the Treaty. The British and Indigenous peoples understood the terms of this Treaty to mean different things.

In 1792 Whitchurch was declared a Township, one of ten in York County. Around 1800, the Township was surveyed, mapped and divided into lots. Small western portions of the area were included in the signing of the Toronto Purchase (Treaty 13) in 1805. The terms of the Johnson-Butler Purchase and the Toronto Purchase were greatly disputed resulting in the creation of the Williams Treaties in 1923.

After the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), many Quaker and Mennonite families living in Pennsylvania came to establish themselves in this region. Most notably for Stouffville, Abraham Stouffer (b.1747-d.1809) and Elizabeth Stouffer, née Reesor (b. 1774-d.1835) arrived in 1804. In 1832, a post office was established, officially naming the settlement “Stouffville”. In 1877, Stouffville was incorporated as a village.

Local government institutions in Canada West (as Ontario was once known) were reorganized by the Municipal Corporations Act of 1849, also known as the Baldwin Act. This established a two-tier system of municipal government. Counties were made up of cities, towns, villages and townships, each with its own local council. The local councils were headed by reeves, who, as part of their duties, also sat on county council. In Ontario, the role of a reeve and a mayor are very similar.

Historically, the term reeve was often found in rural municipalities, while the term mayor was used in more urban locations. Whitchurch Township and the Village of Stouffville had reeves. After amalgamation, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville chose to have mayors.

In response to Provincial legislation, as of January 1, 1971, boundary changes resulted in the creation of the Regional Municipality of York. With boundaries redrawn, Whitchurch, Stouffville, and portions of Markham would come together to form ‘The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville’ as one of the nine new municipal governments.

Prior to amalgamation, each council met separately in various locations, including local taverns,  hotels, and private residences. Following amalgamation, Town Council began meeting at 19 Civic Avenue (now 19 on the Park) on  January 4, 1971. The municipal offices remained at that location until 1997, then moved to 37  Sandiford Drive. In 2011, 111 Sandiford Drive became the new home to the municipal offices.

1. Cedar Beach Pavillion: 992.001.092 
2. Gormley General Store and Post Office - 988.014.031
3. Wesley Church (United), Wesley Corners 1900, 988.014.023
4. Woodbine Ave. Vandorf looking north, 1909 - 994.007.074 
5. Main and Mill St, Downtown Stouffville 1957: 2021.000.006  
6. Clock Tower and Civic Square June 30 1967  - R998.33.1 
7. Stouffville Continuation School, 1917 - 991.043.162
8. Stouffville Stockyards, Late 1980's Early 1990's  - Toronto Star
9. Train Station and Grain Elevator c. 1900 - 991.043.150
10. Council meeting at town hall 1982 - Toronto Star 
11. 19 on the Park - Town of Stouffville 
12. Scenic willow trees Town of Stouffville 
13. Chain of Office Town of Stouffville