Historical Plaques of the
City of Toronto

To learn more about the history of De La Salle and the 8 cannons unearthed in 1996 and Fort St. Louis please visit this Texas Website.

To learn more about the Grand Trunk Railway please visit the Historical Background of the Grand Trunk Railway - St. Marys

Settlers were attracted to this vicinity in the 1790's by the areas rich timber resources and water power potential of the Humber River here. By 1792 a sawmill was established on the west bank and within two decades a small hamlet known as "The Humber" had developed. About 1815 James Farr, a prominent local mill-owner, named it Weston after his English ancestral home. The community subsequently expanded along both sides of the river until 1850 when a disastarous flood destroyed the west bank settlement. Improvements to the Weston Road and the arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 stimulated substantial further growth on the east side. Incorporated as a village in 1881 Weston became part of the Borough of York in 1967.

A prominent businessman and philanthropist, Howland was a leading reform politician and a father of Confederation. Founder of Lambton Mills, he was elected to the Provincial Legislature in 1858. He served in the great coalition government of 1864, which achieved the Federal Union, and attended the 1866 London Conference , where the text of the British North America Act was finalized. Elected to the first Federal Parliament , he resigned in 1868 to become the Second Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. The remainder of his life was devoted to business and charitable work.

Deputé libéral, homme d'affaires, fondateur de Lambton Mills et philanthrope réputé, Howland fut l'un des pères de la Confédération. Il fut élu à l'Assemblée législative en 1858 et fit partie de la Grande Coalition de 1864 qui réalisa une union fédérale. Il fut aussi délégué à la conférence de Londres en 1866, où fut parachevé le texte de l'Acte de l'Amérique du Nord britannique. Élu au premier Parlement fédéral, il démissionna en 1868 pour devenir le deuxième lieutenant-gouverneur de l'Ontario. Ses dernières années furent consacrées à ses affaires et à des oeuvres de charité.

To learn more about the Montgomery's Inn and take an online tour or for tour information please visit their website. The Montgomery Inn

The main section of this building, one of the province's finest remaining examples of Loyalist Georgian architecture, was erected about 1832. Its original owner, the innkeeper, Thomas Montgomery (1790-1877), was a native of Ireland and a Captain in the York Militia. Situated on Dundas Street, one of Upper Canada's principal highways, the Inn was a favourite stopping place for travellers and its large rooms providied space for public meetings. The Home District Council designated Montgomery's Inn as the site of Etobicoke's annual Township Meetings of 1847 and 1849. Surrounded today by a rapidly expanding metropolis, it provides visual evidence of early nineteenth century life in this region.

To learn more about the Colborne Lodge and High Park and view a photo of the lodge please visit the website of Heritage Toronto

Built by John Howard (1803-1890), it was named after Sir John Colborne, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. Howard an architect and engineer, emigrated from England 1832 becoming Toronto's first city surveyor 1834 and city engineer 1838. He was an art collector, painted scenes of Toronto and devouted himself to improving his estate, which forms part of present-day High Park. In 1873 he offered his property to the city for a public park, but retained possession of the Lodge and 45 acres until his death.

A Father of confederation, William McDougall was born on a farm in this vicinity. He became a solicitor and in 1850 founded the North American, a newspaper which became the voice of the "Clear Grit" Liberals. A leading reformer, McDougall became Provincial Secretary in the coalition government that sought confederation. He attended the Quebec and London conferences which negotiated the terms of Federal Union. Appointed first Lieutenant-Governor of the North West Territories in 1869, he was prevented from under taking his duties by the outbreak of the Red-River Rebellion. He returned to politics as a private member in the Ontario Legislature, 1875-78, and in the Federal Parliament, 1878-82, thereafter withdrawing to his legal career.

Almost the entire 200 acres of land now comprising Mount Pleasant Cemetery, extending from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue was purchased in 1873 in what was then the Village of Deer Park. Following three years of development, the first interment took place on March 13, 1876.
At the time the City of Toronto had a population of about 68,000 people with its northern boundary at Bloor Street. A toll gate stood on Gallows Hill on Yonge Street just south of St. Clair Avenue.
Much is owed to the prudence and foresight of the Trustees of the Toronto General Burying Grounds of that time:-

      Hon. William McMaster          John MacDonald, Esq. 
      Andres Taylor McCord, Esq.     James Michie, Esq. 
      Thomas Dick, Esq.              Robert Wilkes, Esq. 
      John Patterson, Esq.           Warring Kennedy, Esq. 
                     Robert Walker, Esq.

This school was constructed in 1929 by the Collegiate Institute Board of the Township of York as a Memorial Institute of higher learning to commemorate the youth of the York community who gave their lives for the cause of peace and freedom.

A gristmill and sawmill, built by David Holley in 1810-11, stood in the valley below. James Farr to whom the mill belonged from 1815-1828, operated five run of stones in his mill. The lower and older part of the Village of Weston, formerley known as Farr's Mills, was destroyed in the flood of 1850. In 1828, William Wadsworth bought the mill rebuilt and operated the sawmill, 1830-1870 and built a larger grist mill in 1856. The Wadsworth Mills operated in this vicinity for 87 years.

This monument marked the eastern entrance to the Queen Elizabeth Way, opened in 1939 by Her Majesty Elizabeth, the Queen Consort, in the company of His Majesty, King George VI. It was designed by W.L. Somerville, architect, and Frances Loring, Sculptor. Florence Wyle assisted in modeling the Royal Profiles and the crown. When the Queen Elizabeth Way was widened, the monument was moved to this site by the Ontario Mnistry of Transportation and Communications in July, 1974.

Loyal residents of York (Toronto) were encouraged by early British victories in the War of 1812, but in 1813, they expierenced first-hand the hardships of war. On the morning of April 27th, an American fleet appeared offshore and began to send 1700 soldiers ashore 2 kilometers west of here. At first only a small force of Ojibwa warriors was in position to resist the landing. After fierce skirmishing the invaders advanced, overcoming defensive stands by outnumbered British and Canadian troops. As they closed in on the main garrison near here, the retreating British ignited a gunpowder storehouse. It exploded, killing 38 Americans and wounding 222 more. Victorious nonetheless, the Americans occupied York for six days. They looted and set buildings ablaze, including the Parliament buildings.

Born in 1893 in a house which stood near this site, Gladys Marie Smith appeared on stage in Toronto at the age of five. Her theatrical career took her to Broadway in 1907 where she adopted the name Mary Pickford. The actress's earliest film, "Her First Biscuits", was released by the Biograph Company in 1909 and she soon established herself as the international cinema's first great star. Her golden curls and children's roles endeared her to millions as "America's Sweetheart". She was instrumental in founding and directing a major film production company and starred in over fifty feature-length films including "Hearts Adrift", "Pollyana" and "Coquette". For the last named film, she received the 1929 Academy Award as the years best actress.

An outstanding Canadian architect, civil engineer and railway manager, Cumberland was born in England and practised there before immigrating to Toronto in 1847. He quickly gained recognition, designing such notable buildings as St. James Cathedral (1850-53) and University College (1856-59), Toronto. In 1860 he completed this house, Pendarvis, in which he lived for 21 years. As an engineer, Cumberland became increasingly involved in railway construction and management, and after 1858 achieved wide prominence as managing director of the Northern Railway. He caried his railway interests into politics and served as member for Algoma in the Ontario Legislature (1867-72) and the Dominion Parliament (1871-72). A man of varied interests, Cumberland was a founder and first commanding officer of the present-day Royal Regiment of Canada.

Sir, John A. MacDonald, Canada's first prime minister, purchased this house in 1876 and lived here 1876-78. It was built in 1872 in the French Second Empire style by Nathaniel Dickey, a Toronto iron founder. MacDonald owned the property until 1886 and it was occupied by his son, Hugh John, 1879-82. The Hon. Oliver Mowat, prime minister of Ontario, bought and occupied the house in 1888 and retained ownership until 1902. The property was leased, 1897-98, to the Hon. Arthur Sturgis Hardy who succeeded Mowat as prime minister and sold to Knox College in 1910.

Born near Otterville, Ontario, Innis was one of Canada's great scholars. He joined the faculty of the University of Toronto in 1920 and became head of the Department of Political Economy in 1937. Deeply interested in the economic development of this country, he pursued his concerns through extensive field trips and research. In his published works, including "The Fur Trade in Canada", "The Cod Fisheries" and "Empire and Communications", he left a wealth of information and theory that has significantly influenced the study of economics, history, geography, politics and communications in Canada and beyond.

Né près d'Otterville en Ontario, Harold Adams Innis, l'un des grands érudits du Canada devint professeur à l'université de Toronto en 1920 et directeur du Département d'Économie politique en 1937. Il s'intéressa beaucoup au développement économique du pays. Dans ses ouvrages, notamment The Fur Trade in Canada, The Cod Fisheries et Empire and Communications, il a laissé le résultat de ses études et de ses recherches ainsi que de nombreuses théories qui ont beaucoup influencé les études en économique, en histoire, en géographie, en sciences politiques et en communication au Canada et à l'extérieur. Il est mort à Toronto.

This institution, the first general infirmary in Upper Canada, began operation in 1829. It was periodically hampered by administrative and financial difficulties but through the initiative of the influential businessman, Sir Joseph Flavelle, Chairman of the Board of Trustees (1904-21), services were reorganized and steps taken for the construction here of a new hospital. Designed by the firm of Darling & Pearson, it was begun in 1911 and officially opened two years later. Toronto General Hospital quickly moved to the forefront of Canadian medicine as an outstanding teaching and research center. In association with the University of Toronto, Connaught Laboratories and other institutions, it achieved international recognition in the fields of radiology, heart surgery, and the treatment of diabetes, arthritis, and kidney and vascular disease.

The ruins standing here today are all that remain of a seven story flour mill built in 1848 to replace an earlier mill, both built by William Tyrell of Weston for William Gamble, Etobicoke's first Reeve. In 1861, the mill suffered the fate of earlier mills and was destroyed by fire. The ruins were designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1983.

The King's Mill, Toronto's first industrial building, was built in 1793 near this site, on order of Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, to mill lumber for the proposed town of York. German-speaking Nicholas Miller was the millwright, assisted by Queen's Rangers.

The Old Mill tea garden restaurant was opened in 1914 as a community amenity by Robert Home Smith, the developer of the Kingsway area.

What came to be known as the Toronto Route or Carrying Place actually consisted of two alternate passages: one ascended the Humber River to the Holland,while a lesser one began 40 kilometers to the east and followed the Rouge River. The route connected Lakes Simcoe and Ontario and was an important trade route for the Indian nations and later the French. Etienne Brule travelled it in 1615 and the Iroquois reputedly used it on their way to attack Huronia in 1649. Although of lesser importance to British fur traders, it still contributed to the favourable position of the settlement which became Toronto.

Le Portage de Toronto comprenait en réalité deux sentiers reliant les lacs Ontario et Simcoe: l'un longeait la rivière Humber jusqu'à la rivière Holland et l'autre, moins important, remontait la rivière Rouge, 40 kilomètres à l'est. Pour les Indiens et les Français, les deux portages constituaient d'importantes routes de commerce. On sait qu'Étienne Brûlé emprunta le Portage de Toronto en 1615 et que les Iroquois l'utilisèrent en 1649 pour attaquer la Huronie. Même s'il eut une importance moindre pour les marchands anglais, le Portage accentua tout de même la position favorable de Toronto.

The first university in the province, King's College was chartered in 1827 through the efforts of the Rev. John Strachan. This site was acquired by the College the following year. Sectarian and political criticism of the Church of England's control of the college delayed construction, but in 1843 classes commenced in the former Parliament Buildings on Front Street. The only completed portion of the college complex, designed by the Toronto architect, Thomas Young, was built here in 1845. A leading academic institution, King's College offered instruction in the arts, science, law, theology and medicine and in 1850 it became a secular institution, the new University of Toronto. The building, appropriated for use as an asylum, six years later, was demolished in 1886.

The Village of York Mills grew up on the west bank of the Don River about six miles north of Toronto. From the opening of Samuel Heron's Mill in 1804 until 1926 when George Pratt's operations closed, the sounds and aromas of flour mills, cider mills and saw mills filled the valley. In 1870 the Village of York Mills had a population of 100.

James Hogg owned property in the vicinity from 1824. After the Hogg brothers began to Develop it in the 1850'S the area was also known as Hogg's Hollow.

On this site stood Montgomery's Tavern, headquarters of William Lyon MacKenzie, leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, and scene of the brief skirmish in which, on 7 December 1837, the rebels were overcome by a force of militia commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel James Fitzgibbon. Though unsuccessful in its primary objective, the uprising, by forcing the issue of unrequited grievances against the dominant "Family Compact", contributed significantly to the legislative union of Upper and Lower Canada in 1841 and to the establishment in Canada of responsible government.

C'est ici que s'élevait la taverne Montgomery, quartier général de William Lyon Mackenzie, chef de la rébellion au Haut-Canada. L'insurrection, dirigée contre l'oligarchie qui régnait dans la province, contribua à la fusion des Haut et Bas Canadas en 1840 et à l'établissement ultérieur du gouvernement responsable. La taverne Montgomery fut témoin, le 7 décembre 1837, de l'escarmouche où les miliciens commandés par le lieutenant-colonel James FitzGibbon vainquirent les rebelles.

The British army established a military post here in 1840-41 to replace aging Fort York. Known as the New Fort, it consisted of seven limestone buildings around a parade square, and a number of lesser structures. Massive defensive works were planned for the perimeter but never built. In 1893 the fort was renamed Stanley Barracks in honour of Governor General Lord Stanley. Canadian forces resumed responsibility for the post in 1870 and garrisoned it until 1947. The barracks then served as public housing until the early 1950's, when all but this building, the Officers' Quarters, were demolished.

This entrance to the Canadian National Exhibition grounds was built in 1927 to commemorate 60 years of Canadian Confederation. The stone and concrete gates were designed by the Toronto firm of Chapman and Oxley and are a fine example of monumental architecture in the Beaux-Arts mode. Sculptor Charles D. McKechnie created the statues. The Winged Victory atop the central arch is flanked by figures representing the C.N.E.'s commitment to progress through industry, education and the arts. The gates were opened officially on August 30, 1927 by Edward, Prince of Wales, and Prince George. They have been known ever since as the "Princes' Gates".

On the morning of July 13, 1813, a U.S. invasion fleet appeared off York (Toronto) after having withdrawn from a planned attack on British positions at Burlington Heights. That afternoon 300 American soldiers came ashore near here. Their landing was unopposed: there were no British regulars in town, and York's militia had withdrawn from further combat in return for its freedom during the American invasion three months earlier. Yhe invaders seized food and military supplies, then re-embarked. The next day they returned to investigate collaborators' reports that valuable stores were concealed up the Don River. Unsuccessful in their search, the Americans contented themselves with burning military installations on nearby Gibraltor Point before they departed.

Reputedly the greatest all-round athlete Canada has ever produced, Conacher was born near here. As a child he was seized by the desire to excel in sports and, taking up football, lacrosse, wrestling, hockey and baseball, he developed remarkable endurance and superb physical skills. In 1920 Conacher won the Canadian light-heavyweight boxing championship and the following year he led the Toronto Argonauts to a Grey Cup Victory. "The Big Train" then devoted himself to professional hockey. A defenseman for National Hockey League teams in Pittsburgh, New York, Montreal and Chicago, he gained a reputation as an aggresive player and a brilliant tactician. In 1937 Conacher retired from professional sports. Thirteen years later he was named the outstanding Canadian male athlete of the half-century.

Toronto's first Roman Catholic Cemetery was beside St. Paul's Church in east downtown Toronto which was established as a Parish in 1822. This cemetery was rapidly filled as a result of the many deaths following the hardships suffered after the 1847 Irish potato famine. By the mid-1850's another catholic cemetery was needed to serve the growing number of Parishes in Toronto.

Purchased in 1854 by the Bishop of Toronto, Rt. Rev. Armand Francois Marie, Comte De Charbonnel, St. Michael's Cemetery was opened in 1855 at the present location in Deer Park, then well north of the City of Toronto. His successor, Bishop John Joseph Lynch, enlarged the cemetery in 1866. To meet the needs of the ever increasing catholic population Mount Hope Cemetery was opened in 1900 in north Toronto.

