History Corner

From December 26, 2013 to January 4, 2018, Denise Harris, the Etobicoke Historical Society’s Chief Historian, wrote 105 stories on different aspects of Etobicoke history. They were published in the Etobicoke Guardian newspaper as a regular series called History Corner. These vignettes offer insight into many different and fascinating aspects of Etobicoke’s past. Enjoy!
Alderwood

2014 - June 4th: Vaudeville’s O’Connor Sisters Grew Up on Alderwood Farm
2015 - January 15th: ‘Mysterious’ Abe Orpen Opened Long Branch Race Track in 1924
2015 - September 24th: Franklin Horner One Room Schoolhouse Designed by E.J. Lennox in Early 1900s
​2016 - December 1st: Officials Forcibly Confined at Sir Adam Beck School during the Great Depression
Claireville

2014 - May 15th: In Its Prime, Claireville Was an Agricultural Centre
2015 - June 18th: Claireville General Store Survived 145 Years
2016 - October 6th: Claireville Toll House Still Stands after 150 Years
Eatonville

2014 - November 20th: Timothy Eaton Started a Dairy Farm to Supply his Soda Fountain
2015 - March 12th: Shaver Family Ownership of Applewood Home Lasted 150 Years
Highfield

2014 - April 23rd: Humber College Used Barns for Equestrian Program
2014 - May 29th: Remembering the Lessons Learned in the ‘Little Red Schoolhouse’
2014 - December 18th: Sharon United Church’s Cemetery Restored by Volunteers
2016 - January 14th: Etobicoke’s Police Department Boasted Three Traffic Officers in the Early ‘50s
​2017 - August 24th: The Guardhouse Family Ran a Prizewinning Livestock Business
Humber Bay

2014 - March 3rd: Toronto’s Elite Explored the Countryside with the Toronto Auto Club
2014 - July 21st: Humber Bay’s Octavius Laing Hicks Was a Master Bridge Builder
2015 - October 8th: ‘Lucky Lion’ Once Marked Start of Queen Elizabeth Way in Toronto
2016 - August 11th: Industrialist Joseph Davidson Brought Canada’s First Pre-fabricated Home to Town
​2016 - November 3rd: South Etobicoke’s First Gambling Joint Owned by Abe Orpen
​​2017 - July 13th: German Couple Successful Entrepreneurs in Humber Bay
Humbervale

​2014 - February 20th: St. George’s Golf Club Was Built to Cater to Royal York Hotel’s Guests
2015 - December 17th: Humbervale’s Chapman Family Grew Tomatoes for Campbell Soup
​2016 - September 22nd: James Gardens Evolved into a Gardener’s Masterpiece
​2018 - January 4th: Robert Home Smith Helped Build Much of West-end Toronto
Islington

2014 - January 9th: Islington Dairy Farmer Was Enterprising from a Young Age.
​2014 - January 23rd: Busy Islington Avenue Was Once a Sledding Hill
2014 - February 6th: ​Johnston Family’s History in Islington Lasted 177 years
2014 - July 5th: Early Bus Service on Dundas Cost 15 Cents per Trip
2014 - August 7th: Briarly Home Lost Forever 25 Years Ago
2014 - December 4th: The Hawkins Kids Go Sledding
2015 - February 26th: Johnston Apple Farm Operated for More Than a Century
​2016 - February 11th: One Crew Member Died in Fatal 1909 Train Collision
​2016 - March 24th: Col. J.E.L. Streight Led an Honourable Life in Islington
​​2016 - June 16th: Robert H. Tier Was Known for his Prized Celery at a Time When the Vegetable Was Considered High Class
​​2016 - December 29th: Etobicoke Column a ‘Labour’ of Love’ for This Historian 
​​2017 - February 9th: Farmers Brought their Best to
Etobicoke’s Agricultural Fairs
​​​2017 - May 4th: Capitalizing on Railway Helped Connect the Village of Islington
​​​2017 - June 15th: Moore Farm House is the Fifth Oldest Building in Etobicoke
​​​​2017 - June 29th: Electric Railway Came to Etobicoke 100 Years Ago
​​​​2017 - September 28th: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Marks its 95th Year of Worship
​2017 - October 12th: Wilcox Family Helped Build Islington Village
​​2017 - October 26th: Musson Family Sees Major Changes in Islington Village
​​2017 - November 9th: Islington Village Enters 20th Century Machine Era
​2017 - December 21st: Walter Moorhouse's Photos Showcase Etobicoke's Past
​Lambton Mills

2014 - June 12th: Lambton Mills Named for the Earl of Durham
2015 - January 29th: Gypsies Noted as ‘Honourable Guests’ along the Humber River
2016 - January 28th: Meade Creech: A Man Who Helped Build Etobicoke
​2016 - September 8th: Fisher Family’s Humber River Mill Was Successful for Many Years
​​2017 - December 7th: Textile Miller Becomes Town Treasurer in 1918
Long Branch

