On Saturday November 16, twenty-one hardy people came out on a cold wintery day to unveil a plaque commemorating George Corsan. The plaque is located in Echo Valley Park in Islington – the original site of Corsan’s unique farm of nut trees which earned him the nickname “The Nut Man of Islington”. Corsan was also an accomplished swimmer, and in the early 1900s became renowned as an innovator in techniques for swimming instruction and lifesaving widely used throughout North America. The plaque project was a collaboration between Heritage Toronto and the Etobicoke Historical Society.

On hand to officiate the unveiling was Toronto Ward 2 Councillor Stephen Holyday; Chris Bateman, Heritage Toronto; Brian Yawney, Etobicoke Urban Forest Activist; EHS President Joel Winter and EHS Chief Historian Denise Harris. The unveiling was witnessed by EHS members and some residents from the local neighbourhood.

​Some in attendance had grown up in the area and remembered George Corsan as an eccentric character who made a connection with local children who played on his property. He distributed the nuts from his Black Walnut trees to the children with the instructions they should take them home and plant them. There are many large Black Walnuts in the Village of Islington neighbourhood today which are most likely a lasting legacy of this unique former resident of Islington.

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This book is a collection of 92 short articles touching on various facets of Etobicoke’s history, including indigenous and early european settlement, farming, businesses, public services, society and culture, buildings, transportation and waterways. The articles were selected from The Aldernews, the newsletter of the Etobicoke Historical Society. Offering glimpses into Etobicoke’s past, they have informed and delighted members of the Society for several decades. Through this compilation, the Society aims to share them with a wider audience.
 
Glimpses into Etobicoke’s Past will be of interest to current and former residents of Etobicoke who want to know more about that community, and to anyone curious about the history of Toronto and of Ontario.
 
The book is available in paperback ($20) or in ebook ($8) from Amazon by clicking the button below:
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May 2019 marks the 60th anniversary of the Etobicoke Historical Society’s newsletter. Originally called a bulletin, it started life a year after the formation of the Society. It has been published regularly since 1959.
 
For the first few decades, the newsletter was short – a page long – and consisted mainly of notices of events and information. Things began to change in the mid-1990s. The newsletter grew in size, a new format was adopted, and longer historical articles began to appear on a regular basis. It also acquired a name, The Aldernews, which had been suggested by Bob Given in a name-our-newsletter contest. The first issue of the newly christened publication appeared in September 1996.
 
To date, a little over 200 articles dealing with Etobicoke history have appeared in the newsletter. The first 30 years accounted for only a very few of these. Things begin to accelerate after that, with 15 articles in the 1989-98 decade, 46 in 1999-08, and 130 in 2009-18. Approximately 45 individuals have written these articles. Denise Harris alone is responsible for almost 40% of them!
 
From its origins as a means of announcing the Society’s activities, the newsletter has evolved into a valued way of disseminating information about Etobicoke’s history. You can help it to continue on this path. Share your knowledge of our local history by contributing your essays to The Aldernews.

The Etobicoke Historical Society participated in an event promoting the history of Etobicoke’s Lakeshore on the evening of November 2nd. Advertised as “a night to remember and reflect on the rich histories of our communities,” it took place at the Assembly Hall on Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive. The event, organized by Ward 6’s Councillor Mark Grimes, attracted a very good turnout with over 80 persons at its peak.
 
The evening featured some 10 displays from organizations including the City of Toronto Archives, the New Toronto Historical Society, and the Ontario Genealogical Society. Each group also gave a short presentation on its activities, with the EHS’s given by our President, Joel Winter.
 
The EHS responded to Councillor Grimes’ invitation to participate by developing a display focused on the Lakeshore neighbourhoods of Humber Bay, Mimico, New Toronto, Alderwood and Long Branch. Our exhibit drew considerable interest. It included a slideshow of historic photos compiled from the Society’s collection and from that of Denise Harris; various items relevant to the Lakeshore area from our archives; a photo quiz; our newsletter; and, promotional material for the Society. Joel Winter, Denise Harris and Philip Enros represented the Society. It was a very enjoyable evening with many interesting conversations, posed questions and shared information about the history of the Lakeshore.

Ken Maxwell was a member of the Etobicoke Fire Department who was a part of the rescue efforts during Hurricane Hazel 63 years ago. This moving video recently produced by CBC shares some of the horrifying accounts he remembered from that dreadful day in Etobicoke History! Click the image to watch the video now! - Video Courtesy of CBC.

Is this the volunteer opportunity you’ve been looking for?  Or perhaps you have a friend with the kind of experience we need?
 
The Etobicoke Historical Society is seeking a volunteer to fill the key role of Treasurer on our Board of Directors.
 
Responsibilities include:

• Managing banking, accounts payable and receivable, investments, and bookkeeping.
• Ensuring that proper financial policies, procedures and controls are in place and followed.
• Ensuring that financial records are properly maintained.
• Submitting financial reports to the Board of Directors and our members as required.
• Preparing and submitting grant applications.
• Preparing and filing annual reports required by the government to maintain EHS’s status as a registered charity.
• Ensuring insurance coverage is in place for the organization.