Originally St. Michael's Cemetery was administered by the Rector of St. Michael's Cathedral. The Toronto Catholic Cemetery Association assumed the responsibility in 1961. Over the years some 29,000 pioneer catholics of the Toronto Archdiocese, priests, religious and laity, have been buried in these ten acres.

As a monument to the dedication of earlier generations to their faith this plaque was blessed and dedicated by Most Rev. Robert B. Clune, D.D., Auxillary Bishop of Toronto, on the Vigil of the Feast of St. Michael, Sunday, September 28, 1980.

This plaque was dedicated as part of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the archdiocese of Toronto to serve as a permanent reminder of the heritage of the Toronto Roman Catholic community.

The winter vault was used to store the bodies of the deceased during the winter until graves could be dug again in the softened soil the following spring.

It has long stood as a small but particularly attractive architectural monument which over the years has been admired by many for its striking beauty and simplicity.

This plaque was blessed and dedicated on Sunday, June 14, 1992, by Auxillary Bishop M. Pearse Lacey

"This tablet is dedicated to the volunteer firefighters of the former Township of York.

Volunteer fire brigades with their handpulled carts served for many years to protect the community against the ravages of fire. It was not until this hall was built, c. 1920, that mechanized firefighting equipment became available to the volunteers.

To those unsung heroes, York will be forever grateful."

The Thomson Settlement, the first in Scarborough, consisting of early mills and homesteads, centered around this point. The library, fostered by the Thomsons and used by the Mechanics Institute from 1878, was housed in its present building in 1896.

West of this point passed an Indian Trail leading to prehistoric Indian villages of which traces have been found. This was the trail by which David Thomson, the first white settler in Scarborough, came to the site upon which he built his house in 1796.

St. Andrews Presbyterian congregation established in 1818, built a frame church in 1831 in the grounds which lie behind this monument. Within these church grounds are buried many of the pioneer families of Scarborough. The existing brick church built in 1849 to serve the growing congregation has nurtured the spiritual life of Scarborough.

In this area of the cemetery are buried many of the inhabitants of "Muddy York".
They were originally buried in " The Potter's Field" a plot of six acres in Yorkville at what is now the north-west corner of Bloor and Yonge Streets, during the period of 1826-1850. As a cemetery it was obliged to close because of steady municipal growth. The remains of 364 persons were removed to this location and some 984 others were removed to the Toronto Necropolis between the years 1851 and 1881. The individual monuments were also moved, but being made of soft stone, most of them became illegible from erosion and have been laid flat on the plots. "The original purchase price in 1825 of "The Potter's Field" was 75 pounds currency or $300.00, the whole amount being raised by subscription in no case exceeding $1.00"

Canada's longest serving prime minister and perhaps its shrewdest political tactician, William Lyon Mackenzie King was prime minister for over twenty-one years in three separate terms of office; 1921-1926, 1926-1930 and 1935-1948. King became Minister of Labour in 1909, and party leader in 1919. He rebuilt the Liberal Party, and led the nation in the Second World War, and prepared for postwar economic expansion. He died in retirement on July 22, 1950, at his beloved home "Kingsmere" near Ottawa.

One of Canada's most influential newspapermen, Atkinson became managing editor of the Toronto Star in 1899, and its majority owner by 1913. Originally hired by supporters of Sir Wilfred Laurier, he sought to make the daily an instrument of social reform. His many and often sensational innovations changed the face of Canadian journalism, and made the Star Canada's largest circulation newspaper by the 1930s. A tough taskmaster in life, he generously bequeathed his fortune to the Atkinson Charitable Foundation, which endows an array of cultural, medical and educational institutions in Ontario.

Atkinson, l'un des journalistes les plus influents du Canada, devint directeur et rédacteur en chef du Toronto Star en 1899, puis actionnaire majoritaire en 1913. Engagé par des partisans de Laurier, il chercha à faire du quotidien un outil de de réforme sociale. Ses nombreuses innovations, souvent à sensation, modifièrent le visage du journalisme canadien et firent du Star le journal au plus fort tirage au pays dans les années 1930. Malgré son autoritarisme, Atkinson dévoila sa générosité en léguant sa fortune au Atkinson Charitable Foundation qui dota plusieurs hôpitaux , universités et institutions culturelles de l'Ontario.

Born in Ireland, Timothy Eaton came to Upper Canada about 1854, eventually becoming a partner in his brothers' general store at St. Mary's. In 1869 he established his own business in Toronto. Through merchandising innovations, such as cash sale for a fixed price, the company prospered and became one of the country's first department stores. Eaton introduced a mail order department in 1884, extending the benefits of popular prices and a wide selection of goods to the rural market. His energies were devoted almost exclusively to the company which, at his death, was Canada's largest retail business.

Né en Irlande, Eaton vint au Canada vers 1854 et devint l'associé de ses frères dans un magasin général de St. Mary's. En 1869, il établit son propre commerce à Toronto. Par des initiatives comme la vente sans crédit ni rabais, le commerce prospéra et devint l'un des plus grands magasins à rayons du Canada. En 1884, Eaton mit sur pied un service de vente par catalogue, faisant ainsi bénéficier la population rurale de ses prix populaires et de sa grande diversité de marchandise. Il consacra presque toutes ses énergies à son entreprise qui, à sa mort, était devenue la plus grande du genre au Canada.

Born in Toronto, Baldwin devoted his political life to a single cause. As a member of the assembly (1829-30 and 1841-51) as Executive Councillor (1841), as Solicitor General (1840-1), and as Co-Premier (1842-43 and 1848-51), he remained true to his vision until the second Baldwin-LaFontaine Administration established the priniciple of Responsible Government in Canada. That ministry also passed the Rebellion Losses Bill and laid the foundation for the municipal system in Ontario. Tired by the struggle, sick and unsympathetic to a rising tide of radicalism, he resigned in 1851. He died at Toronto.

NOTE: Fench text to be posted later due to illegible copy..

A German immigrant and veteran craftsman, Henitzman founded one of Canada's longest lived and most prominent firms of piano manufacturers. He first immigrated in 1850 to the United States where he worked for a time in a piano factory, before he established his own business. This failing, he came to Toronto, virtually penniless, in 1860. From the sale of a paino built in his daughter's home he financed the beginning of a piano factory. The company he established rapidly expanded and soon Henitzman pianos were being sold across Canada and abroad.

En 1850, Heintzman quitta l'Allemagne pours les États-Unis, où il travailla dans une manufacture de pianos puis eut sa propre entreprise. En 1860, il vint à Toronto. Il était alors un artisan expérimenté mais indigent. Par la vente d'un piano qu'il avait fabriqué chez sa fille, il finança l'ouverture d'une manufacture de pianos, qui devint l'une des plus importantes et des plus actives au pays. Bientôt les pianos Heintzman se vendirent à travers tout le Canada et à l'étranger.

Born in Toronto, Bengough, a cartoonist, journalist, poet and lecturer, demonstrated a remarkable versatility of talent. In 1873 he founded Grip, the weekly magazine of homour in which many of his celebrated cartoons first appeared. In 1892 he moved to Montreal as cartoonist with the Star but subsequently returned to Toronto to resume his work for the Globe. The author of A Caricature History of Canadian Politics (1886), he also published, among other works, two volumes of poems, Motley ... (1895), and In Many Keys (1902). He died in Toronto.

Caricaturiste, journaliste, poète et conférencier, Bengough est né et décédé à Toronto. Doué de talents multiples, il fonda en 1873 et dirigea pendant vingt ans un hebdomadaire humoristique Grip, où ses caricatures lui assurèrent la célébrité. Auteur de A Caricature History of Canadian Politics (1886), il passa en 1892 au Montreal Star. Revenu à Toronto, il pratiqua encore la caricature au Globe. Il publia aussi des études sur les questions politiques d'actualité et des poèmes, Motley ... (1895) et In Many Keys (1902). Il mourut à Toronto.

Born in Scotland, Mackenzie came to Upper Canada in 1820. He became a prominent radical journalist and was first elected to the assembly in 1828, building up a strong popular following. He was the first mayor of the city of Toronto in 1834. Frustrated by political setbacks, Mackenzie led an abortive rebellion in 1837, and fled to the United States. From there he watched the achievement of Canadian self-government, which he had sought ardently but without success. Returning under amnesty if 1850, he sat in Parliament again until 1858.

Né en Écosse, Mackenzie émigra au Canada en 1820. Il y eut une carrière influente et tumultueuse comme journaliste radical, membre de l'Assemblée, où il fut élu en 1828, et premier maire de Toronto en 1834. Déçu par des échecs politiques, il prit la téte d'une rébellion en 1837. Vaincu, il dut s'exiler aux États-Unis. C'est de là qu'il suivit la conquète du gouvernement responsable, pour lequel il avait combattu avec tant d'ardeur mais sans succès. Amnistié, il revint au Canada en 1850 et siegea de nouveau au Parlement jusqu'à 1858.

THE DEFENCE OF YORK

LA DÉFENSE DE YORK

PRO PATRIA

In memory of Captain Neal McNeal, Volunteer Donald Maclean, and the soldiers of the Royal Artillery, 8th Regiment, Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Glengarry Light Infantry, York and Durham Militia, and Indians, killed in action, and their comrades who fought here, facing fearful odds, in defence of the Capital of Upper Canada, 27th April, 1813.

À la mémoire du capitaine Neal McNeal, du volontaire Donald Maclean et des morts de l'Artillerie Royale, du 8e Régiment, du Royal Newfoundland Regiment du Glengarry Light Infantry, des Milices de York et de Durham et des corps francs indiens; à la mémoire de leurs camarades d'armes qui ont combattu ici, face à des forces redoutables, pour la défense de la capitale du Haut-Canada, le 27 avril, 1813.

Born at Quebec, Gordon Drummond had a distinguished military career in various parts of the Empire before becoming Administrator of Upper Canada and commander of the British forces in the province in 1813. That winter he drove the enemy out of the Niagara peninsula and carried the war into American territory. In July 1814 he checked the American advance at Lundy's Lane. Drummond was knighted in 1815, and named Administrator of Lower Canada, a post he held until 1816. He died in London.

Né à Québec, Gordon Drummond eut une brillante carrière militaire en diverses parties de l'Empire avant de devenir administrateur du Haut-Canada et commandant des forces britanniques dans cette province, en 1813. Au cours de cet hiver, il repoussa l'ennemi de la péninsule du Niagara et porta la guerre en territoire américain. En juillet 1814, il arrêta l'avance américaine à Lundy's Lane. En 1815, Drummond fut créé chevalier et nommé administrateur du Bas-Canada, poste qu'il occupa jusqu'en 1816. Il mourut à Londres.

This station was built between 1915 and 1920 to the designs of Ross and Macdonald, H.G. Jones and J.M. Lyle. Subsequent to the relocation of the tracks, it was opened in 1927. It is the finest example in Canada of stations erected in the classical Beaux-Arts style during an era of expanding national rail networks and vigorous urban growth. Its sweeping facade and imposing Great Hall exhibit the monumental architecture and dramatic use of enclosed space characteristic of the Beaux-Arts movement.

Cette gare est la meilleure illustration des nombreuses gares de style classique construites au Canada pendant l'ère d'expansion ferroviaire et d'urbanisation du début du siècle. Elle a été construite entre 1915 et 1920, selon les plans des firmes Ross et Macdonald et H.G. Jones et J.M. Lyle. Elle fut inaugurée en 1927 après que l'on en ait relocalisé les rails. Sa façade imposante et ses vastes espaces intérieurs témoignent bien des tendances de l'architecture née du mouvement des Beaux-Arts.

On 24th September, 1905, James Henry Fleming placed band No. 1 on the foot of a robin in his garden at 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto. This was the first wild bird in Canada to be marked with a numbered and recorded band. From this beginning has come a greatly increased knowledge of bird migration.

Le 24 septembre 1905, James Henry Fleming passa à la patte d'un rouge-gorge, dans son jardin du 267, Rusholme Road, à Toronto, la bague numéro 1. Ce rouge-gorge fut le premier oiseau sauvage au Canada à porter une bague numérotée et enregistrée. Ce modeste début a permis d'accroître la connaissance de la migration des oiseaux.

Vincent Massey, diplomat, philanthropist and patron of the arts, was born in Toronto and educated at the University of Toronto and Oxford. He served as Canada's first Minister to Washington (1926-30) and as Canadian High Commissioner to London (1935-46). Later he was named chairman of the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, whose Report (1951) was a landmark in the cultural history of Canada. In 1952 Massey became the first native-born Governor General of Canada, and held that office until 1959. Hart House was the gift of the Massey Foundation, in which he played a leading part.

Diplomate et mécène , Vincent Massey est né à Toronto et il a étudié aux universités de Toronto et d'Oxford. Premier ministre plénipotentiaire canadien à Washington (1926-30), puis Haut-Commissaire à Londres (1935-46), il présida la Commission royale d'enquête sur l'avancement des arts, lettres et sciences au Canada dont le rapport, déposé en 1951, fut un point tournant de l'histoire culturelle du Canada. En 1952, il devint le premier gouverneur général d'origine canadienne et il détint le poste jusqu'en 1959. Hart House est un don fait par la fondation Massey alors qu'il en était le principal artisan.

19 December 1846 marked the inauguration of the telegraph in Canada. This major development in communications was pioneered by the Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara Electro-Magnetic Telegraph Company whose line then being built between Toronto and Queenston carried the first message, from the mayor of Toronto to his Hamilton counterpart. To most Canadians the early telegraph was an expensive novelty but both the press and business soon adapted it to their use. In 1852 the successful but limited Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara enterprise was bought by the larger Montreal Telegraph Company.

PREMIER TÉLÉGRAPHE ÉLECTRIQUE CANADIEN

Le 19 décembre 1846 le télégraphe fut inauguré au Canada. La Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara Electro-Magnetic Telegraph Company, instigatrice de cette importante évolution des communications, transmit le premier message, du maire de Toronto à son homologue d'Hamilton, par la ligne en construction entre Toronto et Queenston. Pour la plupart des Canadiens, le premier télégraphe était une nouveauté couteûse, mais le presse et le commerce ne tardèrent pas à l'adopter. En 1852, la Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara, passa à la Montreal Telegraph Company.

After rioters burned the legislative building at Montreal in 1849 during the Tory protest over the Rebellion Losses Bill, the seat of the provincial government alternated between Toronto and Quebec. The sessions of 1850, 1851 and 1856 to 1859 were held in buildings originally erected (1829-1832) for the Legislature of Upper Canada in York, later Toronto. These buildings, which occupied the block bounded by Wellington, Simcoe, Front and John Streets, were demolished in 1904.

Après que des protestataires anglophones eurent incendié le Parlement à Montréal, au cours de l'émeute provoquée en 1849 par l'adoption de la loi d'indemnité aux victimes des insurrections de 1837-1838, le siège du gouvernement provincial alterna entre Toronto et Québec. Les sessions de 1850, 1851 et de 1856 à 1859 eurent lieu dans les immeubles construits entre 1829 et 1832 pour le Parlement du Haut-Canada à York, plus tard Toronto. On démolit ces édifices, qui occupaient le quadrilatère des rues Wellington, Simcoe, Front et John, en 1904.

The building of University College in 1856-59 largely assured the future of the University of Toronto and drew it, in time, into a federal pattern which was widely followed in Canada and the Commonwealth. Here was realized a major nineteenth century aspiration: The establishment of a non-denominational institution of higher learning supported by Government. The building was designed by F.W. Cumberland and demonstrates his skill in freely adapting the Romanesque style to the purposes of a college in the new world.

L'édification de University College entre 1856 et 1859 a pour une large part assuré l'avenir de l'Université de Toronto, permettant de l'organiser en une fédération de collèges, système imité par la suite en plus d'un point du Canada et de tout le Commonwealth. Ici, s'est réalisée l'une des aspirations essentielles du dix-neuvième siècle: La création d'un établissement laique d'enseignement supérieur subventionné par l'Etat. Les bâtiments conçus par F. W. Cumberland, témoignent de l'art avec lequel l'architecte a su librement adapter le style roman aux exigences de l'Université dans le Nouveau Monde.