2014 - April 17th: Home Tells the Story and Tragic Ending of Col. Samuel Smith’s Family
2015 - March 26th: Long Branch Rifle Ranges Served as Training Grounds for Canadian Soldiers
2015 - May 21st: Lake Shore Boulevard West Was a Hot Vacation Spot in Summer
​2015 - July 16th: Camping in Long Branch was ‘All the Rage’ in the 1920s
​2017 - January 12th: Long Branch Once a Summer Cottaging Destination
​2017 - April 20th: Eastwood Family Generations Helped Develop Long Branch Community
​​2017 - November 23rd: Last Link to Area’s Farming Heritage Still Stands
Mimico

2015 - July 2nd: Christ Church Mimico Is the Oldest Anglican Congregation in Etobicoke
2015 - August 13th: Hard Times Visited the Fetherstonhaugh Family on ‘Thunder Head’
2016 - February 25th: Victoria Industrial School for Boys Helps Care for, Train and Improve Boys
​2016 - April 7th: Pickin’ Chicken BBQ Was Delivered
by Volkswagen Beetles
2016 - April 21st: The Ormsby/Franceschini Estate Has a Long History along Mimico’s Lakeshore
2016 - October 20th: Inmates at Mimico Correctional Centre Trained to Extract Shale and Manufacture Bricks
​2017 - March 23rd: Private in the War of 1812 a Founder of Christ Church Mimico
​New Toronto

2014 - June 26th: Goodyear Tire was a Major Employer in New Toronto
2015 - February 12th: Photo Inspires Stories of Baycroft Family and Campbell Soup Factory
2015 - November 19th: New Toronto’s Loblaw Groceteria Offers Self-Shopping
​2016 - May 19th: New Toronto’s Gus Ryder and his Lakeshore Swim Club Helped More than 200,000 Children Learn to Swim
​​2017 - September 19th: Recalling the Sympathetic Pharmacist
behind Don Russell Drugs
Rexdale

2015 - May 7th: Rexdale Community and Industry Built by One Man
​2016 - July 28th: Massive Post-war Transition Turned North Etobicoke from Farm to Suburb
​​2017 - March 9th: Recalling a Time When Seven Stories Was Tall for an Apartment Building
Richview

2014 - March 20th: Dixon Family Hosted Barn-Raising ‘Bee’
2014 - May 1st: Home Harbours a Rich Architectural Secret
2014 - September 28th: Intersection of Richview Once a Busy Village Centre
2015 - July 30th: Once Visionary Thorncrest Village a Victim of Modern Developme
2015 - September 10th: Mercer Family Home from the 1800s Still Stands Today
2015 - October 29th: The ‘Turkey Palace’ Was the Spot for Burgers and Shakes after School Dances
​2016 - March 10th: Farming Was the Predominant Profession
in the Mid-1800s
​2016 - July 14th: ‘Bigham’ and ‘Agar’ Crescents Tied to Family Whose History in Etobicoke Predates War of 1812
​​2016 - November 17th: Briarcrest Manor Bore Witness to the Fall of the Avro Arrow
​​​2016 - December 15th: Richview’s Growing Population Spurred
the Creation of Five Schools
​2017 - August 10th: Coulter Family Farmhouse Built to Overlook the Mimico Creek Valley
Smithfield

2014 - March 6th: Albion and Martin Grove was a Farming Service Centre
2014 - November 6th: Smithfield Post Office was Named ‘Etobicoke’
​2016 - June 2nd: One of Etobicoke’s Last Handcrafted Log Cabins at Kipling and Albion demolished in 1956
Summerville

2014 - October 23rd: Summerville Bridge Collapse Injured One Woman in 1929
2015 - December 3rd: Silverthorn Family Left a Long Legacy in Etobicoke and Beyond
2015 - December 31st: It’s the End of an Era at the Silverthorn Family Farm
Sunnylea

2014 - October 23rd: Student’s Contest Win Gave School and Community the Name Sunnylea
​2016 - August 25th: Isle of Man Immigrants Found Success as Market Gardeners in Etobicoke
​​2017 - February 23rd: Thompson Family Known for their High Quality Fruit
​​​2017 - June 1st: Early Owner Tried to Turn Park Lawn Cemetery into a Subdivision
The Kingsway

2014 - July 24th: Old Mill Inn and Spa Began with a Simple Tea Room
2014 - December 31st: The Kingsway Theatre Was a ‘Modern Picture Palace’
​2016 - June 30: Last ‘Sham Battle’ in Toronto Held in 1915, during First World War
The Queensway

2014 - September 4th: ‘Brookwood’ Used as a Clandestine Gambling Den during Wartime
​2017 - July 27th: Wartime Houses Built for Workers and Veterans
Thistletown

2013 - December 12th: Rural Hospital Was a ‘Palace of Sunshine’
2014 - October 2nd: Grubb Family Descendant Maintains Hold on Family’s Heritage
2016 - May 5th: Village Green Is Etobicoke’s Oldest Park
2017 - January 26th: Art Centre Was a Gift from a Local Doctor
2017 - May 18th: Barker Family Farm House from Thistletown Finds New Life
Westmount

2015 - April 9th: Wadsworth Milling Empire Ruled Weston Area for 87 Years
2015 - November 5th: Westmount Bridge over Humber Destroyed by Hurricane Hazel
​2017 - April 6th: St. Philip’s Church Organ the Only Thing to Survive 1888 Fire