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Queen's Park, Toronto
Officially opened by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) during the Royal Tour of 1860, Queen's Park is an early example of the public park movement in Canada. Landscaped according to a picturesque design, its sweeping drives curved past maple, oak, elm and white pine, while Taddle Creek ravine and McCaul's Pond formed the park's western boundary. Located to the northwest of the city, visitors gained access to the park through two gated... -
Queen's Rangers, The
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... -
Reverend Henry Scadding 1813-1901, The
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... -
Right Honourable Lester Bowles Pearson 1897-1972, The
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... -
Royal Tour of 1939, The
The Royal Tour of 1939 was the first visit to Canada by a reigning British monarch. Between May 15 and June 15, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth travelled by train across the country. They arrived at the North Toronto Station on May 22 and, at Queen's Park, Lieutenant Governor Albert Matthews and Premier Mitchell Hepburn officially welcomed Their Majesties to the provincial capital. Throughout their visit, the King and Queen were greeted with brilliant... -
Scarborough Bluffs, The
The layers of sand and clay exposed in these bluffs display a remarkable geological record of the last stages of the Great Ice Age. Unique in North America, they have attracted worldwide scientific interest. The first 46 metres (150 feet) of sediments contain fossil plants and animals that were deposited in a large river delta during the first advance of the Wisconsinan glacier some 70,000 years ago. They are covered by 61 metres (200 feet)... -
Second Invasion of York 1813, The
On the morning of July 31, 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. The invaders seized food and military... -
Sexual Diversity Activism at the University of Toronto
Having first met off campus, the University of Toronto Homophile Association (UTHA) convened again on November 4, 1969, at University College to advocate equality and freedom for gay men and lesbians. This was the first group of its kind at a Canadian university. Early on, UTHA attracted supporters far beyond the University of Toronto community, influencing the formation of like-minded groups on university campuses and in communities across Ontario and the country. UTHA was closely... -
Sir John Lefroy 1817-1890
A pioneer in the study of terrestrial magnetism, Lefroy was director of the magnetic observatory here from 1842 to 1853. Born in Hampshire, England, he was commissioned in the Royal Artillery at the age of seventeen and, because of his aptitude for science, was posted to St. Helena in 1839 to establish a magnetic observatory. Three years later, he was transferred to Toronto. During 1843-44, Lefroy conducted the first comprehensive magnetic and meteorological survey in... -
Sir William Campbell 1758-1834
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... -
St. James' Cathedral
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. -
St. Lawrence Hall 1850
Erected in 1850, this structure provided a grand public hall in the St. Lawrence marketplace, 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 1870s, St. Lawrence Hall's great era ended. -
St. Michael's College
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... -
Women's Law Association of Ontario
Founded in 1919, the Women's Law Association of Ontario (WLAO) was the first organization to work actively to create a place for women at Osgoode Hall. With membership open to law students, lawyers and judges, the non-profit organization advances issues relevant to women in law through networking, educational and social events. Strengthened by the women's rights movement, the WLAO's first 100 years marked Canada's first female lawyer being called to the bar, the first female... -
Honourable Herbert Alexander Bruce, M.D. 1868-1963, The
A distinguished surgeon and able public servant, Bruce was born in Blackstock and educated at the Toronto School of Medicine. In 1897, after obtaining a fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, he established a surgical practice in Toronto. Unable to secure adequate facilities for his patients, he founded The Wellesley Hospital, presiding over its official opening in 1912. Except for a period during World War I when he was active overseas, Bruce... -
James Shaver Woodsworth 1874-1942
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... -
Jarvis Collegiate Institute
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... -
King's College
The first university in the province, King's College was chartered in 1827 through the efforts of the Reverend 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... -
Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe 1752-1806
The First Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Present-Day Ontario, John Graves Simcoe was born in Cotterstock, Northamptonshire and attended Exeter Fress Grammar School in his early youth. He entered the army in 1770 and commanded a regiment in the American Revolution. During his active administration of Upper Canada, 1791-1796, Simcoe laid the foundation for the province's orderly growth and development. He died in a house on this site and is buried at Wolford Chapel, Dunkeswell, near Honiton. -
Mary Pickford
Born in 1893 in a house that 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... -
Osgoode Hall
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... -
Queen Street Mental Health Centre
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... -
Queen's Park, Toronto
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... -
Sir Daniel Wilson 1816-1892
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 Scottish prehistory. In 1853 he was appointed to the chair of history and English literature at the University of Toronto. Wilson introduced history, English and anthropology 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... -
St. Andrew's Church
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 Scotland, 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...