Soldier, surgeon, and scientist, Banting in 1920 became convinced of the existence of a substance now known as Insulin. A laboratory provided by Dr. J.J.R. Macleod of the University of Toronto enabled Banting and Charles H. Best, in 1921, to prepare an active anti-diabetic extract of pancreas, purifed by Dr. J.B. Collip. This was first used successfully on January 11, 1922, by Drs. W. R. Campbell and A.A. Fletcher. Banting shared with Macleod the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1923 and was knighted in 1934. Born near Alliston, Ontario, he died in the crash of a military aircraft in Newfoundland, on February 21, 1941.

Chirurgien durant la première grande guerre, Banting se convainquit, en 1920, de l'existence d'une hormone plus tard appelée insuline. Dans un laboratoire fourni par le docteur J.J.R. Macleod de l'Université de Toronto, Banting et Charles H. Best tirèrent du pancreas un extrait antidiabétique actif que purifia le docteur J.B. Collip. Les docteurs W.R. Campbell et A.A. Fletcher furent les premiers à traiter avec succès un diabétique à l'insuline, en janvier 1922. Récipiendaire du Prix Nobel avec Macleod, en 1923, Banting fut créé chevalier en 1934. Né à Alliston (Ontario), il périt dans l'écrasement d'un avion militaire à Terre-Neuve, en février 1941.

Born in Kingston, where he was trained as a lawyer, Oliver Mowat served as a Toronto alderman before his election to the legislature of the united Canadas as a Reformer in 1857. He joined the Great Coalition in 1864 and attended the Quebec Conference. From 1872 to 1896 he served a premier and attorney-general of Ontario, a period of office noted for the introduction of the ballot (1874), the extension of the franchise (1888), and a determined fight for provincial rights. In 1896 Mowat was named to the Senate and became Minister of Justice in the Laurier cabinet, but he resigned the next year to become Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

Oliver Mowat naquit à Kingston où il étudia le droit. Il fut ensuite échevin de Toronto et, en 1857, député réformiste à l'assemblée du Canada-Uni. Il participa à la Grande Coalition de 1864 et assista à la Conférence de Québec. De 1872 à 1896, il fut premier ministre et procureur général de l'Ontario. Pendant ce mandat, il introduisit le scrutin secret (1874), élargit le droit de vote (1888) et lutta sans arrêt pour l'autonomie provinciale. Nommé au Sénat en 1896, il devint minstre de la Justice dans le Cabinet Laurier, mais il démissionna l'année suivante pour devenir lieutenant-gouverneur de l'Ontario.

As its general manager from 1886 and then president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce from 1907-24, Walker was an authority on banking theory and practice in Canada. Also interested in culture and the arts, he was instrumental in the founding of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and the Champlain Society, which publishes historical Canadian documents. In 1909, he became an original member of the National Battlefields Commission which brought about the development of the Plains of Abraham. Knighted in 1910, Sir Edmund died in Toronto.

Directeur général de la Banque canadienne de commerce de 1886 à 1907, puis président jusqu'en 1924, Byron Walker fut un expert en questions bancaires. Il avait en outre une vaste culture et un grand amour de l'art. Il a contribué à fonder l'Art Gallery of Ontario, le Royal Ontario Museum et la Champlain Society, qui publie des documents d'histoire du Canada. Walker fut parmi les premiers membres de la Commission des champs de bataille nationaux, chargée d'assurer le développement des plaines d'Abraham de Québec. Il fut crée chevalier en 1910. Il mourut à Toronto.

Ned Hanlan was born in Toronto. In an era when rowing was a highly popular spectator sport in the English-speaking world, he was the sport's greatest exponent. He became Canadian champion in 1877 and shortly thereafter American and English champion. He won the world title in 1880, retaining it until 1884. When Hanlan retired from skulling in 1897, after approximately 350 matches, he had been defeated only some six times. Popularly known as "The Boy in Blue", he was one of Canada's first national sporting heroes and was the focus of public adulation in his home city until his death.

Ned Hanlan fut le plus célèbre rameur de l'époque où l'aviron était un spectacle sportif fort populaire dans le monde anglophone. Cet athlète de Toronto fut champion du Canada en 1877, puis de l'Aémrique et du Royaume-Uni. Il gagna le titre mondial en 1880 et le conserva jusqu'en 1884. Lorsqu'il se retira en 1897, on ne lui connaissait que six défaites en 350 courses. Connu sous le nom de Boy in Blue, il fut un des premiers héros sportifs nationaux du Canada et demura très populaire dans sa ville natale jusqu'à sa mort.

Writer, artist, and illustrator of historical novels and textbooks, Charles Jefferys emigrated to Canada from England in 1879. After studying at the Toronto Art Students League, he joined the New York Herald as an illustrator in 1892, but returned to Canada in1900 to work as a freelance artist for the Globe and the Daily Star. From 1911 to 1939 he taught drawing and painting at the University of Toronto. He painted landscapes and historical subjects across Canada, but is best known for his carefully researched drawings, such as those in his three volume Picture Gallery of Canadian History.

Auteur, artiste et illustrateur de romans historiques et de manuels d'histoire, Charles Jefferys émigra d'Angelterre en 1879. Il étudia les arts à Toronto et devint illustrateur au Herald de New York en 1892. De retour au Canada en 1900, il collabora comme pigiste au Globe et au Daily Star, puis enseigna le dessin et la peinture à l'université de Toronto de 1911 à 1939. Paysagiste canadien et interprète de sujets historiques divers, il est renommé pour la qualité documentaire de ses illustrations, notamment celles de sa trilogie Picture Gallery of Canadian History.

The third generation of a prominent Toronto family, Denison commanded a local cavalry regiment and served during the Fenian Raids (1866) and the Northwest Rebellion (1885). Also active in poitics, he was one of the founders of the nationalist Canada First movement. Convinced that the only way in which Canada could preserve her sovereignty in North America was as part of the British Empire, he became prominent in the Imperial Federation League, which flourished until the early part of this century. Although never elected to office, he was a Toronto police magistrate for 43 years.

Troisième dans la lignée d'une famille en vue de Toronto, il commanda un régiment local de cavalerie pendant les invasions des Fénians (1866) et la Rébellion du Nord-Ouest (1885). Également actif en politique, il fut l'un des fondateurs du mouvement nationaliste "Canada First". Convaincu que le Canada ne pouvait assurer sa souveraineté en Amérique qu'au sein de l'Empire britannique, il devint un membre éminent de l'Imperial Federation League. Il n'accéda jamais à la scène politique mais il occupa un poste important à la police de Toronto pendant 43 ans.

The Grange was built about 1817 for D'Arcy Boulton Jr. At one time the town of York (now Toronto) was surrounded by residential estates belonging to prominent citizens and The Grange is one of the few to survive. Its symmetrical five-bay facade and central pediment reflect the conservative influence of the British classical tradition of the 18th century. The west wing represents two later additions. Given to the Art Museum of Toronto in 1911, The Grange is now owned by the Art Gallery of Ontario and is restored to the 1835-1840 period.

The Grange fut construite vers 1817 pour D'Arcy Boulton Jr. Cette demeure est l'une des rares illustrations qui restent des magnifiques domaines que possédalent alors les citoyens les plus influents de York (Toronto). Le classicisme cher aux architectes britanniques du XVIIIe siècle se manifeste dans l'harmonie de la façade, percée de cinq baies, et dans le fronton central. L'aile ouest est de construction plus récente. Versé au Art Museum of Toronto en 1911, l'édifice, restauré selon l'aspect qu'll présentait entre 1835 et 1840, appartient au Art Gallery of Ontario.

Born and educated in England, Goldwin Smith taught history at Oxford and Cornell before moving to Toronto in 1871. He married Harriette Boulton in 1875, widow of William Henry Boulton of The Grange. From The Grange, Smith wrote in a controversial, compelling style for periodicals such as the Canadian Monthly, the Week and his own Bystander. Initially a proponent of Canadian nationalism, he later became, contrary to growing imperial sentiment, a strong advocate of commerical union with the United States. This view in 1891 inspired his best-known book, Canada and the Canadian Question.

Né en Angleterre, Goldwin Smith y fit ses études puls il enseigna l'histoire à Oxford et à Cornell. En 1871, il vint à Toronto. En 1875, il épousa Harriette Boulton; au manoir que celle-ci reçut en legs de son mari, The Grange, il écrivit des articles à controverse et fort suivis pour divers périodiques dont le Canadian Monthly, le Week et pour son propre Bystander. D'abord partisan du nationalisme canadien, il devint ensuite, malgré l'impérialisme grandissant, un défenseur de l'union commerciale avec les États-Unis. Cette option lui inspira en 1891 son livre le plus connu, Canada and the Canadian Question.

Chartered in 1821, the Bank of Upper Canada was, until its demise in 1866, one of British North America's leading banks. It played a significant role in the development of Upper Canada -- supplying currency, protecting savings and making loans -- and aided Toronto's rise as the commercial centre of the colony. This building, opened in 1827, was the second home of the bank. Its design reflects the image of conservative opulence favoured by financial institutions of the time. The portico, designed by John G. Howard, a leading architect of the period, was added about 1844.

L'ÉDIFICE DE LA BANQUE
DU HAUT-CANADA

Fondée en 1821, la Banque du Haut-Canada compta jusqu'à sa fermeture en 1866 parmi les banques les plus prospères de l'Amérique du Nord britannique. Elle contribua de façon notable au développement du Haut-Canada (émission de monnale, protection de l'épargne, prêts) et contribua à faire de Toronto le centre commercial de la colonie. Cet édifice, ouvert au public en 1827, est le deuxième qu'occupa la Banque. Le style du bâtiment témoigne du luxe traditionnel des établissements financiers d'alors. Le portique, ajouté à l'édifice vers 1844, fut conçu par John G. Howard, architecte renommé de l'époque.

Originally all post offices in Upper Canada were owned by the postmasters in charge, who were imperial appointments. This building was constructed for postmaster James Scott Howard during 1833-1835 and functioned as the town's post office until Howard's dismissal in 1837. A typical example of a small public building of the time, combining public offices with a private residence, it survives as a rare example of an early Canadian post office. In 1876, it was incorporated into the present block of buildings. The mansard roof is a later addition.

LE BUREAU DE POSTE DE YORK

Dans les premiers temps de la colonie, chaque bureau de poste appartenait au maître de poste, dont la nomination était politique. Ce bâtiment, construit en 1833-1835 pour le maître de poste James Scott Howard, servit de bureau de poste et de bureau des douanes de Toronto jusqu'au départ de Howard en 1837. Rare témoin des premiers bureaux de poste canadiens, il est caractéristique des petits bâtiments publics de l'époque, qui abritaient bureaux publics et résidence privée sous un même toit. En 1876, on incorpora la construction à ce groupe de bâtiments en rangée. Plus tard, on ajouta le toit en mansarde.

Named after the province's first chief justice, Osgoode Hall was begun as the headquarters of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1829. The east wing was built by 1832, with the centre and west wing being added between 1844 and 1846. The centre section was reconstructed in grand style from designs by the prominent Toronto architectural firm of Cumberland and Storm between 1856 and 1859. This edifice ranks among Canada's architectural and historical treasures. Osgoode Hall continues to house the Law Society, and has since 1846 been the seat of provincial superior courts.

Cet édifice, nommé en l'honneur du premier juge en chef de l'Ontario, fut mis en chantier en 1829 pour abriter le siège social de la Law Society of Upper Canada. L'aile droite date de 1832 et le reste du bâtiment a été ajouté plus tard, en 1844 - 1846. La magnifique partie centrale a été conçue par le groupe d'architectes prestigieux Cumberland and Storm et érigée entre 1856 et 1859. Par son architecture et son histoire, Osgoode Hall figure parmi les richesses du Canada. Depuis 1846, l'édifice abrite, outre l'association du barreau, des cours provinciales.

Since its opening in 1894, Massey Hall has served as one of Canada's most important cultural institutions. A gift to Toronto from wealthy industrialist Hart Massey, it provided the city with professional concert facilities. Its presence gave a new impetus to the city's budding music community which led to the founding of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although criticized for its plain exterior, the concert hall has earned widespread renown for its outstanding acoustics. Over the years it has attracted orchestras, soloists and speakers from around the world.

Offert à Toronto par le riche industriel Hart Massey et inauguré en 1894, Massey Hall devint une salle de concert importante pour musiciens professionnels. La présence stimula la vie musicale dans la ville et amena la fondation de l'orchestre symphonique et du choeur Mendelssohn de Toronto. L'extérieur de Massey Hall est modesté, c'est son acoustique qui lui a valu sa grande renommée. Au fil des ans, elle a attiré des orchestres, des solistes et des conférenciers du monde entier, devenant ainsi l'un des établissements culturels les plus renommés du Canada.

Born near Cobourg, Hart Massey took over his father's farm implement manufacturing business in 1856. He soon made it the most dynamic firm in its field, a leader in the transformation of Canadian agriculture. After the company's move from Newcastle to Toronto in 1879 and its 1891 merger with rival firms, he became the head of the largest farm machinery business in the British Empire, the Massey-Harris Company. A great philanthropist, Massey supported many religious, charitable and educational institutions. His legacy includes Massey Music Hall and the Fred Victor Mission.

Hart Massey naquit près de Cobourg. Il prit en charge l'entreprise familiale en 1856, et il en fit bientôt la firme d'outillage agricole la plus dynamique et la plus influente dans la transformation de l'agriculture canadienne. En 1879, la compagnie déménagea de Newcastle à Toronto, puis absorba des firmes rivales en 1891. Dès lors, Massey dirigea la plus grande manufacture de machinerie agricole dans l'Empire britannique, la Massey-Harris Company. Grand philanthrope, il a soutenu de multiples institutions religieuses, charitables et educatives. En témoignent le Massey Music Hall et la Fred Victor Mission.

The IODE, a Canadian womem's volunteer organization, was founded by Margaret Polson Murray in 1900, during the Boer War, in order to encourage public service, patriotism and loyalty to the Crown. Throughout the two world wars members raised considerable funds for medical and personal supplies for military personnel. Between and after the wars they directed much of their attention to the care of veterans and their families. Once a symbol of imperial unity, today the IODE is a national service organization which maintains projects in the areas of education, social service and citizenship.

Cet organisme bénévole composé de femmes canadiennes fut fondé par Margaret Polson Murray en 1900, pendant la guerre des Boers, afin de promouvoir le service à la population, le patriotisme et la loyauté à la Couronne. Lors des deux guerres mondiales, I'IODE rassembla des fons considérables afin de répondre aux besoins matériels et médicaux des troupes. Par la suite, l'organisme se préoccupa du bien-être des vétérans et de leurs familles. Jadis symbole de l'unité impériale, I'IODE est aujourd'hui un organisme national, dont les objectifs englobent l'éducation, le bien-être social et la citoyenneté.

Davidson Black was born and educated in Toronto. He had begun a career in medicine when Sir Grafton Elliot Smith interested him in the problem of fossil man. After World War I, Black accepted a post at the Pekin Union Medical College, considering China to be a likely field for his studies. There, in 1927, on the basis of a fossil tooth found at Chou Kou Tien, he identified a new genus and species hominid, Sinanthropus pekinensis. This discovery of "Peking man" was subsequently confirmed by the excavations of W.C. Pei and a team Chinese and European scientists working with Black. He died in China.

Né et éduqué à Toronto, Davidson Black avait embrassé la carière médicale quand sir Grafton Elliot Smith éveilla sa curiosité pour les fossiles humains. Après la Première guerre mondiale, il accepta un poste au Pekin Union Medical College, considérant la Chine comme un champ de recherche idéal. En 1927, à partir d'une dent fossilisée trouvée à Chou Kou Tien, il identifia une nouvelle espèce d'hominidé, le Sinanthropus pekinensis. Cette découverte fut subséquemment confirmée par les fouilles de W.C. Pei et d'une équipe de savants chinois et européens, qui travaillaient avec lui. Black mourut en Chine.

