The Update

WHAT’S INSIDE

The York Pioneer and Historical Societywww.yorkpioneers.org

Page 2 YPHS Members in the News

Page 3 From the YPHS Archives

Page 4 Member News; Sharon Temple

MARCH 2012

The York Pioneer and Historical Society, and Heritage Toronto, cordially invite you to attend : Unveiling of Scadding Cabin Plaque

! ! 2 pm, 22 April 2012 Sunday ! ! Scadding Cabin, Torontoʼs oldest building (1794) ! ! 1 Yukon Place, Exhibition Place

Reception, and launch of 2012 York Pioneer journal, immediately following:

! ! ! ! Lobby, Queen Elizabeth Theatre ! ! ! ! ! 190 Princesʼ Blvd., Exhibition Place! ! ! ! ! 2:20 pm (approx)! ! ! ! ! Brief remarks; light refreshments and cash bar

RSVP by 13 April to yorkpioneers@gmail.com (subject “unveiling”) or (416) 483-0907

! ! COMPLIMENTARY PARKING behind Press Building, 200 Princesʼ Blvd. Print & display this invitation on your dashboard

YOU’RE INVITED!

Your board has worked with Heritage Toronto to design an enameled interpretative plaque that will stand just outside the fence of Scadding Cabin. A generous bequest from the estate of Guy Saunders covered more than half the cost of the plaque.The plaque unveiling, and YP launch, are April 22.

NOTE: RSVP to our gmail address or Diane Reid (see below)

PRESERVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE MARCH 2012

YPHS MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

The War of 1812, which engulfed the United States, Great Britain, her Canadian colonies, and the First Nations of the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi regions, was a dramatic and formative event in North American history. In this illustrated presentation, Carl Benn explored the war’s major themes, from its complex origins, through its confused campaigns, to its misunderstood conclusions in order to clarify the course of the conflict and its larger historical meanings. http://northtorontohistoricalsociety.org/ Dr. Benn, Chair of the Department of History, Ryerson University, was formerly Chief Curator of the City of Toronto’s Museums and Heritage Services He has written extensively on the War of 1812.

York Pioneers part of Luminato This year's Luminato celebrations include recognition of the bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812. The Thomas+Guinevere creative team are putting together a remarkable public art display to tell the stories of 200 civilians who witnessed the War of 1812. The plan i s t o p i t c h 2 0 0 t e n t s , e a c h c o n t a i n i n g a creative work, within the walls of Fort York about each of the 200 historical figures that the team has chosen to represent. The display is called The Encampment and will be seen during Luminato, from June 8 to 24. During the research phase of this project, York Pioneers sent stories about civilians who witnessed the War to Thomas+Guinevere including the childhood memories of the Rev. John Carroll, stories about Mississaguas who helped defend York in 1813, the Black community in York and the Mary Fitzgibbon's 1896 article about the preparation of a flag for the Third Regiment of the York Militia. David Raymont, a member of the York Pioneer Board, applied to be a creative collaborator to develop one of the displays that will appear in The Encampment. His application was accepted and he will be working with the Thomas+Guinevere team so that the York Pioneers have a role in making The Encampment come to life. Over the coming weeks, David will be talking to members of the York Pioneers about plans for the display. To learn more about Thomas+Guinevere and The Encampment, visit the city's official website for the bicentennial www.toronto.ca/1812 "

Alanna McKnight, YPHS member, will speak at Sharon Temple.Dressmakers as Business Owners in Toronto 1834-1861Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 7:30 pmLocation: Sharon Temperance Hall18990 Leslie Street, Sharon, Ontario A rarity in the 19th century were women who owned and operated their own businesses. In a time when women were expected to be house wives, raising children and keeping the home, Toronto provided women a place in economy. Find out why in this fascinating presentation about pre-industrialized needle-trades in a young colonial Toronto. Examples from the Sharon Temple collection will be on display. Alanna is currently completing a masters degree in Canadian social history at York with plans to continue her studies at the doctoral level, focusing on material culture. From: www.sharontemple.ca

Michael FitzGerald Author, YPHS member The Grubb Pioneers of Etobicoke, 3rd Edition. (Pro Familia Publishing, 2011, 193 pages)Member Michael FitzGerald has recently published an expanded and revised version of his mother Janet’s 2001 book about their Etobicoke Grubb ancestors. Additional material includes two short memoirs from Grubb descendants, set in the 1930s; brief examples of Court transcripts from John Grubb’s 1844 legal ledger; more material about the more recent happenings to the still- standing Elm Bank, Brae Burn and Weston Plank Road buildings; new colour photos and an index. Michael has been the owner of the Elm Bank property since 1984. In 2008, Elm Bank became a designated property under the Ontario Heritage Act. Copies are available from Michael for $20.00 plus S&H. efitz@sympatico.ca. 19 Jason Rd, Etobicoke M9V 1C5

Mike Filey Toronto historian, author and YPHS member Mike Filey, has a new radio show which can be found on am740 radio on Sundays from 12:30-1:00pm.

YPHS Past-President Elaine Robertson, and Vice-President Ken Carter, have joined the board of the King Township Historical Society as members-at-large.

