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109 plaques found that match your criteria
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Armadale Free Methodist Church 1880, The
One of the earliest Free Methodist societies in Canada was established in this area at nearby Ellesmere in 1874. The first services 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... -
Battle of York 1813, The
Loyal residents of York (Toronto) were encouraged by early British victories in the War of 1812, but in 1813 they experienced first-hand the hardships of war. On the morning of April 27, an American fleet appeared offshore and began to send 1,700 soldiers ashore two kilometres west of here. At first only a small force of Ojibwa warriors was in position to resists the landing. After fierce skirmishing the invaders advanced, overcoming defensive stands by... -
Bishop's Palace 1818, The
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 1820-41and 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. -
C.W. Jefferys 1869-1951
This house was the residence and studio of one of Canada's leading 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... -
Canada's First Air Mail
At 10:12 a.m. on June 24, 1918, Captain Brian Peck of the Royal Air Force and mechanic Corporal C.W. Mathers took off from the Bois Franc Polo Grounds in Montreal in a JN-4 Curtiss two-seater airplane. They had with them the first bag of mail to be delivered by air in Canada. Wind and rain buffetted the small plane and forced it to make refuelling stops at Kingston and Deseronto. Finally, at 4:55 p.m., Peck... -
Canadian National Exhibition, The
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. -
Church of the Holy Trinity 1847, The
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... -
Sacré-Cœur Parish
In 1887, Sacré-Cœur Parish was founded as the first Roman Catholic parish to serve the French-Canadian community in Toronto. Father Philippe Lamarche came from Montreal to found the church and served as priest until his death in 1924. The Parish's first church building, located on King Street near Sackville Street, was purchased from a Presbyterian congregation in 1888. Since that time, francophones have been able to worship in their own language at Sacré-Cœur Church. This... -
Colonel James Givins
This school bears the name of, and is located on land formerly owned by, Colonel James Givins, 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... -
David Gibson 1804-1864
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... -
Edith Kathleen Russell 1886-1964
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... -
Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe 1766-1850
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... -
Jean Lumb, C.M., 1919-2002
Jean Lumb was born Jean (Toy Jin) Wong in British Columbia, and came to Toronto in 1935. She was soon operating a profitable fruit store and, by 1959, she co-owned the well-reputed Kwong Chow restaurant with her husband, Doyle Lumb. Energetic and outgoing, she established strong links with prominent politicians and, in the 1950s, lobbied successfully for the removal of discriminatory immigration regulations in Canada. Wide-ranging community work earned her numerous honours, including appointments to... -
Ashbridge Estate, The
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 Ashbridges 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... -
Canada's First Victoria Cross
Born in 1833 a short distance from 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 25, 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... -
Canadian International Air Show
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... -
Colborne Lodge 1836
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 devoted himself to improving his estate, which forms part of the 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. -
Discovery of Insulin 1921, The
In one of the most important advances in modern medicine, a team of investigators isolated and purified insulin in a building that 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... -
Enoch Turner School 1848, The
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... -
Ontario Historical Society, The
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... -
Ontario Human Rights Code
The Ontario Human Rights Code came into effect on June 15, 1962 and established equal rights and freedom from discrimination as primary elements of provincial law. The first legislation of its kind in Canada, the Code was designed to affirm and uphold the "inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family" by providing a legal mechanism to combat discrimination. The Code was inspired by principles of individual liberty... -
Ontario's First Parliament Buildings
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... -
Pendarves - Cumberland House
Renowned Toronto architectural firm Cumberland & Storm designed this building as the family home of senior partner Frederic W. Cumberland. Completed in 1860 and named Pendarves, the original Italianate villa-style structure stood on spacious grounds with its main entrance facing east towards the new University of Toronto campus. In 1883, it was substantially redesigned by William Storm. After the 1912 closure of Government House on Simcoe Street, Toronto, the Ontario Government leased Pendarves as the... -
Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, The
In the 1920s, Professor Étienne Gilson, a noted French mediævalist, 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 cultural heritage, Pope Pius XII granted the Institute a papal charter. The Pontifical Institute's initial emphasis on... -
Princes' Gates, The
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 CNE's commitment to progress through industry, education and the...