Father of Confederation
Père de la Confédération

Sir William Pearce Howland 1811 - 1907

Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada

Father of Confederation
Père de la Confédération

George Brown 1818 - 1880

Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada

Father of Confederation
Père de la Confédération

James Cockburn 1819 - 1883

Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada

Father of Confederation
Père de la Confédération

Sir Oliver Mowat 1820 - 1903

Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada

American born Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), internationally renowned author, lived in this apartment building, 1597 - 1599 Bathurst Street, in 1923 - 24, while working as a journalist for the Toronto Star. While here he became friends with novelist Morley Callaghan and writer/broadcaster Gordon Sinclair. He returned to Paris, France, where he began his career as a novelist, producing such masterpieces as "The Sun Also Rises", "A Farewell To Arms" & "For Whom The Bell Tolls".

Knighted in 1935 for services to music in Canada, Ernest MacMillan was a familiar figure to adults and school children alike. A composer and organist, he was for many years conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, principal of the Toronto Conservatory of Music and dean of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto. MacMillan worked tirelessly to promote music and musicians at all levels. He supported new national music organizations, published widely, conducted local orchestras and choirs and adjudicated at music festivals in cities and towns across the country.

Créé chevalier en 1935 pour son apport exceptionnel à la musique au Canada, MacMillan fut un personnage fort connu au pays. Lié de près à Toronto, il y dirigea l'Orchestre symphonique et la Chorale Mendelssohn pendant plusieurs années; il y fut aussi directeur du Conservatoire de musique et doyen de la Faculté de musique de l'Université. Compositeur, organiste, ardent promoteur de la musique et des musiciens à tous les niveaux, il appuya les organismes musicaux naissants, publia plusieurs ouvrages, dirigea nombre de chorales et d'orchestres et fut juge à des festivals dans diverses villes du pays.

Built between 1889 and 1899, this impressive Richardsonian Romanesque structure by local architect E.J. Lennox was the solution to the need of both the city of Toronto and York County for new quarters. Its superb downtown site, richly carved sandstone surfaces, and variety in colour and texture combine in a clear expression of the region's late 19th century self-confidence. "Great buildings", stated Mayor John Shaw at its opening, "symbolize a people's deeds and aspirations". This structure is among Canada's most important examples of monumentally scaled city halls.

Ancien Hôtel de Ville
Palais de Justice du comté de York

Construit entre 1889 et 1899 selon les plans de l'architecte E.J. Lennox cet édifice néo-roman d'inspiration richardsonienne a servi d'hôtel de ville à Toronto et de palais de justice au comté de York. Il figure parmi les principaux exemples d'hôtels de ville monumentaux à la fin du XIXe siècle. Ses façades de grès richement ornées, la variété des couleurs et des textures, la beauté de l'emplacement expriment la confiance qui régnait dans la région au moment de la mise en chantier du bâtiment. À l'inauguration, le maire John Shaw proclama que les grands édifices symbolisent les réalisations et les aspirations d'un peuple.

The "Beaver" was developed in 1946 at Downsview under P.C. Garratt of DeHavilland Canada for flying in the Canadian north. The single engine, high wing monoplane, built for bush work, achieved world-wide civil and military sales. Use in some 60 countries from the Arctic to the Antarctic, it served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. It was noted for its simplicity, ruggedness and short take-off and landing ability. Over half of the 1,692 produced from 1947 to 1968 were sold to the U.S. armed forces. Designed and built without government aid, the "Beaver" was an ideal workhorse of the air.

Le Beaver fut conçu à Downsview en 1946, sous la direction de P.C. Garratt de la compagnie DeHavilland Canada. Construit pour le Nord canadien, ce monoplan à aile haute eut une carrière civile et militaire mondiale. Il fut utilisé dans quelques 60 pays et servit dans les guerres de Corée et du Vietnam. On aimait sa simplicité, sa résistance et sa capacité de décoller et d'atterrir sur de courtes distances. Les militaires américains achetèrent plus de la moitié des 1,692 avions fabriqués de 1947 à 1968. Conçu et réalisé sans aide gouvernementale, le Beaver fut un excellent avion polyvalent.

The son of Loyalists, pupil and protégé of John Strachan, John Beverley Robinson was the embodiment of the values of the early Upper Canadian tories known as the Family Compact. For almost half a century he played a leading role in the public life of the province as Solicitor General,Attorney General, member of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative and Executive Councils and, from 1829-1862, as chief Justice. A defender of British institutions, of the rights of rank and property and of an established church, he was also an early proponent of British North American union. He was made a baronet in 1854.

SIR JOHN BEVERLEY ROBINSON, BARONNET (1791-1863)

Fils de Loyalistes, éléve et protégé de John Strachan, Robinson personnifia les valeurs prônées par les Tories du Haut-Canada, connus sous le nom de Family Compact. Pendant plus de 50 ans, il joua un rôle de premier plan sur la scéne publique provinciale, ayant été adjoint puis procureur général, député A l'Assemblée 1égislative, membre des conseils législatif et exécutif, et juge en chef de 1829-1862. Défenseur des institutions britanniques-- hiérarchie,droit A la propriété et tglise établie--, il préconisa trés tét l'union des colonies de l'Amérique du Nord britannique. Il fut créé baronnet en 1854.

Built in 1851-1853 for the Province of Canada, the Seventh Post Office was designed by Toronto architects Frederic Cumberland and Thomas Ridout. The building, in the then popular Neo-classical style, resembles a Greek temple. The elegant symmetry of the Ionic columns, corner piers and the entablature topped with the Royal Arms of England demonstrates an ease with classical forms. The building served as a post office till 1873, and housed government offices until 1937. It was then sold to the Bank of Canada and later purchased and refurbished by Argus Corporation Limited.

Ce bureau de poste a été construit en 1851 - 1853 pour la province du Canada, d'après les plans de Frederic Cumberland et Thomas Ridout de Toronto. Conçu dans le style néo-classique populaire à partir des années 1820, l'édifice ressemble à un temple grec. L'élégante symétrie des colonnes ioniques et des piliers ainsi que son entablement couronné des armes royales montrent les tendances classiques des architectes. L'édifice servit de bureau de poste jusqu'en 1873 et abrita des bureaux de gouvernement jusqu'en 1937. Il fut alors vendu à la Banque du Canada, puis acheté et restauré par Angus Corporation Limited.

In its vigorous, harmonious composition, this small funeral chapel is a splendid example of High Victorian Gothic design. Its sense of strength and spirituality is derived from the subtle contrast of its stone walls, enveloping roofs, and soaring spire. The chapel was erected in 1860 to plans by Cumberland and Storm, one of Toronto's leading 19th-century architectural firms. Situated on a slight rise, St. James is enhanced by the picturesque seting of its cemetery, which was opened in 1844 and is the oldest established cemetery in the city.

LA CHAPELLE
DE ST. JAMES-THE-LESS

D'une composition vigoureuse et harmonieuse, cette petite chapelle funéraire offre un magnifique exemple du style néo-gothique de l'apogée victorien. La force et la spiritualité qui s'en dégagent tiennent au contraste subtil de ses murs de pierre, de ses toits enveloppants et de son haut clocher. Elle a été construite en 1860 d'après des plans de Cumberland and Storm, une des principales firmes d'architectes de Toronto au XIXe siècle. Située sur un petit promontoire, elle est mise en valeur par le cadre pittoresque de son cimetière, le plus vieux de la ville, ouvert en 1844.

The "Mac-Paps" were a unit of the International Brigades, a volunteer force recruited world-wide to oppose the fascist forces bent on overthrowing the government of Spain. Formed in Spain in 1937, the battalion was named for the leaders of the 1837 rebellion in Upper and Lower Canada. Despite their government's opposition, more than 1,500 Canadians volunteered to fight with the Republican forces in the Spanish Civil War. They fought courageously for their ideals, suffering heavy losses in major battles. About half survived to return home in 1939.

Le "Mac-Pap" était une unité des Brigades internationales, formations de volontaires du monde entier recrutés pour combattre les forces fascistes qui cherchaient à renverser le gouvernement espagnol. Il fut constitué en Espagne en 1937 et on lui donna le nom des chefs des rébellions de 1837 au Haut et au Bas-Canada. Plus de 1500 Canadiens s'y joignirent, malgré l'opposition de leur gouvernement. Ils luttèrent courageusement pour leurs idéaux aux côtés des républicains et subirent de lourdes pertes lors de batailles importantes. Environ la moitié survécurent et revinrent au Canada in 1939.

In its rich Edwardian Baroque details, classical composition, steel frame and fireproofed surfaces, the Birkbeck Building represents a transitional period of urban commercial design which combined historical style with modern technology. Built in 1908 for the Canadian Birkbeck Investment and Savings Company, this four-storey office building is typical of many small financial institutions prevalent in central business districts of Canadian cities before Worl War I. Designed by George W. Gouinlock, the Birkbeck Building was restored by the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1987.

L'ÉDIFICE BIRKBECK

Avec ses riches détails baroques de l'époque édouardian, sa composition classique, sa charpente d'acier et ses surfaces ignifugées, cet édifice à bureaux de quatre étages est représentatif d'une période de transition où la conception des immeubles commerciaux alliait style historique et techniques modernes. Construit en 1908 d'après les plans de George W. Gouinlock, il offre un exemple typique des nombreux petits établissements financiers que l'on trouvait dans les quartiers d'affaires des villes canadiennes avant la Première Guerre mondiale. ll a été restauré par la Fondation du patrimoine ontarien en 1987.

This building is one of the few surviving air terminal buildings dating from the formative years of scheduled air passenger travel. It was constructed in 1938-39 by the Toronto Harbour Commissioners to service the new Port George VI Airport, now known as the Toronto Island Airport. Geared to efficiency, it centralized passenger, baggage, and air traffic control services in a structure which was placed close to and in full view of the runway. Its horizontal massing, central projecting control tower and attractively landscaped setting are typical of air terminal buildings before the advent of jet aircraft.

Cet édifice est l'une des rares aérogares remontant au début du transport aérien régulier de passagers. Il fut construit en 1938-1939 par la Commission du havre de Toronto pour desservir l'aéroport de Toronto Island, créé sous le nom de Port George Vl. Son plan, axé sur l'efficacité, centralisait les services des passagers, des bagages et du contrôle de la circulation aérienne à proximité de la piste. L'accent horizontal de sa composition, la projection de sa tour de contrôle au-dessus de l'aire centrale et son attrayant aménagement extérieur sont typiques des aérogares bâties avant l'apparition des avions à réaction.

Fort York constituted the primary defensive position in early York (Toronto). The present buildings, erected between 1813 and 1815 to replace those destroyed during the American occupations of York in 1813, are among the oldest in Toronto and are important survivng examples of British military architecture. At the turn of the 20th century, the fort was threatened with demolition. The fight to save it led to one of the first victories of the Canadian heritage movement. The fort was bought by the city in 1909 and restored between 1932 and 1934 as part of Toronto's centennial celebration.

Le fort York constituait le principal ouvrage défensif de la ville de York (Toronto) à ses débuts. Les bâtiments actuels, construits entre 1813 et 1815 pour remplacer ceux détruits lors des occupations américaines de 1813, comptent parmi les plus vieux à Toronto et offrent des exemples importants de l'architecture militaire anglaise. En 1909, le mouvement canadien pour la conservation du patrimoine connut l'une de ses premières victoires lorsque le fort, menacé de démolition au début du siècle, fut acheté par la ville. Il fut restauré entre 1932 et 1934 dans le cadre des fêtes du centenaire de Toronto.

Lionel Conacher, the "Big Train", was voted Canada's All-Round Male Athlete of the Half-Century in 1950. He excelled at six professional sports. Particularly gifted in football and lacrosse, he was a key participant in many championships including the 1921 Grey Cup. Between 1925 and 1937 Conacher concentrated on a career in the National Hockey League during which he pioneered many modern defensive techniques and was a member of two different Stanley Cup-winning teams. On his retirement from sports in 1937 Conacher was elected to the Ontario Legislature and in 1949 to the House of Commons.

Lionel Conacher, nommé en 1950 l'athlète masculin canadien du demi-siècle, a excellé dans six sports professionnels, en particulier le football et la crosse. Il a mené ses coéquipiers à de nombreux championnats, dont la coupe Grey, en 1921. De 1925 à 1937, il a évolué dans la Ligue nationale de hockey, où il a lancé nombre de techniques défensives modernes et fait partie de deux clubs qui remportèrent la coupe Stanley. À sa retraite de la vie sportive, en 1937, il fut élu à l'Assemblée législative de l'Ontario et, en 1949, il remporta un siège à la Chambre des communes.

Journalist, essayist, lecturer and academic, B.K. Sandwell is best remembered as the influential editor (1932-1951) of Saturday Night, which he made the voice of English Canadian liberalism. B.K. was a prolific writer, whose ambition was to achieve clear thinking on human problems and who was read widely for his great wit, shrewdness and grace of expression. His views on a wide range of subjects guided the options of an exclusive but important audience. In his ardent defence of civil liberties, he was ahead of his generation.

Journaliste, essayiste, conférencier et universitaire, B.K. Sandwell est surtout reconnu comme le directeur influent (1932-1951) du Saturday Night, dont il fit le porteparole du libéralisme canadien-anglais. Auteur prolifique, il fut beaucoup lu tant pour son esprit es sa finesse que pour l'élégance de son style. Son but était d'acquérir une connaissance approfondie des problèmes humains et ses vues sur une foule de sujets ont formé l'opinion d'un auditoire restreint, mais important. Il fut en outre un précurseur dans la défense énergique des libertés civiles.

The British Army began regular meteorological and magnetic observations on this campus in 1840, stimulating colonial society's fascination with science. After the Province of Canada took over the program in 1853, it built a new observatory, which became the headquarters of the Meteorological Service of Canada. Superintendent G.T. Kingston set up a system of stations, many telegraphically linked, which enabled the Service to issue both storm warnings and daily forecasts by 1876. Opened in 1909, this building was the Service's headquarters until its centenary in 1971.

L'armée britannique fit ses premières observations météorologiques et magnétiques ici en 1840, à une époque où les habitants de la colonie étaient fascinés par les sciences. En 1853, le Canada-Uni prit le programme en charge. Il construisit peu après un nouvel observatoire, qui devint le siège du Service météorologique du Canada. Son directeur, G.T. Kingston, mit sur pied un réseau de stations dont beaucoup étaient reliées par télégraphe et qui permirent au Service de diffuser des avis de tempête et des bulletins quotidiens dès 1876. Ce bâtiment, inauguré en 1909, abrita l'administration centrale du Service jusqu'à son centenaire, en 1971.

HMCS Haida is the last of the Tribal Class destroyers which saw heavy action with the Australian, British and Canadian navies during Worl War II. Built for the Royal Canadian Navy at Newcastle, England in 1942, this ship served on the frigid Murmansk run and in clearing the English Channel for the Normandy invasion. She helped sink 14 enemy vessels. Haida was recommissioned in 1952 and served with the United Nations in Korea, taking part in shore bombardment, blockade and attacks on trains. Opened as a museum in 1965, the ship was relocated here in 1971.

Le NCSM Haida est le dernier des destroyers de classe Tribal qui participèrent à des combats importants aux côtés des marines australienne, britannique et canadienne pendant le Seconde Guerre mondiale. Construit pour la marine canadienne à Newcastle (Angleterre), en 1942, il a escorté des convois vers Mourmansk, participé aux préparatifs d'invasion de la Normandie dans la Manche et aidé à couler 14 navires ennemis. Remis en service en 1952, il a pris part à des opérations de tir côtier, de blocus et d'attaques de trains à l'appui des forces des Nations Unies en Corée. Il a été converti en musée en 1965 et est amarré ici depuis 1971.

Designed by New York architect Thomas Lamb for the Loew circuit, this double-decker complex was unique in Canada, and included many features later found in movie palaces. The lower theatre, with "Renaissance" decor, opened in late 1913. It shared its vaudeville and movie shows with the smaller Winter Garden above, which opened in early 1914 and was extraordinarily decorated with real beech leaves and garden murals. The Winter Garden was closed in 1928, and remained essentially untouched for over half a century.

Thomas Lamb, architecte de New-York, conçut ce complexe à deux étages pour la chaîne Loew. Unique en son genre au Canada, il comportait des éléments précurseurs des cinémas-palaces. Le théâtre inférieur, à décor dit Renaissance, ouvrit à la fin de 1913. Il partageait ses séances de cinéma et de vaudeville avec le Winter Garden, situé à l'étage supérieur et de dimensions moindres. Ouvert en 1914, celui-ci était décoré de façon extraordinaire, avec de vraies feuilles de hêtre et des murales représentant des jardins. Il ferma ses portes en 1928, mais il resta essentiellement intact pendant plus de 50 ans.

