A brief history of the Toronto Historical Association
Founded in 1998, the Toronto Historical Association (THA) is an umbrella organization representing volunteer heritage organizations from across the City of Toronto. THA actively participates in heritage preservation and public education programs about Toronto’s heritage.  Prior to the amalgamation of Toronto into the GTA, volunteer heritage groups from the former cities met on an informal basis to exchange ideas and information and joined together annually for a Heritage Showcase exhibit. With the onset of the amalgamated City of Toronto, a number of the groups believed it would be important for them to become an official organization in order to present a coordinated voice for heritage volunteers to the City. Organized as a registered not-for-profit organization, THA is an affiliate of the Ontario Historical Society. THA operates on a volunteer basis with a Board of Directors, drawn from among the Member organizations.

Focused on representing Toronto’s volunteer heritage groups
Our mission is to serve the public interest by educating, researching, protecting and advocating for heritage in Toronto and to assist member groups in carrying out these objectives. We accomplish this by:

• coordinating public events which help to educate the public, such as Heritage Showcase and a Public Forum for Mayoral candidates
• assisting members by exchanging information among the membership through Newsletters and General Membership Meetings
• providing an annual educational workshop for members on topics such as, fund-raising and organization and planning matters
• supporting members and others in the Heritage Community in their efforts to preserve area heritage sites by: writing letters, meeting with local councillors or residents groups, and appearing before City Council or other Government Committees
• assisting the public by advising them where to find information regarding researching their family history, land registration issues or heritage designation
• engaging individual members in many other activities including, lecture series, area tours, historic re-enactments, operating small museums, and/or undertaking research for historic designation and creating Heritage Districts
• working in partnership with City-wide programs.

Bringing together groups of history buffs and individuals 
We welcome volunteer organizations from within the City of Toronto who are active in heritage preservation and public education as well as individual Torontonians who support heritage activities.