In MemoriamWe extend condolences to the family of Life Member, John Sargent Moir, MA, PhD, DD, Professor Emeritus of University of Toronto, who died on March 9, 2012. His funeral was held in Brantford on March 17.

Dr. Carl Benn, (left), YPHS Life Member, gave an entertaining lecture accompanied by great slides, to a standing-room-only crowd at the Jan 25th meeting of the North Toronto Historical Society. Dr, Benn’s topic was 1812: THE BIG PICTURE

PRESERVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE MARCH 2012

FROM THE YPHS ARCHIVES BY JOHN MARSHALL, ARCHIVIST

Over the years the York Pioneer and Historical Society has erected or co-sponsored several plaques marking historic sites. One of the more interesting projects was much more than a plaque – it was an entire building! In 1954 Gooderham and Worts, in co-operation with the YPHS, built a reproduction of its famous windmill, which had been a landmark on the Toronto waterfront from 1832 until 1859. The model, scaled down to about 30 feet in height, was erected by the lake at the foot of Parliament Street. (The original location was not available, as it was occupied by a Gooderham and Worts office building.) It was constructed with bricks from a building of the same period as the original windmill, and bore a bronze plaque with the following inscription:

THIS REPLICA STRUCTURE COMMEMORATES THE

GOODERHAM & WORTSWINDMILL

ERECTED 315 YARDS N.E. BY N.OF THIS SITE IN 1832.

THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE WAS THE EASTERN LIMIT OF THE

“OLD WINDMILL LINE” ON WHICH THE FIRST PLAN OF THE CITY OF

TORONTO WAS BASED IN 1834.IT IS STILL USED BY SURVEYORS.

ERECTED BY GOODERHAM & WORTS LTD.

IN CO-OPERATION WITH THEYORK PIONEER AND HISTORICAL

SOCIETY9TH APRIL, 1954.

Sadly, the replica was demolished just a few years later to make way for the eastern extension of the Gardiner Expressway. An interesting sidelight is that William E. Hanna, YPHS President at the time, refused to attend the unveiling of the plaque. He was a teetotaller who did not approve of the Society’s association with a distiller.

The Toronto Daily StarTuesday January 10, 1922 Thank you to Mike Filey for sending us this clipping.

GOODERHAM & WORTS WINDMILL

YPHS BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ ORIGINAL GAVEL

PRESERVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE MARCH 2012

MEMBER NEWS

HELP NEEDEDLOST LIFE MEMBERS: It is very important we not lose contact with our Life Members - if you move, please notify us. If you know how to find the lost Life & Honorary Members listed below, please contact Alwyn Robertson at agrobertson@rogers.com

R.E. Barron, Mrs. Crang, Iva Curry, Mr/Mrs. Evan Dickson, Dr. John Elder, W.A.Harris,

Douglas Lloyd, Paul Millar, Mrs. R.G. Pearse, Hildred Pinfold, Leeds Richardson, Edna Robinson, Mrs. Sharpe, Jane Thompson, Mrs. N.L. Thompson, Dorothy White

SCADDING CABIN: Phone Edna Rigby at (416) 494-0503 if you can volunteer to work a shift at Scadding Cabin during the

The YPHS gratefully acknowledges the financial

support of the Government of Ontario through

the Ministry of Culture.

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERSGrace Armstrong

Barbara EwinsMarilyn HorwoodWilliam KindreeRuth Manders

Judith SalesDan TangneyDebbie Watt

David Markham/Edna Mueller (family)

And thank you to the following annual members who recently became Life Members:

Dr. Carl BennKen Carter

Cindy EwinsJorge Torres-Solis

MEMBERSHIP RENEWALIt’s Time to Re-new your support for the YPHS!

Annual membership fees for the YPHS are now due.Our membership year runs 1 January to 31 December.

Don’t miss the 2012 issue of The York Pioneer – join now!

Please fill out the attached form and mail with your cheque to the address on the form.

Or re-new online: go to our website to re-new with fast, easy & secure PayPal.

http://www.yorkpioneers.org/Fees:

Life: $200Annual (single): $20Annual (family): $25

Corporate: $25Tax Receipts are issued for all dues and donations.

SHARON TEMPLEWords and Music SeriesUnique and entertaining evenings on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of every month.$10 admission in support of the Sharon Templewww.sharontemple.ca

YPHS MEMBERS ARE INVITED to the award-winning one-hour documentary, Brick to Brick, The Story of the Evergreen Brick Works Brick by Brick tells the story of Geoff Cape and his determination to transform a 125-year-old former industrial site – Toronto’s Don Valley Brick Works – into a multimillion-dollar ecological and cultural centre, the first of it’s kind in the world. The film won a media award from Heritage Toronto, Oct 4, 2011. The producers generously agreed to our giving a private screening to our members. Date & Time: Saturday, 14 April 2012 Film will start promptly at 3:45 pmPlace: Wychwood Library, 1431 Bathurst St. (just south of St. Clair; short walk from St. Clair West subway station) Come early to see the Eden Smith-designed 1916 library in the Tudor Gothic style, with an open-timbered ceiling soaring to 29 feet, and to view the oil portrait of Marmaduke Matthews, founder of Wychwood Park. LIMITED SEATINGTickets are free but must be reserved by calling Audrey at (416) 656-0812 before 11 April.