The seeds of Canada's largest 19th-century distilling firm were sown in 1837 when a still was set up on this site to convert surplus grain from an 1832 grist mill into whiskey. Exploiting new technologies and commercial opportunities, Gooderham and Worts grew steadily, parallelling Toronto's rise as a manufacturing centre. With the large stone distillery erected in 1859-61 and brick malthouse, kilns, warehouses, shops and offices built before 1900, this complex is an outstanding example of Victorian industrial design in terms of integrity, historical associations and aesthetic qualities.

L'origine de la plus grande distillerie canadienne du XIXe siècle remonte à un moulin érigé en 1832 et auquel on ajouta un alambic en 1837. Exploitant des techniques nouvelles et de nouveaux débouchés, Gooderham and Worts connut un rythme constant de croissance, parallèle à celui qui éleva Toronto au rang de centre manufacturier. L'édifice de pierre, érigé en 1859-1861 pour les alambics, et les bâtiments de brique construits avant 1900 pour les malteries, fours, entrepôts, ateliers et bureaux, forment un ensemble industriel victorien remarquable par son intégrité, son esthétique et ses liens avec l'histoire.

Constructed in 1906-1907, this theatre is an intimate but lavish version of the traditional 19th century theatre, with two balconies as well as side boxes. John M. Lyle (1872-1945), one of Canada's most distinguished architects of the 20th century, designed the Royal Alexandra Theatre following the Beaux-Arts style, thus providing an elegant setting for Toronto's sophisticated theatrical and musical events. Since its rescue and rejuvenation by Ed Mirvish in 1963, when it was to be demolished for a parking lot, this theatre again plays a central role in the social and cultural life of the city.

Construit en 1906-1907, ce théâtre, avec ses deux balcons et ses corbeilles, est une verson réduite mais luxueuse des théâtres du XIXe siècle. John M. Lyle (1872-1945), l'un des architectes canadiens les plus renommés du XXe siècle, en a fait les plans d'après le style Beaux-Arts, fournissant ainsi un élégant décor aux activités les plus recherchées de Toronto dans le théâtre et la musique. Préservé et rénové par Ed Mirvish en 1963, alors qu'il devait être démoli pour un parc de stationnement, ce théâtre joue de nouveau son rôle de premier plan dans la vie sociale et culturelle de la ville.

As a composer, organist, choir master and teacher, Healey Willan waged constant war on mediocre church music. In the process he elevated the position of the church organist and set the standard for his profession. Educated in the musical traditions of nineteenth-century England, Willan came to Canada in 1913 to take up a teaching position with the Toronto (now Royal) Conservatory of Music. While serving as organist and choir master here at St. Mary Magdalene (1921-1968), he composed the sacred music for which he is best remembered, and for which he was awarded a Lambeth Doctorate in 1956.

À titre de compositeur, organiste, maître de chapelle et professeur, Healey Willan milita toute sa vie en faveur d'une musique sacrée de qualité. Il fixa ainsi les normes de la profession d'organiste et en rehaussa le statut. Éduqué selon la tradition musicale britannique du XIXe siècle, il arriva au Canada en 1913 et devint professeur de musique au Toronto (Royal) Conservatory of Music. Il fut aussi organiste et maître de chapelle à St. Mary Magdalene de 1921 à 1968. C'est là qu'il composa la musique sacrée qui fit sa réputation et qui lui valut un doctorat Lambeth en 1956.

St. Anne's vibrant wall paintings make this church a place of national historic significance. They were executed in 1923 by ten Toronto artists, including J.E.H. MacDonald, F. Varley and F. Carmichael from the Group of Seven. Their decorative composition inspired by Byzantine art, complements the church's architectural style chosen in 1907 by Canon Lawrence Skey, the rector for more than 30 years. The art reflects the revival of mural decoration in the late 19th century, and is also a manifestation of the Arts and Crafts movement which united painting and Sculpture with architecture.

L'ÉGLISE ST. ANNE

L'église St. Anne s'avère d'importance historique nationale grâce à son admirable ornementation inspirée par l'art religieux byzantin. Celle-ci fut réalisée en 1923 par dix artistes torontois, dont J.E.H. MacDonald, F. Varley et F. Carmichael dy Groupe des Sept, animant le style architectural choisi en 1907 par le chanoine Lawrence Skey, le pasteur pendant plus de trente ans. Elle témoigne du renouveau de l'ornementation amorcé à la fin du XIXe siècle et du mouvement. Arts et métiers qui cherchait à intégrer la peinture et la sculpture à l'architecture.

This magnificent dome represents an extensive legacy of stained glass produced by the McCausland family and their employees for buildings throughout Canada. In business under various company names since 1856, the Toronto-based firm Robert McCausland Limited is credited with the earliest and most numerous examples of Canadian stained glass and the longest record for glasswork in North America. Richly adorned with mythological figures and provincial emblems, the dome was executed in 1885 by Robert McCausland, while working for his father, Joseph, the firm's founder.

LES VITRAUX MCCAUSLAND

Cette magnifique coupole est un exemple remarquable de l'abondante production de vitraux créés partout au Canada par la famille McCausland et ses employés. Établie depuis 1856 sous différentes raisons sociales, l'entreprise torontoise Robert McCausland Limited compte parmi celles qui furent le plus longtemps en activité en Amérique du Nord. On lui attribue aussi les plus anciennes et les plus nombreuses réalisations de vitraux canadiens. Richement ornée de figures mithologiques et d'emblèmes des provinces, cette coupole fut exécutée en 1885 par McCausland, fils de Joseph McCausland, le fondateur de l'entreprise.

Designated as the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre in Women's Health, Women's College Hospital is recognized as a leader in Canada and around the world for its dedication to the health of women and their families. After nearly a century of care and innovation, Women's College Hospital's focus on women's health will become a cornerstone of the newly created Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre.

In keeping with the vision of its namesake, Women's College Hospital Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre and the Centre for Research in Women's Health maintain a leading edge in healthcare with innovative programs, progressive research and teaching. To do so, the Foundation seeks community involvement through voluntarism and donations from our patients, their families and friends, and from organizations with whom they are associated.

LA WOMEN'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL
FOUNDATION

Désigné Centre collaborateur de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé pour la santé des femmes, le Women's College Hospital est un chef de file reconnu, au Canada et à l'étranger, pour son dévouement à la cause de la santé des femmes et de leurs familles. Après près d'un siècle de soins et d'innovations, I'intérêt du Women's College Hospital pour la santé des femmes sera l'un des fondements du tout nouveau Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre.

Conformément à la vision de l'établissement dont elle porte le nom, la Women's College Hospital Foundation est déterminée à ce que le Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre et le Centre for Research in Women's Health continuent d'être à la fine pointe des soins de santé, grâce à des programmes innovateurs et à des activités de recherche et d'enseignement avant-gardistes. À cette fin, la fondation veut inciter les patients, leurs familles et leurs amis, de même que les organismes auxquels ils sont associés, à participer à des activités de bénévolat ou à faire des dons.

Emily Stowe's crusade for female suffrage and higher education for women placed her in the vanguard of the women's rights movement in Canada. Denied access to university in this country because of her gender, she studied medicine in New York City, then moved to Toronto where, in 1867, she opened the first private practice in Canada run by a woman doctor. In 1883 Dr. Stowe spearheaded the drive to found Woman's Medical College in Toronto. Her leadership of the Dominion Women's Enfranchisement Association kept the issue of suffrage in the public eye during the closing years of the 19th century.

En militant pour que les femmes accèdent à une éducation supérieure et obtiennent le droit de vote, Emily Stowe fut à l'avant-garde du mouvement pour les droits des femmes au Canada. Refusée dans les universités parce qu'elle était une femme, elle alla étudier la médecine à New York, puis déménagea à Toronto où elle ouvrit, en 1867, la première clinique privée dirigée par une femme en ce pays. En 1833, elle lança la campagne qui mena à la fondation du Woman's Medical College de Toronto. Son action à la tête de la Dominion Women's Enfranchisement Association alimenta les débats sur le suffrage féminin à la fin du XIXe siècle.

These five buildings - the Press (1904), Music (1907), Horticulture (1907), Government (1912), and the Fire Hall and Police Station (1912) - are the largest and finest group of early 20th century exhibition buildings in Canada. Designed by G.W. Gouinlock, they reflect the influence of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition of Chicago in their creative classical decoration and ordered integration to a site plan. The first permanent exhibition buildings in Toronto, they are an impressive reminder of the Canadian National Exhibition as the major industrial and agricultural fair of the period.

LES VIEUX PAVILLONS D'EXPOSITION

Les cinq édifices dits de la Presse (1904), de la Musique (1907), de l'Horticulture (1907), du Gouvernement (1912) et des Pompiers et de la Police (1912) forment le groupe le plus important de pavillons d'exposition construits au Canada au début du XXe siècle. Conçus par G.W. Gouinlock, ils reflètent, par leur décor classique innovateur et leur intégration ordonnée au plan d'ensemble, l'influence de l'exposition internationale de Chicago de 1893. Premiers pavillons d'exposition permanents à Toronto, ce sont des témoins émouvants de l'Exposition nationale du Canada, la plus grande foire industrielle et agricole de l'époque au pays.

Canada's longest-serving prime minister and perhaps its shrewdest political tactician, William Lyon Mackenzie King held the prime ministership for over twenty-one years. King was born in Kitchener (formerly Berlin) Ontario, and studied at Toronto, Chicago, and Harvard. Chosen Liberal party leader in 1919 at Canada's first-ever party leadership convention, King took power in the election of 1921. Defeated in 1926, re-elected later that year, and defeated again in 1930, he returned to the prime minister's office in 1935 and remained in office until his retirement in 1948.

Tacticien politique le plus habile peut-être du pays, William Lyon Mackenzie King a été en fonction pendant plus de vingt et un ans, ce qui en fait le premier ministre du Canada qui compte le plus grand nombre d'années de service à ce titre. King est né à Kitchener (autrefois Berlin) en Ontario. Il a étudié à Toronto, Chicago et Harvard. Désigné chef du Parti libéral en 1919 au premier congrès à la direction d'un parti jamais tenu au Canada, il fut porté au pouvoir à l'élection de 1921. Défait en 1926, réélu plus tard la même année et défait une fois encore en 1930, il reprit le fauteuil de premier ministre en 1935 et l'occupa jusqu'à son départ de la vie politique en 1948.

Here, on land granted to Jacob Cummer, an early settler who came with his family from Pennsylvania in 1797, stood "Cummer's Chapel". In 1816 a Sunday school was established in his log house and camp meetings were held at his saw mill.

In 1834 he gave this site for "A Place Where Divine Services Were To Be Held Forever" and a Methodist Episcopal log meeting house was built.

In 1856 a yellow brick building, later Willowdale United Church, replaced the log chapel. In 1930 the front part was removed with the widening of Yonge Street and the remainder was demolished in 1956, with new church facilities being established nearby.

The original community of Willowdale was established between Lansing and Newtonbrook or to-day's Park Home and Finch Avenues. Jacob and Elizabeth Cummer (Kummer) and their family were some of the earliest to settle in the Area along with the Johnston, Willson and McBride families. The early community was often referred to as Kummer's Settlement.

The Cummers are credited with having donated land on which a Methodist log chapel was built in 1834 at the north east corner of to-day's Yonge and Church Street. Adjacent to the church, the Johnston family offered part of their land to serve as a family burial ground. In 1856 the log church was replaced with a brick structure which boasted a towering, artistic spire that could be seen for miles around until a severe storm tore it down. Part of the original church site still remains as this pioneer cemetery built in memory of the early settlers who helped to establish the Willowdale Methodist Church.

Willowdale boasted one of the earliest schools located at present-day Yonge Street and Ellerslie Avenue. The Willowdale School, SS # 4 also known as Brown's School was originally built in 1842 with bricks made on the neighbouring farm of David Gibson.

David Gibson, a land surveyor, farmer and politician is best remembered for his Actions in the ill-fated Rebellion of 1837. As a result of his participation in the rebellion, Gibson's first home, which he and his wife, Eliza, built in 1829, was torched by government troops. With a price on his head for High Treason, Gibson fled to the U. S. He and his family returned to Willowdale and, in 1851 built a new home on the same site. The Gibson House still stands to-day as a historic museum on Yonge Street north of City Hall. In 1855 Gibson opened the Willow Dale post office just north of his farm, naming it after the number of willow trees in the area, thereby giving the community its name.

The Blackburn's determination to build free lives provides a window on the experience of many refugees in the Underground Railroad era. Having fled slavery in Kentucky, they were arrested in Detroit in 1833. Their capture sparked riots and in the confusion they managed to escape to Upper Canada. Here, the government twice defended them against extradition, and by 1834 the couple had settled in Toronto. Respected citizens, they established the city' first cab company, worked for Abolition and contributed to the well-being of their community.

Lambton House operated as a hotel from its
incepetion, c.1848, until its closing in 1988.
Built on Howland land by William Tyrrell
to the design of Rowland Burr, it functioned
as a Stage Coach stop and business centre.
William Pearce Howland, who had his mill
offices just west of the hotel, was noted
for his work as a Father of Confederation,
and served as Lieutenant-Governor of
Ontario from 1868 to 1873.
William Tyrrell, master builder, served 27
years on the Council of York and then
became first Reeve of Weston in 1881.
Rowland Burr, designer and planner, designed
a system of canal transportation for
southern Ontario.

Dedicated by Lt. Governor Hal Jackman and
Mayor Fergy Brown, City of York, this 29th
day of August, 1993.

On April 24, 1824 the cornerstone of York's second jail
was laid on this site. In the aftermath of the Rebellion
of 1837 close to ten thousand people stood on this spot
to bear witness as Samuel Lount and Peter Matthews,
two of William Lyon Mackenzie's most loyal
supporters, were hanged on April 12, 1838 on gallows
adjacent to the jail. By 1840 a new prison, the Home
District Gaol, was set to open on Berkeley Street and
the old jail was to be incorporated into the York
Chambers Building which stood until 1956. The last
hangings in Toronto were at the Don Jail in 1962.

               A Bruce Bell History Project 2003

John Taylor (1773-1868), his wife
Margaret Hawthorne and seven
children emigrated from Uttoxeter,
Staffordshire in 1821. In 1839, three
sons, John, Thomas and George,
purchased this land from Samuel
Sinclair (1767 -1852) except for a
portion Sinclair gave to the Primitive
Methodist Connexion in 1851. The
Taylors gave the Connexion a brick
church in 1859. The family operated
three paper mills and a brick mill
in the Don Valley, where they had
considerable landholdings and
were responsible for much of the
development of East York in the
nineteenth century.

On Saturday April 7, 1849, the citizens of Toronto awoke to a blaze that quickly consumed the centre of town. The fire started about one in the morning in a stable that once stood here. In the aftermath of the Great Fire with its flames seen as far away as St. Catharines, new fire codes were first adopted which are still in use today. A new city was born atop the ashes of the old, spurred on by the construction of the present day St. James' Cathedral and St. Lawrence Hall.

In 1798 the Town of York erected its first jail and hanging yard on this site. The first person to be executed here was John Sullivan on October 11, 1798, convicted of stealing a forged note worth about one dollar. Also known as 'the old log gaol' it was still standing when York opened it's new jail in 1827 (demolished 1960) on the NE corner of King and Toronto Sts.

A Bruce Bell History Project 2004

This plaque was donated by Tony Cousens General Manager

on behalf of The King Edward Hotel

Aeneas Shaw, a son of Aeneas, 9th Chief of Clan Ay, was born at Tordarroch, near Inverness, Scotland. A Loyalist, he served in the Queen's Rangers during the American Revolution, and later settled in what is now New Brunswick. Commissioned in the reorganized Queen's Rangers, he went to Quebec in 1792 and from there led the Rangers' first division to Upper Canada. The following year he settled at York (now Toronto) and later built a house in this vicinity. He was appointed to the Executive and Legislative Councils in 1794. In 1807 he became Adjutant-General of Militia, was promoted Major-General in 1811, and served in the War of 1812. He died at York, February 6, 1814.

