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Celebrate Adelaide McLaughlin’s quiet leadership with tea and a curatorial talk at Parkwood Estate this International Women’s Day. Join Samantha in the Sunroom for a two-hour exploration of how private philanthropy shaped Oshawa’s public life.
Celebrate Adelaide McLaughlin’s quiet leadership with tea and a curatorial talk at Parkwood Estate this International Women’s Day. Join Samantha in the Sunroom for a two-hour exploration of how private philanthropy shaped Oshawa’s public life.
Book with Parkwood National Historic Site
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Operated by Parkwood National Historic Site · Oshawa, Ontario
Parkwood Estate, Oshawa, Ontario, is an early 20th-century estate that keeps the domestic history of the McLaughlin family alive. On Sunday, March 8, join "Her Story, Her Legacy: A Tea & Talk Honouring Adelaide McLaughlin," a two-hour International Women’s Day program that places Adelaide’s overlooked contributions into the foreground. Hosted by Samantha in the Sunroom, the event pairs a curatorial talk with tea and a scone, inviting visitors to consider the private labor and public philanthropy that shaped Oshawa’s civic life.
Adelaide McLaughlin’s influence is the evening’s subject: while Samuel McLaughlin’s name appears in commerce and factories, Adelaide refined the family’s civic impact through quiet leadership, charitable committees, and systems of care that outlasted her lifetime. The Sunroom sits on the lower level of Parkwood Estate and offers an intimate setting — you’ll descend a few steps into an original loggia where period light falls on pressed wood and plaster frieze. That sense of preserved domestic architecture is one of the site’s key features; the program highlights objects, letters, and philanthropic records that reveal a different kind of legacy than industry maps or factory floors.
Practical details matter: the event runs two hours with group seating (maximum eight per table). Check in at the bowling alley doors entrance across from the carriage house ten minutes before start time and present your receipt. There are a few steps down to the Sunroom; if you have mobility issues, the organizers ask that you notify them at least seven days in advance. Note also there are no refunds, parking is limited so carpooling or paid Lakeridge Health lots nearby are recommended, and dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated.
This program makes Parkwood Estate more than a heritage house tour: it reframes the site as a laboratory of civic formation where household management met public life. Visitors interested in social history, women’s leadership, or museum interpretation will leave with fresh context about early 20th-century philanthropy and a clearer sense of how private choices shaped public institutions in Oshawa. The talk’s artifacts and Samantha’s curatorial narration give texture to Adelaide’s methods — fundraising, committee work, and discreet patronage — making the case that legacies are often engineered in parlors as much as in boardrooms.
Whether you’re booking a cultural afternoon while visiting Oshawa or looking for a thoughtful International Women’s Day program, this intimate tea and talk is a model of how local history can be brought to life through objects, story, and careful hospitality. Guests receive a cup of tea and a scone, and the format encourages questions and short discussion; small tables and the Sunroom’s original window seats create quiet corners for post-talk conversation and lingering over exhibits. Advance booking is strongly recommended today.
easy.
2 hours.
Minimal physical fitness required; ability to descend a few steps is necessary.
The program runs approximately two hours.
Check in at the bowling alley doors entrance (across from the carriage house) ten minutes prior to start and present your receipt.
Please note there are no refunds.
There are several steps to the Sunroom; please notify the organizers at least seven days in advance if you require assistance.
Limited onsite parking is available; additional parking can be found in adjacent neighbourhoods or paid Lakeridge Health lots.
No — the program cannot accommodate dietary restrictions, so plan accordingly.
The program reframes Adelaide McLaughlin’s philanthropic leadership, highlighting how household stewardship translated into sustained civic institutions in early 20th-century Oshawa.
Parking is intentionally limited to reduce traffic; organizers encourage carpooling and use of paid lots to ease neighborhood impact.
Parkwood National Historic Site in Oshawa, Ontario preserves a rich cultural setting and offers a broad calendar of public programming that blends historic interpretation with hands-on experiences. The site presents guided tours and interpreted performances such as Servants' Tours and themed walks, alongside practical workshops in crafts, food, and floral design. Programming includes seasonal markets like Retro Fest Vendor Market and Winter Fest Vendor Market, community-focused events such as Parkwood Christmas Tours and The Way Home Film Location Bus Tour, and creative workshops covering stained glass, candle making, holiday wreaths, pottery, perfume making, and culinary demonstrations. Several workshops are taught by named instructors or partners noted in event listings — for example, stained glass sessions led by Emilie Shipman-Wight and Meghan Murphy and perfume-making presented by Dakaari Fragrance House. Parkwood also stages horticultural programs in its greenhouses, including floral arrangement workshops and guided garden tours led by site staff. Parkwood’s event listings show a mix of ticketed and free events and seasonal sell-outs, reflecting active community engagement. The site's public programs combine interpretive tours with hands-on learning opportunities across craft, food, horticulture, and holiday-themed experiences. All descriptions and event listings are presented in third person and reflect the programming and partnerships publicly listed for Parkwood National Historic Site.
Book with Parkwood National Historic Site