 
The EHS Treasurer will have the following qualifications and experience:

• Experience as a certified accountant or bookkeeper an asset
• Experience on a volunteer Board of Directors an asset
• Unquestioned integrity; relationship skills; organizational and administrative skills; and action-oriented.
• Must have a computer with internet access and Word/Excel software (or equivalent.)
• Able to participate as a board member and attend board meetings in Etobicoke approximately nine evenings per year.

 
For more information or to submit your resume, please contact:

Joel Winter, President, at [email protected]    

New online image library includes over 1,810 images representing 20 historical neighbourhoods.

In what has been an ambitious multi-year project by the Etobicoke Historical Society, outgoing President James Geneau was pleased to announce today the addition of a new Image library on the historical society’s web site: www.etobicokehistorical.com. 
 
The new online image library includes over 1,810 images organized into 20 historical neighbourhoods within Toronto’s Etobicoke area.  It took almost two years of work by volunteer board members of the society to catalogue and digitize these images - originally stored away in the official archives of the society. As the Etobicoke Historical Society prepares to celebrate its 60th Anniversary in 2018, this project is seen as being a major legacy project to celebrate this occasion!

“This project could not have been possible without the great organizational efforts of our archivists Phil Enros and Jill Berni along with the research of our History Officer, Denise Harris,” said James Geneau. “The digitization of these images means that our collection is now unlocked for all to see and explore the rich photographic history of Etobicoke!”
 
Within each neighbourhood gallery, visitors to the site can scroll and sort images based on many different criteria, be it houses, people, community events, churches, civic buildings, and more.  The collection will continue to grow and research will be ongoing to update the content and descriptions over the coming years.
 
To learn more and to view the online image library, simply visit:  www.etobicokehistorical/imagelibrary
 
About Etobicoke Historical Society
The Etobicoke Historical Society was formed in May 1958 as an answer to a growing concern among Etobicoke citizens about the rapidly changing character of what was then the Township of Etobicoke, and the need to preserve our early history.  With a rich history, the Etobicoke Historical Society has grown to become the leading organization dedicated to the preservation of Etobicoke's heritage assets and community education.  With a growing and loyal membership, our many special projects and events, as well as our annual awards of merit; the Etobicoke Historical Society is dedicated to the community we serve. ​

Did you know our archives continue to grow each and every year? It is true!

In fact, our archivists have recently updated our collection with the latest items of historical significance under our care! To see the list, simply visit our Archives Page to read more!

 CLICK HERE  to visit the Archives Page

Special Thanks to Phil Enros and Jill Berni for their hard work in keeping our archives up to date!

Nick Doran was one of the kindest, most generous, most gentlemanly and most humble people I have ever met. And it is with a heavy heart that I’m sharing with you these few words about him today.
           
Nick had been ill and in pain with cancer for some time, and the illness finally took him from us on Thursday, March 23, 2017 when he was in Florida, surrounded by his family.
           
Here are a few things I know about Nick’s life…  He was born in Toronto, and attended the Toronto Islands Public School. He graduated from St. Helen’s Catholic Elementary School, followed by Western Technical School. He then graduated with honours from the Police Sciences program at Humber College, and served as a police officer with the Toronto Police Service for 34 years, rising to the rank of sergeant. Even a brief conversation with Nick about his time on the job and you would know instantly how much he loved it.
           
Nick has always been involved with his community. For 25 years, he coached ladies’ basketball and he was a past-president of the Ontario Basketball Association. He was also a past president of the Catholic Youth Organization of Metropolitan Toronto.
           
​Nick was a founding member of the Aerospace Heritage Foundation of Canada, and a past president of the Toronto Aerospace Museum. He loved to hear and tell stories about aerospace history.  

I knew Nick best for his volunteer work with the Etobicoke Historical Society. Simply put, he was fascinated by Etobicoke History. He first joined the EHS Board of Directors in May 1997 as editor of our newsletter, The Aldernews. In November 1997 he stepped up to fill the role of president, which he held for five years. He created and launched EHS’s first website in September 1999, and took over as webmaster in 2003, a position he held for 10 years. He served as secretary for 10 years, interim treasurer for two years, and speaker coordinator from 2005 to 2016. On top of all of this, Nick volunteered to set up EHS displays and greet people at countless public events. He welcomed any opportunity to talk about Etobicoke history and was usually the first to volunteer.  Nick also found time to serve on the Montgomery’s Inn Community Advisory Panel and was on the board of Montgomery’s Innovators.

Our condolences to Nick’s wife, Shirley, his children and his many grandchildren for their loss. At Nick’s request, there was no public service or funeral, and he has been cremated. Instead a private celebration of his life was held by his family. Nick preferred to have people remember him in his best of times. For anyone interested, on June 5, 2017, the regular 9:00 am mass at Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church, 3055 Bloor St. W., will be dedicated to Nick.
           
Nick, the world is a better place for you having been here…

Denise Harris, on behalf of the Board and Membership of the Etobicoke Historical Society.