The University of Trinity College was located on this site 1852 - 1925, occupying a large Gothic-Revival building designed by Kivas Tully with later additions by Frank Darling. Trinity was founded as an independent institution by Bishop John Strachan following secularization of the provincially-endowed univesity. Awarded a Royal Charter in 1852, Trinity offered instruction in arts and divinity, and, for varying periods, in law and medicine. It also granted degrees in music, pharmacy and dentistry. In 1904 Trinity federated with the University of Toronto and in 1925 moved to a new but similar building on the Queen's Park Campus. The old building was used by the Kiwanis Boys Club until 1956, when it was demolished. This gateway, put up in 1903, has been left standing in commemoration.

Thia house was the residence and studio of one of Canada's leadig historical artists. Born in Rochester, England, he came to Toronto about 1880, and first worked as a lithographer's apprentice. He studied art under G.A. Reid and C.M. Manley, and was a pioneer in the painting of distinctive Canadian scenes. Jefferys had an intense interest in history and his reputation rests principally on his accurate and meticulous portrayal of early Canadian life. The best known collection of his historical sketches is "The Picture Gallery of Canadian History". Jefferys was a president of the Ontario Society of Artists and a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

One of the earliest Free Methodist societies in Canada was established in this area at nearby Ellesmere in 1874. The first service were held in a "Meeting House" provided by Robert Loveless, a former Primitive Methodist, who was largely responsible for the organization of this congregation. Within six years another congregation had been established here at Armadale with initial services being held in the home of Silas Phoenix. The growth of the congregation led to the construction of this simple frame church in 1880. Built chiefly by volunteer labour on land acquired from Francis Underwood, this building, the oldest continuing Free Methodist place of worship in Canada, henceforth, served the combined Ellsemere-Armadale congregation and stands as a tribute to the efforts of the early Free Methodists.

Originating in Ottawa, in 1868, with informal meetings of a few youthful patriots, "Canada First" was the name and slogan of a movement to promote nationalist sentiment. Its founding members were Charles Mair, Henry Morgan, William Foster, G.T. Denison and R.G. Haliburton. Two years later the movement created the North-West Emigration Aid Society to encourage British immigration. In 1874 the group, now centered in Toronto, established "The Nation", a weekly journal, entered politics as the Canadian National Association, and founded the National Club as its rallying place. By then "Canada First" had the support of such influential figures as Edward Blake and Goldwin Smith. Though the movement's political influence soon waned, it expression of a popular Canadian ideal had enduring significance.

Born in 1833 a short distance north of this site, Alexander Dunn was educated at Upper Canada College and at Harrow, England. In 1853 he was commissioned Lieutenant in the 11th Hussars. A participant in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava on October 25th, 1854, he saved the lives of two of his regiment by cutting down their Russian attackers, and thus became Canada's first winner of the newly-created Victoria Cross. In 1858 Dunn helped to raise the 100th Royal Canadian Regiment, which he later commanded. In 1864 he transferred to the 33rd (Duke of Wellington's) Regiment, and four years later was accidentally killed while hunting in Abyssinia.

Human fascination with flight has made air shows popular since the early days of aviation. Toronto was the site of numerous air shows as it developed into a centre of air transportation and aircraft manufacturing in the early twentieth century. The Canadian International Air Show originated in 1946 when the National Aeronautical Association of Canada attracted overflow crowds to a show at De Havilland Airport in Downsview. Staged annually thereafter, the air show moved to Exhibition Place in 1949 and became a regular feature of the Canadian National Exhibition in 1956. Here it developed into a world class exhibition featuring diverse types of aircraft, precision and stunt flying, and aeronautical technology.

The second half of the 19th century was an era in which technological innovation brought rapid economic progress and social change. The spirit of the age was reflected in an annual fair that first opened on this site on September 5, 1879. Staged by the Industrial Exhibition Association of Toronto, it offered medals and prize money to encourage innovation and improvement in agriculture, manufacturing and the arts. The fair quickly became a popular attraction and a boon to the local economy. A national event since 1912, the CNE continues to showcase Canadian creativity and achievement.

This school bears the name of, and is located on land formerly owned by, Colonel James Givens, who came to Canada after fighting on the British side during the American Revolution. In 1791 he was commissioned in the Queen's Rangers and subsequently served as Indian agent at York from 1797. Appointed Provincial Aide-de-Camp to General Brock during the War of 1812, he was highly commended for the courageous manner in which, in command of a small band of Indians, he resisted American invaders during the attack on York in 1813. He served as Chief Superintendent of the Indian Department in Upper Canada 1830-1837. He died in March, 1846, at 87 and is buried in St. James Cemetery, Toronto.

Born in Toronto, Topham was educated here before working in the mines at Kirkland Lake. He enlisted on August 3, 1942, and served at home and abroad as a medical orderly. On March 24, 1945, while serving with the first Canadian Parachute Battalion, he defied heavy enemy fire to treat casualties sustained in a parachute drop east of the Rhine, near Wesel. Rejecting treatment for his own severe face wound, he continued to rescue the injured for six hours. While returning to his company, he saved three occupants of a burning carrier which was in danger of exploding. For these exceptional deeds, Topham was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for valour in the British Commonwealth.

This building, a good example of an early Victorian farm-house was completed in 1851 by David Gibson. Born in Glamis Parish, Forfarshire, Scotland, Gibson emigrated to Upper Canada where, in 1825, he was appointed a Deputy Land Surveyor. He was an ardent supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie, and was twice elected as a Reform member to the provincial parliament. One of Mackenzie's chief lieutenants in the unsuccessful Rebellion of 1837, he fled to the United States. His house was burned by order of the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Francis Bond Head, and his property was made subjest to forfeiture. Fully pardoned, he returned in 1848, and resumed his profession as surveyor. Later he was appointed as Inspector of Crown Land Agencies and Superintendent of Colonization Roads.

In one of the most important advances in modern medicine, a team of investigators isolated and purified insulin in a building which stood on this site. On May 17, 1921, Frederick Banting, a young surgeon, and Charles Best, a recent graduate in physiology and biochemistry, began a series of experiments on pancreatic secretions in an attempt to find a treatment for "diabetes mellitus". Working under the general direction of J.J.R. Macleod, an expert in carbohydrate metabolism, they developed a promising anti-diabetic extract. James Collip, a noted biochemist, then increased the purity and potency of the substance. With the first successful clinical test of insulin on a human diabetic on January 23, 1922, Banting, Best, Macleod and Collip ensured prolonged lives for millions of diabetics throughout the world.

Don Mills was planned as a model town that would humanize urban life in an age of industry and the automobile. Initiated and financed by businessman E.P. Taylor and designed by Macklin Hancock, a young urban planner, it was built between 1952 and 1965 on 835 hectares of land between the west and east Don River valleys. Hancock's planning team envisioned a self-contained community distinguished by consistent design principles and modernist style. Industry, commerce and major roads were arranged to be accessible but insulated from residential areas. Greenspaces preserved natural watercourses and provided pedestrian routes between different neighbourhoods. An immediate critical and commercial success, Don Mills has been imitated in suburban developments across Canada.

A distinguished Canadian educator, Kathleen Russell was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia. She graduated in 1918 from the Toronto General Hospital School of Nursing and, in 1920, became first director of the University of Toronto's Department of Public Health Nursing, established to prepare personnel for the expanding field of public health service. An outspoken advocate of progressive reform in nursing education, she soon became dissatisfied with the inadequate training provided at many Canadian hospitals. As head of the School of Nursing, founded at the University in 1933, she developed an internationally recognized programme of comprehensive nursing education at the university level. In 1949 Kathleen Russell received the Florence Nightingale Medal, the Red Cross Society's highest nursing award, for her outstanding contribution to nursing education.

The wife of the first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim was born at Whitchurch, Herefordshire, England. Orphaned at birth, she lived with her uncle, Admiral Samuel Graves, and subsequently married his god-son, John Graves Simcoe. She accompanied her husband to Upper Canada where she travelled extensively. Her diaries and sketches, compiled during these years, provide a vivid description and invaluable record of the colony's early life. In 1794, near this site, Mrs. Simcoe and her husband erected a summer house which they named "Castle Frank" in honour of their son. Returning to England in 1796, Mrs. Simcoe devoted her later years to charitable work. She is buried beside her husband at Wolford Chapel, Devon.

This schoolhouse, the oldest remaining in Toronto, was built at the expense of Enoch Turner, a wealthy brewer, as a "free school" for the Anglican parish of Trinity and adjoining parts of St. Lawrence Ward. An Act of 1847 had made free common schools possible in towns and cities of Canada West, but the municipal council of Toronto had refused to establish them. Enoch Turner's school was the first free school in the city. In 1851 the Toronto Board of Education took over "Trinity Street School" as one of the regular free schools for boys and girls and it continued as such for more than thirty years. Since then it has been used as a Sunday school and for community activities.

The congregation was formed in Toronto in 1845 and moved to a new church completed on this site in 1854. Members of he congregation have enriched the life of this city and nation. Dr. Joseph Workman, a renowned neurologist, was the first Chairman of the Toronto Board of Education; Dr. Emily Stowe was the first woman to practice medicine in Canada and a leading suffragette; and Professor Goldwin Smith, controversial author and editor, was an active church supporter. More recent members included Edward Fisher, founder of the Conservatory of Music; and Luigi Von Kunits, first conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In 1949 the congregation moved to a new church on St. Clair Avenue.

Born in Toronto and educated in Mimico, Hornell enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force on January 8, 1941. He was commissioned Pilot Officer late that year. On June 24, 1944, while serving with 162 Squadron and stationed at Wick in northern Scotland, Hornell was on anti-submarine patrol in a twin-engined Canso when he and his eight-man crew sighted and attacked a German submarine. Heavy enemy fire quickly crippled the aircraft but Hornell persevered with skill and determination until the submarine had been destroyed. For his bravery during this action and the subsequent ordeal after abandoning the aircraft, Hornell was awarded the Victoria Cross, the British Commonwealth's highest award for valour. He died soon after being rescued.

The last French post built in present-day Southern Ontario, Fort Rouillé, more commonly known as Fort Toronto, was erected on this site in 1750-51. It was established by order of the Marquis de la Jonquière, Governor of New France, to help strengthen French control of the Great Lakes and was located here near an important portage to capture the trade if Indians travelling southeast toward the British fur-trading centre at Oswego. A small frontier post, Fort Rouillé was a palisaded fortification with four bastions and five main buildings. It apparently prospered until hostilities between the French and British increased in the mid-1750s. Following the capitulation of other French posts on Lake Ontario, Fort Rouillé was destroyed by its garrison in July 1759.

Ontario's tenth prime minister was born in King Township but throughout his life farmed on this property. From 1903 to 1910, as York Township councillor and reeve and warden of York County, he promoted the cause of good roads and formation of a Metropolitan Toronto government. In 1913 he was elected to the Ontario legislature as Conservative member for East York. In 1918 he became minister of agriculture and in 1923 was appointed minister of public works and highways. In 1930 he assumed the portfolios of prime minister, minister of education and provincial treasurer. Although his administration was defeated in 1934, Mr. Henry retained his seat until retiring from politics in 1943.

One of Canada's outstanding reformers and parliamentarians, Woodsworth was born here on "Applewood" farm. Educated at universities in Winnipeg, Toronto and Oxford, England, he served as a Methodist minister, social worker, and longshoreman, 1900-1918. He was actively involved in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and two years later was elected to Parliament for Winnipeg North-Centre, which he represented until his death. Passionately earnest in his quest for social justice, Woodsworth worked unceasingly for the establishment of old-age pensions, unemployment insurance and other social security measures. In 1932 he was the principal founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and was that party's president until 1940. Intensely loyal to his pacifist convictions, he alone, in Parliament, opposed unconditionally Canada's participation in World War II.

Established in 1807 as the Home District Grammar School, Jarvis Collegiate is one of the oldest public secondary schools in Ontario. In 1812 the Reverend John Strachan, later first Anglican Bishop of Toronto, became headmaster and during the next decade he laid the groundwork for the school's outstanding reputation. An excellent teacher and ardent advocate of higher education under church supervision, Strachan attempted to imbue his students with strong religious principles and insisted upon a rich and varied curriculum. Under his direction the grammar school gained wide recognition for its high academic standards and eminent graduates. After his departure the collegiate moved to various sites and underwent several name changes until this structure, designed by C.E. Dyson, was completed in 1924.

Publisher and philanthropist, John Ross Robertson lived in this house, 1881-1918. He was born in Toronto and while at Upper Canada College he started The College Times, the first school newspaper in Canada. He became city editor of The Globe in 1865 and the following year, with James B. Cook, established The Daily Telegraph, published until 1872. Four years later Robertson founded The Evening Telegram which quickly became one of Toronto's leading newspapers. Financial success enabled him to make substantial contributions to the building and operation of the Hospital for Sick Children and to gratify his life-long interest in history. He assembled an invaluable historical and pictorial collection and published such notable works as "Landmarks of Toronto" and "History of Freemasonry in Canada".

The King Edward Hotel was built by George Gooderham's Toronto Hotel Company to meet the demand in the rising metropolis for a grand hotel. When it opened in 1903, the hotel, affectionately known as the "King Eddy", was embraced by the city. The fireproof, eight-storey building, designed by eminent Chicago acrchitect Henry Ives Cobb and prominent Toronto architect E.J. Lennox, provided luxury in service in dramatic settings. The 18-storey tower, with its top-floor Crystal Ballroom, was added in 1920-21 to enlarge the hotel. Although threatened with demolition in the 1970s, the hotel was revitalized in 1980-81. On its 100th anniversary in 2003, the King Edward, Toronto's first luxury hotel, remains a vibrant and elegant meeting place for local and international visitors.

"The Juction Shul" was founded early in the 20th century in a building at the corner of Maria Street and Runnymede Road, with a congregation primarily of Polish and Russian Jews. As the congregation grew, construction of this building began in 1911 and it appears that services were first held here about 1913. Designed by the architectural firm Ellis and Connery, the exterior is simple and the interior evokes the splendour of Eastern Europe. Typical of orthodox synagogues, the hall of worhship faces toward Jerusalem. The circular windows are divided into eighteen segments, the numerical value of the Hebrew word for life, "chai". This is now the oldest purpose-built synagogue building in Ontario still in use as a synagogue.

Born in Cotterstock, Northamptonshire, Simcoe entered the army in 1770, and during the American Revolution commanded the 1st American Regiment (Queen's Rangers). In 1791 he was appointed the first Lieutenant-Governor of the newly formed Province of Upper Canada. During his energetic administration, he improved communications, encouraged immigration and founded York (Toronto). In 1796 he returned to Wolford, his estate in Devonshire, England, but during 1797 served as Governor and military commander in British-occupied St. Domingo (Haiti). He commanded the Western Military District, 1801-06, when England was threatened with French invasion. Appointed Commander-in-Chief of India in 1806, Simcoe died before taking up that post.

This board-and-batten building originally the schoolhouse for Christ Church, Deer Park, was acquired in 1920 by Frances Loring and Florence Wyle. Sculpting in the classical tradition, they achieved national prominence and executed many impressive public works, among which are Loring's Sir Robert Borden on Parliament Hill and Wyle's Edith Cavell in Toronto. They were founding members of the Sculptors' Society of Canada and their studio was an important artistic centre where muscians, writers, sculptors, painters, and patrons of the arts congregated. When Frances Loring and Florence Wyle died in 1968 they bequeathed their studio to the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. The sale of the building allowed the Academy to establish a trust for the development of Canadian artists.

An outstanding medical scientist, Maud Menten was born in Port Lambton. She graduated in medicine from the University of Toronto in 1907 and four years later became one of the first Canadian women to receive a medical doctorate. In 1913, in Germany, collaboration with Leonor Michaelis on the behaviour of enzymes resulted in the Michaelis-Menten equation, a basic biochemical concept which brought them international recognition. Menten continued her brilliant career as a pathologist at the University of Pittsburgh from 1918, publishing extensively on medical and biochemical subjects. Her many achievements included important co-dicoveries relating to blood sugar, haemoglobin, and kidney functions. Between 1951 and 1954 she conducted cancer research in British Columbia and returned to Ontario six years before she died.

This building was designed by the Toronto firm of Langley, Langley and Burke, specialists in church architecture, to house Toronto Baptist College. The structure typifies the High Victorian style popular in the 1880's. Its chief characteristics include rock-faced masonry, decorative stone and brick patterns, massive dormers and chimneys, and facades with projecting bays and recessed panels. Senator William McMaster financed the construction of the College, which opened in 1881. After plans for federation with the University of Toronto were abandoned, the College was united in 1887 with Woodstock College to form McMaster University, which moved to Hamilton in 1930. This building was acquired by the University of Toronto and has housed the Royal Conservatory of Music since 1963.

This "Cathedral of Methodism" was designed by Henry Langley in the High Victorian Gothic style. The cornerstone was laid by the Rev. Egerton Ryerson, D.D., in 1870 and the church was dedicated in 1872. It replaced an earlier structure at the southeast corner of Adelaide and Toronto Streets. The first missionaries from Canada to Japan were commissioned in this church on May 7, 1873. The inaugural service of the Methodist Church of Canada was held here September 16, 1874. The World Ecumenical Methodist Conference meetings in 1911 and the first General Council of the United Church in 1925 met here. The church was badly damaged by fire in 1928 and rebuilt, incorporating most of the original walls, tower, narthex, and much of the stained glass.

Near this site in Senator William McMaster's former residence, Moulton Ladies' College was opened in 1888. A year earlier the bequest of McMaster's fortune to Baptist higher education had led to the founding of McMaster University. His widow, Susan Moulton McMaster, then conveyed the residence to the University for use as a preparatory school for girls. The Ladies' Department of Woodstock College, an older Baptist institution, was transferred to the Toronto college, named Moulton in honour of Mrs. McMaster. For 66 years Moulton College served with distinction both day and resident students from junior grades to university entrance. The buildings were sold in 1954 and demolished in 1958. The name is preserved in Moulton Hall, a women's residence at McMaster University, Hamilton.

In 1874 the Trustees of the Toronto General Burying Grounds hired H.A. Engelhardt, who was in the forefront of landscape gardening in Canada, to plan the transformation of ravine and plateau farmland into Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Prominent in this naturalistic setting with its curving drives are E.J. Lennox's Massey Mausoleum, private mausoleums in classical temple style, the public Mount Pleasant Mausoleum designed by Darling & Pearson, and a wide variety of granite monuments. Rare trees from around the world and existing native specimens make the Cemetery a significant arboretum. Since opening in 1876, this well-known green space has provided the final resting place for many prominent people, including a Canadian prime minister and several of Ontario's premiers and lieutenant-governors.

City Halll was designed in 1887 by E.J. Lennox to fit this central site at the head of Bay Street. In one structure, these municipal buildings combined a City Hall, in the east portion, and Court-house, in the west. The building, constructed mostly of Credit River Valley sandstone, was begun in 1889 but not opened until September 18, 1899. Massive, round-arched, and richly carved, it is in the Romanesque Revival style, then popular in expanding cities throughout North America. The interior, as complex and monumental as the exterior, includes a large stained glass window by Robert McCausland. The building was acquired by the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto in 1965, when the City moved to a new City Hall on the adjacent Civic Square.

In 1793 it was decided to move the capital of Upper Canada from Niagara to York (now Toronto). Two single-storey brick parliament buildings were constructed near this site. Opened in June 1798, the buildings were used for court proceedings and religious services in addition to parliamentary sessions. During their occupation of York, April 27 to May 2, 1813, American troops set fire to the parliament buildings. By 1820 they had been repaired and a connecting centre block added. Four years later, fire from an overheated chimney flue reduced them to ruins. The site was abandoned and in 1832 new parliament buildings were completed on Front Street, west of Simcoe Street.

The foremost historical organization in the province. The Ontario Historical Society, originally called the Pioneer Association of Ontario, was established on September 4, 1888 largely through the efforts of the Reverend Henry Scadding. It initially operated as a federation of local groups and was primarily concerned with the promotion of British-Canadian nationalism through the study of history. Reorganized in 1898 and incorporated with an expanded mandate the following year, the Society became increasingly involved in the movement to preserve archival records and historic sites. It also assumed more scholarly pursuits, including a publication program, in addition to encouraging and co-ordinating the activities of local historical associations and museums. Today the Society continues its many efforts to preserve, interpret and publicize Ontario's multi-faceted heritage.

In 1829-32 the Law Society of Upper Canada erected the east wing of this imposing building. Named after William Osgoode, the province's first chief justice, the Regency structure housed law courts and judicial offices, and provided accommodation for lawyers and students. It was severely damaged during the six years in which provincial troops were stationed here following the Rebellion of 1837. Plans for its reconstruction were drawn up by Henry Bowyer Lane, an accomplished Toronto architect, and in 1844-46 the west and central portions were erected and the east wing remodelled. In 1857-60 the celebrated architectural firm of Cumberland and Storm rebuilt the centre section. Later extended and renovated, Osgoode Hall remains one of the finest examples of Victorian Classical architecture in Canada.

The Nine-Hour Movement of 1872 was a broad labour effort to achieve a shorter work day through concerted strike action. The printers of the Toronto Typographical Union went on strike for a nine-hour day in late March. On April 15, they paraded with union supporters to Queen's Park. Near here, a crowd 10,000 strong rallied in their support. Employers, led by Liberal George Brown of the "Globe", had strike leaders charged with criminal conspiracy. Seeking workers support, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald passed the Trade Union Act which established the legality of labour organizations. Although certain restrictions remained on union activity, the strike won the TTU a nine-hour day and significantly altered relations between workers, employers and the government.

The first sanatorium in the world devoted exclusively to the treatment of children with tuberculosis, Queen Mary Hospital was opened in 1913. It formed part of a complex with the Toronto Hospital for Consumptives, which had been established in 1904, and continued that institution's pioneering programs in the care of children. In 1923 its services were expanded with the addition of a new wing and the opening of a school under the supervision of the Toronto Board of Education. The incidence of tuberculosis decreased during the following decades, fewer patients and declining use finally leading to closure of the hospital in 1970. Four years later the building was demolished and West Park Hospital, a chronic care and rehabilitation centre, was erected on this site.

The first permanent mental health facility in Upper Canada, the Provincial Lunatic Asylum forerunner of the present Centre, was officially opened on January 26, 1850. It was housed in what was then a technically advanced building with central heating, mechanical ventilation and indoor plumbing designed to treat patients in a humane environment. The institution was ably managed by Dr. Joseph Workman, who earned an international reputation as a mental hospital administrator, from 1854 to 1875. Then, plagued by over-crowding and understaffing, it experienced declining standards, particularly in the decades following the First World War. It was revitalized when new community-based rehabliltative programs were introduced during the 1950s. To underscore this change, the old asylum was demolished in 1975-76 and the present Centre was completed in 1979.

In 1859 the city leased land here from King's College, and in 1860 a park, named after Queen Victoria, was opened by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. Queen's Park was long considered as a location for new parliament buildings and in 1879-80 their construction was authorized by the Ontario Legislature and city council, and an inconclusive design competition was held. In 1886 the commission was awarded to Richard Waite of Buffalo, one of the adjudicators. This decision generated considerable controversy among Ontario architects. The main block of the massive Romanesque Revival structure, with its towering legislative chamber, was completed in 1892 and on April 4, 1893, the first legislative session in Queen's Park was opened under Premier Sir Oliver Mowat.

The young province of Upper Canada (Ontario) required troops to defend it and to build public works essential to its development. The Queen's Rangers was the first regiment raised in Britain specifically for service in the colony. It arrived in 1792 and was stationed in York (Toronto) in 1793. Over the next three years the regiment constructed government buildings and fortifications. It also cut important roads through the forest, including Yonge Street north to the Holland River, and Governor's Road (Dundas Street) west to London. In 1794 detachments were posted along the Great Lakes in response to mounting tensions on the frontier with the United States. When the regiment was disbanded in 1802, many of its men settled on lands in nearby Etobicoke Township.

Scadding was born in Devonshire, England, and came to Upper Canada in 1821. Educated at Upper Canada College and Cambridge University, he was ordained to the Anglican priesthood at St. James Church, Toronto, in 1838, and the same year became Master of Classics at Upper Canada College. In 1847 Scadding was appointed first rector of the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity, where he served until 1875. He lived in this town house, which complements the church and was designed by William Hay, from its completion in 1862 until his death. Here Scadding, a noted scholar, wrote numerous religious, literary, and historical works, including his best-known books, "Toronto of Old" (1873) and, in collaboration with J.C. Dent, "Toronto: Past and Present" (1884).

In the early 1920s, radio receivers were powered by direct current from batteries that were awkward to use and needed frequent recharging. Edward S. "Ted" Rogers Sr., a Toronto radio engineer, recognized the commerical potential of a radio that could use alternating current (AC) from a household electrical system. Working in a factory across the street from here, he invented an effective AC tube, then designed around it the world's first batteryless radio receiver. Following its debut in August 1925, the Rogers Batteryless Radio was quickly copied by American and European manufacturers. The convenience and improved performance of a plug-in receiver contributed significantly to the booming popularity of radio as home entertainment.

Born in the Newtonbrook Methodist parsonage which stood nearby, Pearson was educated at Toronto and Oxford Universities. He served overseas from 1915 to 1918 and, in 1928, joined the Department of External Affairs. During a brilliant diplomatic career he was Canadian Ambassador to the United States and later Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs. Appointed to the cabinet in 1948, he was elected to Parliament for Algoma East. In 1958 he became leader of the Liberal Party and was Prime Minister from 1963 to 1968. Active in the United Nations from its inception, Pearson was president of the General Assembly, 1951-52, played a major role in settling the Suez Crisis of 1956, and was the first Canadian to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Named after the Reverend Egerton Ryerson founder of the province's educational system, the Ryerson Institute of Technology was established in 1948 to provide technological education for post-secondary school students. The buildings and many staff members of the former Toronto Training and Re-establishment Institute for veterans, located on this site, were transferred to the new institute. Diploma courses were offered in various schools of technology, commerce, and the applied arts, and the Institute rapidly became a leading centre for technical education in Ontario. In 1964 it was renamed Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, and administration was transferred from the Ontario Department of Education to a Board of Governors. Seven years later Ryerson became a degree-granting institution.

A scholar of diverse interests and talents, Daniel Wilson was noted in Britain as the author and illustrator of studies of old Edinburgh and of Scotish prehistory. In 1853 he was appointed to the chair of history and English literature at the University of Toronto. Wilson introduced history, English and anthropolgy courses at the university and was active in the Canadian Institute, a leading scientific society. He vigorously defended the university's independence against political interference and sectarian religious interests. As president of University College (1880-1892), Wilson was deeply involved in debates surrounding university federation and the admission of women. In 1890 he became the first president of the federated University of Toronto.

St. Andrew's was begun in 1874 to serve a Church of Scotland congregation organized in 1830. An outstanding example of Romanesque Revival architecture, this massive church was designed by William Storm (1826-92), a noted Toronto architect. The style was associated with medieval architecture in Scotlan, and the distinctively Scottish flank tower turrets further emphasized this significant connection. Constructed largely of Georgetown sandstone, St. Andrew's was dedicated on February 13, 1876, and later enlarged by the elaborate chancel addition. Under the vigorous leadership of its first minister, the Reverend D.J. Macdonnell (1843-96), an outspoken theologian, St. Andrew's rapidly became one of the most influential Presbyterian churches in Canada, and in 1890 it established St. Andrew's Institute, a pioneer centre for social work in Toronto.

Campbell was born near Caithness, Scotland. He fought with the British forces during the American Revolution and was taken prisoner at Yorktown in 1781. Three years later he was practising law in Nova Scotia where, in 1799, he was elected to the House of Assembly. In 1811, Campbell moved to Upper Canada where he had accepted a judgeship on the Court of King's Bench. He was made chief justice of the province and speaker of the Legislative Council in 1825. Four years later he received the first knighthood awarded a judge in Upper Canada. Campbell built this Neo-classical brick house on Aldelaide Street East at Frederick Street around 1822. The Advocates' Society and the Sir William Campbell Foundation moved it to this location in 1972.

Built in the Byzantine style, St. Anne's was designed by the noted Toronto architect Ford Howland to serve a large and vigorous parish. It was constructed in 1907-08, replacing an earlier building which stood on the site. In 1923 the interior was richly decorated under the supervision of architect William Rae and artist J.E.H. MacDonald. Members of the Group of Seven and their associates executed the fine paintings in the dome and surrounding the altar. Renowned for its role in the development of Anglican congreations in western Toronto and for its social mission in the Parkdale district, St. Anne's remains active in community life. In 1968 the parish opened St. Anne's Tower, a pioneering venture in providing the individual apartment accommodation for the elderly.

York's first church was built here in 1803-07 with the aid of public subscriptions and a government grant. That frame building was enlarged in 1818-19 and replaced by a larger one in 1831. The first incumbent was the Rev. George Okill Stuart, who served from 1800 to 1812 when he was succeeded by the Rev. John Strachan, later first bishop of Toronto. The second church was burnt in 1839. Toronto's first cathedral was then erected on this site but was destroyed in the great fire of 1849. The present cathedral was begun in 1850, opened for divine service in 1853, and completed in 1874.

Formed in England in 1877 to train a volunteer reserve for civilian and military first aid services, the St. John Ambulance Association was introduced into Ontario in 1895 by George Sterling Ryerson, a military surgeon. The Ontario branch established training centres throughout the province, the first at Toronto in 1896. Support for the organization was limited until the St. John Ambulance Brigade, formed to provide first aid at public events, brought the organization into direct contact with large numbers of the public. The first Brigade Division was established at London in 1909. During the First World War the provision of extensive training and volunteer aid programmes by St. John Ambulance completed its establishment as one of the province's most respected humanitarian organizations.

Erected in 1850 this structure provided a grand public hall in the St. Lawrence market-place, then the centre of Toronto, for concerts, balls, meetings and other civic events. Seating a thousand, it was proudly regarded as one of the city's finest buildings. Here Jenny Lind sang, the Anti-Slavery Society met, and George Brown addressed ardent Reform gatherings before Confederation. When the centre of the city shifted north and west in the 1870's, St. Lawrence Hall's great era ended.

The cornerstone of St. Michael's Cathedral was laid on May 8, 1845, by the Most Reverend Michael Power, first Catholic Bishop of Toronto. Designed by William Thomas, the building is an adaptation of the 14th century English Gothic style. It was consecrated on September 29, 1848. Though the transepts remain unfinished, St. Michael's adheres to the ancient cruciform shape of religious structures. The interior of the cathedral had undergone a number of transformations. The great chancel window, installed in 1858, was executed by Etienne Thevenot, a gifted French artist and was donated by Bishop de Charbonnel. Construction of the tower and spire began in 1867. St. Michael's is the principal church of Canada's largest English-speaking Catholic archdiocese.

In 1852 this college was established as a Roman Catholic boys' school in the palace of the Right Reverend Armand, Comte de Charbonnel, Bishop of Toronto and a vigorous opponent of the public school system in Canada West. The minor seminary opened by Basilian priests that year was combined with the school in 1853, and in 1855 St. Michael's College was incorporated. A new collegiate structure and adjoining parish church, St. Basil's, were built here on Clover Hill. On September 15, 1856, classes commenced with the Reverend Jean Mathieu Soulerin, C.S.B., as superior. The college progressed gradually and in 1881 it affiliated with the University of Toronto. St. Michael's formally became an arts college within the University in 1910.

A fine example of Gothic Revival architecture in the style of early English parish churches, St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, named for its original rural setting, represents the work of two of Ontario's most important 19th-century architects. The church was designed by Thomas Fuller who later gained renown in fashioning Canada's first parliament buildings and was erected in 1858 by local landowner Robert Denison. Gutted by fire in 1865, it was rebuilt to plans submitted by the prominent church architect Henry Langley. The restored structure which retains most of the design features of the earlier building is distinguished by its polychromatic masonry, solid buttressing and open bell core. Expanded, then renovated several times, notably in 1985-86, St. Stephen's, remains a landmark within the surrounding community.

This property was home to one family for two centuries. Sarah Ashbridge and her family moved here from Pennsylvania and began clearing land in 1794. Two years later they were granted 600 acres (243 hectares) between Ashbridge's Bay and present day Danforth Avenue. The Ashbridge's prospered as farmers until Toronto suburbs began surrounding their land in the 1880s. They sold all but this part of their original farm by the 1920s. Donated to the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1972, it was the family estate until 1997. As they changed from pioneers to farmers to professionals over 200 years on this property, the Ashbridges personified Ontario's development from agricultural frontier to urban industrial society.

Department stores revolutionized shopping in the late nineteenth century by offering selection, low prices and money-back guarantees. In 1895, Robert Simpson commissioned architect Edmund Burke to design his new department store at the southwest corner of Yonge and Queen Streets. It was the first building in Canada with a load-bearing metal frame and a façade clearly patterned on this internal structure. By 1969, Simpson's department store had been enlarged six times and occupied two city blocks between Yonge, Queen, Bay and Richmond Streets. Canada's oldest corporation and largest department store retailer, Hudson's Bay Company, acquired the building in 1978. A Bay store since 1991, it remains one of Canada's great shopping landmarks.

In a building which stood immediately west of this site, Sandford Fleming (1827-1915) read a paper before the Canadian Institute on February 8, 1879, outling his concept of a worldwide, uniform system for reckoning time. This was prompted by Fleming's observation of the difficulties imposed upon east-west travellers, particularly over long distances as in North America, by arbitrary variations in local time. Circulated among the principal governments of the world, Fleming's proposal gave rise to the International Prime Meridian Conference at Washington in 1884, at which the basis of today's system of Standard Time was adopted. The Conference also endorsed Fleming's idea of a "Universal Day" or 24-hour clock.

On this site stood the "Bishop's Palace", residence of Bishop John Strachan (1778-1867), built in 1817-18 while he was the incumbent of St. James' Church. Born in Scotland, he came to Upper Canada in 1799 where he achieved prominence as an educator and churchman and was consecrated first Anglican Bishop of Toronto in 1839. He served as a member of the province's Legislative Council 1820-41 and of the Executive Council 1815-36. During the Rebellion of 1837, the Loyalist forces that defeated William Lyon Mackenzie near Montgomery's Tavern assembled on the grounds of the Palace.

This church was made possible by a gift from Mary Lambert Swale of Yorkshire, England, who stipulated that "the seats be free and unappropriated forever". At that time most other Anglican churches charged pew rentals. John Simcoe Macaulay donated the land, then on the outskirts of Toronto. Bishop John Strachan consecrated the church and Henry Scadding was first rector. Henry Bower Lane, architect, designed the modified Gothic church in the ancient cruciform plan. Bricks were hauled from the Don Valley and timbers from the surrounding forests. The roof slates came as ballast in British sailing vessels. In the twentieth century the church developed a tradition of ministry to the needs of people in the inner city.

When United Empire Loyalists who had "adhered to the Crown" during the American Revolution and, in most cases, served in volunteer regiments, came to settle in this province in the 1780's, the region was largely uninhabited. These Loyalists, all of whom had suffered persecution and confiscation of property, were granted land in the vicinity of the Bay of Quinte and the Upper St. Lawrence, Niagara and Detroit Rivers. They laid the foundations of a new province. It was largely because of their presence that a form of self-government, based upon British law and institutions, was established in Upper Canada when the province was created in 1791. By then the Loyalistis numbered about 10,000.

On the evening of September 16, 1949, the "Noronic", a Great Lakes cruise ship carrying 524 passengers, docked at Pier 9, 100 metres east of here. At 1:30 the next morning a passenger noticed smoke seeping from a locked closet. Crew members fought the fire, but it erupted into a life-threatening inferno before they could waken everyone aboard. Passengers descended the gangway, climbed down ropes, leapt onto the dock, or jumped into the harbour. Firefighters, police and passers-by assisted, but 119 perished. All but one were American passengers. An inquiry resulted in stricter fire safety enforcement which forced older cruise ships out of service and caused a decline in passenger shipping on the lakes.

The first permanent resident in Scarborough Township was David Thomson, a Scot who came to Upper Canada with his brother Andrew in 1796. Each was granted 400 acres and David built a log cabin on his property that year. He was soon joined by other settlers, including his brothers Andrew and Archibald. The Thomsons, who were stone masons, worked on the first Parliament Buildings at York (Toronto). A road connecting the settlement with York was opened by 1799, and a sawmill was built by each of the brothers. A Presbyterian church, the first in the township, was built in 1819 on David's land and became the centre of the prospering "Thomson Settlement".

In 1794-5 Isaiah and Aaron Skinner built a sawmill and grist-mill near this site. A third share in the mill property was held, 1799-1805, by their brother-in-law, Parshall Terry, a member of the first Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada, who had moved to this area by 1798. Terry lived nearby until his death in 1808. Later the mills were jointly owned by Colin Skinner and John Eastwood. By 1823 Thomas Helliwell had built a brewery and a distillery in the immediate vicinity and within four years Eastwood and Skinner had constructed the second paper mill in Upper Canada. A village called "Todmorden" after the English home of the Helliwells grew up to the north-east of the mills.

Founded in 1834 under the patronage of Sir John Colborne, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (1828-36), this was the first horticultural society organized in this province. Established to encourage the introduction and cultivation of improved varieties of fruits, plants, and vegetables, its first president was the Honourable George Markland, inspector-general of Upper Canada. An oval of five acres was donated to the Society by the Honourable George W. Allan and on September 11, 1860 the Horticultural Gardens were opened by the Prince of Wales (Edward VII). Additional land was leased from the municipality of Toronto in 1864 and in 1888 this park was turned over to the city. It was named Allan Gardens in 1901.

The Toronto Normal School, the first provincial institution for the systematic training of elementary school-teachers, was established in 1847 through the initiative of the Reverend Egerton Ryerson, Chief Superintendent of Schools for Canada West. In 1852 the School was located in Classical Revival style buildings designed for this site by F.W. Cumberland and Thomas Ridout. At first the Normal School had to provide academic instruction for some poorly educated student-teachers, but, increasingly, emphasis was placed on professional training. As a result the Toronto Normal School contributed significantly to the gradual improvement of teaching standards throughout Ontario and it became a leading centre for teacher-training. In 1941 the Normal School was moved to a different site and renamed Toronto Teachers' College in 1953.

Believing in the need for a preparatory school to serve the projected and much-debated provincial university, Sir John Colborne, the newly-appointed lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, secured the legislative assembly's support in 1829 for such an institution based "upon the most liberal principles, under the most able masters". Upper Canada College began classes at York (Toronto) in 1830 and, the following year, moved into permanent premises on King Street West. During the 1880s the school's extensive endowment of Crown lands was given up in exchange for the present "Deer Park" site, to which the students and faculty moved in 1891. From its inception, Upper Canada College offered a strong classical curriculum and is today one of the oldest and most prominent schools in Canada.

A renowned Canadian sculptor, Allward was born in Toronto and attended Central Technical School. He studied under William Cruikshank and Emmanuel Hahn, prominent Canadian sculptors, and later in London and Paris. His first important commission, the Northwest Rebellion Memorial (Toronto), was executed in 1895. Allward's mature style was revealed in the Baldwin-Lafontaine Monument in 1915 (Ottawa). His greatest project was the Canadian War Memorial at Vimy Ridge, France. This vast, solemn work, completed in 1936, took fourteen years to execute. Among his other well-known works are Toronto monuments to William Lyon Mackenzie, John Graves Simcoe, and this memorial to the South African War. His work is represented in the National Gallery, Ottawa.

At the end of the First World War (1914-1918), activities took place across Canada to commemorate the country's wartime efforts and to honour the over 60,000 Canadians lost. One of the most significant and lasting events was a veterans' parade held at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1919. Edward, Prince of Wales, opened the Exhibition and conducted a military review of the thousands of veterans who attended. In 1921, the annual parade became the highlight of the Exhibition's new Warrior's Day (later Warriors' Day). The Warrior's Day Parade has marched through the Princes' Gates since 1927, honouring the veterans and the over 100,000 who perished in the Boer War, the Great War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and in peacekeeping missions around the world.

A leading member of the Upper Canadian Bar, first professor of common and civil law at King's College, Toronto, William Hume Blake was born in Kiltegan, Ireland, and settled in Upper Canada in 1832. He became a prominent advocate of the Baldwins' principle of "responsible government" and was elected to the legislative assembly in 1847. As Solicitor-General for Canada West, 1848-1849, he introduced important legal reforms, notably the reorganization of the Court of Chancery. Blake, as Chancellor of Canada West, 1849-1862, used his legal prestige and ability to help establish the authority of this court. His son, Edward Blake, 1833-1912, became the second premier of Ontario and led the federal Liberal Party, 1879-1887. This park formed part of William Blake's estate, "Humewood".

This College was founded in 1877 to prepare men of evangelical conviction for the Anglican ministry. Four years earlier a group of Anglican clergy and laity commited to evangelical priniciples had formed the Church Association of the Diocese of Toronto. The Association brought a noted theologian and administrator, the Reverend James Paterson Sheraton, from Nova Scotia to establish the Protestant Episcopal Divinity School and serve as its Prinicipal and first Professor. It opened on October 1, 1877, in St. James' Cathedral Schoolhouse in Toronto and in 1882 moved to a newly constructed building on College Street near the University. The school, renamed Wycliffe College in 1885, federated with the University of Toronto in 1889 and moved to its present location in 1891.

The shortest route between the upper and lower Great Lakes lies between here and Georgian Bay. For John Graves Simcoe, Upper Canada's first lieutenant-governor, this protected inland passage had strategic military and commercial potential. He founded York (Toronto) in 1793, then ordered a road built to replace native trails which led north to Lake Simcoe and its water links with Lake Huron. Completed on February 16, 1796, it was named after British Secretary for War Sir George Yonge, an expert on Roman roads. Yonge Street developed from a muddy, stump-riddled forest trail into the main street of Toronto and the first part of Highway 11, which now extends 1,896 kilometres to Rainy River.

The Mechanics' Institute movement began in Britain and soon spread to North America. Its aim was to teach workers the applied technology behind new methods of manufacture and craftsmanship introduced during the Industrial Revolution. The first Institute in Ontario was established at York (Toronto) in 1830. It sponsored lectures, held classes and operated a lending library. It moved from rented quarters into its own new building on this site in 1861. After passage of the Free Libraries Act in 1882, the Institute transferred its assets to the municipal government. Its book collections formed the foundation of the Toronto Public Library, which opened in the former Institute building in 1884.

In 1796, Thomas Mercer, a Loyalist, acquired some 200 acres of land in this vicinity. James Hogg, an enterprising Scottish emigrant, purchased part of this property about 1818 and built a grist-mill on the west branch of the Don River near here. In the 1820's the mill became the nucleus of a small settlement known as Hogg's Hollow. The first St. John's Anglican Church (1817) was among the earliest built north of York. When the course of Yonge Street was changed in 1836, new mills, a tavern and a tannery were constructed to serve this rapidly growing community, and following the establishment of a post office, it became known as York Mills.

In 1849 the Trustees of the Toronto Hebrew Congregation purchased a site in Toronto from the Hon. John Beverley Robinson for the first Jewish cemetery west of Montreal. Regular religious services were not held in Canada West until 1856 when seventeen Jewish families from England and Continental Europe formed a congregation in Toronto. This group, after acquiring the cemetery in 1858, became known as the "Toronto Hebrew Congregation-Holy Blossom". They held services in a building on the south-east coner of Yonge and Richmond Streets until the construction of their first synagogue in 1876 at 25 Richmond Street East. In 1897 they moved to 115 Bond Street and in 1938 to the present site.

In 1803, Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter established a public marketplace here where farmers from nearby townships sold produce and livestock to residents of the town of York (now Toronto). A wooden building was constructed in 1820 and replaced in 1831 by a brick building, which was also used for city council meetings. The market expanded south of Front Street in 1844 with the construction of the Market House and City Hall. It was enlarged again in 1851 when the St. Lawrence Hall and Market was built north of Front Street. The market was an important source of revenue and the City of Toronto rebuilt the north and south market buildings in 1899. The resulting complex, including the present-day south market, was designed by John W. Siddall and completed in 1904. The market remains an important part of Ontario's commercial history.

In the 1920s, Professor Étienne Gilson, a noted French mediaevalist, and Henry Carr, C.S.B., of St. Michael's College, conceived a unique plan for a graduate centre for mediaeval studies. When it was founded in 1929, the Institute of Mediaeval Studies was the only specialized institution in its field. In 1939, as war threatened European centres of learning and culutural heritage, Pope Pius XII granted the Institute a papal charter. The Pontifical Institute's initial emphasis on mediaeval philosophy, especially the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, soon broadened into an historical approach that draws upon a wide range of academic disciplines. The Institute in known internationally for its research, teaching, library, and scholarly publications.

Founded in 1842, this is the oldest surviving church in the city of Toronto. Under the patronage of the Right Reverend John Strachan, first Anglican Bishop of Toronto, funds were raised to start construction in 1843. Its first rector was the Rev. W.H. Ripley, and regular sevices commenced on February 18, 1844. Attended largely by industrial workers, it was known as "The Poor Man's Church", although such prominent citizens as William Gooderham, James Worts, Joseph Shuter, William Cawthra and Alexander Dixon were associated with the church in its early days. Gutted by fire in 1961, it has been restored to its early proportions and is a good example of early Gothic Revival architecture.

One of Canada's greatest oarsmen, Edward Hanlan was born in Toronto. As a child he took up rowing when his family settled in this vicinity, now named Hanlan's Point. Although standing only 5 feet 8 3/4 inches and rarely heavier than 150 pounds, he became a leading international sculler. In 1873 Hanlan won the amateur rowing championship of Toronto Bay. Becoming a professional in 1876, he defeated all opponents in the Philadelphia Races of that year. He overcame all leading North American competitors and in 1880 won the world single sculls championship in England. Hanlan retained his title until 1884. A popular Toronto figure, he was elected Alderman for this area in 1898 and 1899.

Because of its large and easily-defended harbour Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe decided to make Toronto the naval and military centre of Upper Canada. This site, guarding the harbour, was named Gibraltar Point. Fortification was begun here in 1794 and by 1800 two defensible storehouses and a guardhouse had been erected. These buildings were destroyed by the Americans during their second raid on York (Toronto) in 1813. By the following May a small blockhouse mounting one gun had been constructed. This building, in ruins by 1823, was dismantled some time before 1833 and not replaced. This area later became known as Hanlan's Point after the family of the world-champion sculler "Ned" Hanlan who settled near here.

This lighthouse, one of the earliest on the Great Lakes, was completed in 1808 as an hexagonal tower 52 feet high, topped by a wooden cage with a fixed whale-oil lantern. In 1832 it was raised to 82 feet and later equipped with a revolving light. The mysterious disappearance of its first keeper, J.P. Rademuller, in 1815 and the subsequent discovery nearby of part of a human skeleton enhanced its reputation as a haunted building.

Toronto Island is part of a sand-bar which begins on the mainland near Woodbine Avenue and extends westward for about 5 1/2 miles before turning northward toward the main shore. The building of the bar began with the formation of Lake Ontario about 8,000 years ago. Eroded from the Scarborough Bluffs, the sand was shifted westward by wave action during easterly storms. Eventually a long curving peninsula was formed, creating the large natural harbour on which Toronto was founded. The bar's westward growth was halted shortly after 1858 when a storm opened a large gap near the eastern end of the peninsula. The island thus formed became one of Toronto's major recreational areas.

The province's first sailing association, the Toronto Boat Club, was formed in 1852 and two years later became the Royal Canadain Yacht Club. Dedicated to the promotion of yachting and naval interests, it initiated competitions which stimulated widespread interest in sailing and yacht design, and in 1860 instituted the Prince of Wales Cup, freshwater racing's oldest trophy. The Club was housed on Toronto's waterfront until 1881 when it moved to Toronto Island. This moved facilitated the club's continued growth. The R.C.Y.C. figured prominently in the formation of the Lake Yacht Racing Association (1884) for the establishment of uniform rules. The achievements of numerous members in competitive yacht racing have brought the Royal Canadian Yacht Club international recognition.