The Festival of Bizarre Toronto History Returns!
Plus a missing war memorial, a strange post office, and more...
Big news this week! I’m thrilled to announce that The Festival Of Bizarre Toronto History will be returning this spring!
We’ll spend a week digging into the weirdest tales our city has to offer — seven days filled with online lectures, panels, interviews, and walking tours featuring some of Toronto's greatest storytellers. Whether it's the history of the grave robbers that once plagued our cemeteries, the local roots of Canada’s strangest prime minister, or a myriad of our city’s other bizarre tales, we’ll be there to dig into all the weirdest and most fascinating details.
I had a ton of fun putting the festival together last year for the very first time. It’s something I’d been dreaming about for ages. And the response was absolutely fantastic. So I can’t wait to bring it back again and enjoy some more bizarre tales with you all. I’ll be sharing lots more details about the line-up and the schedule in the weeks to come.
Here’s everything else you need to know so far…
The Schedule
The festival will be taking place during the week of May 6.
From Monday to Friday, there will be a new online lecture, panel or interview every night. Those events will all happen over Zoom, and if you have to miss any don’t worry — they’ll all be recorded so you can watch them whenever you like.
Then on the weekend, we’ll head out into the city for a few truly bizarre walking tours.
Tickets
You can attend the entire festival for just $49.50 (including all taxes and fees). Or get tickets for each individual event for $17.50.
More Information
I’ll be revealing the full line-up and sharing a detailed schedule soon. But in the meantime, you can learn more at:
Why Toronto Banned The St. Patrick’s Day Parade
For last week’s Weird Toronto History segment on Newstalk 1010, I shared a story that I’ve written about before in this newsletter: the sectarian violence that once rocked our city and the prejudice that led Toronto to ban the St. Patrick’s Day Parade for more than a century. It didn’t return until the 1980s.
Plus, I squeezed in the story of Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton’s scandalous stay at the King Edward Hotel back in 1964.
My appearance begins around the 9:30 mark here:
The Toronto History Weekly needs your help! The number of paid subscriptions has stalled again since January — for every person who has generously started supporting the newsletter with a few dollars a month, someone else has been forced to stop. And since this thing involves a ton of work every week, it’s only by growing the number of paid subscriptions that I’ll be able to continue doing it. Thank you so, so much to everyone who already has — and if you’d to make the switch yourself, you can do it by clicking right here:
QUICK LINKS
The best of everything else that’s new in Toronto’s past…
MISSING WAR MEMORIAL NEWS — The towering old South African War Memorial has come down. It was removed as part of Metrolinx’s construction of the new Ontario Line portion of Osgoode Station — right next to where the old trees of Osgoode Hall came down. The memorial has stood on that spot since the early 1900s, raised to commemorate Toronto’s involvement in the Great Boer War, and is supposed to be returned to the same spot once the construction is finished. (Though I do wonder whether it will ever actually go back up — given recent debates over monuments and the brutal history of that war.)
BORROWING NEWS — The Toronto Public Library turns 140 this year. And so they’ve posted a new article that looks back at the early history of libraries in our city, including the very first… a private library founded all the way back in 1810, which then got looted by American soldiers during the War of 1812. Read more.
BLACK FEMINIST ACTIVISM NEWS — Alanna Brown writes about the city’s history of Black feminist activism in the 20th century. “Black feminists in Toronto often used an intersectional approach to challenge traditional feminism. Their activism involved protests tackling racism, police violence, sexism, homophobia and more issues facing Black women and women of colour.” Read more.
NECROPOLIS BRIDGE NEWS — Bob Georgiou does a deep dive on the history of Winchester Drive, which still runs through Cabbagetown today, but also used to descend down into the Don Valley and cross the river. It includes some neat little tidbits, like the fact that we used to have a bridge called the Necropolis Bridge and the uncovering of a hidden echo of Toronto’s history of royal visits. Read more.
IT’LL OPEN SOMEDAY NEWS — Toronto’s most beloved transit agency, Metrolinx, shared a little social media video about the new Mount Pleasant Station on the mythical Crosstown line. They completely disassembled an old bank building, labelled all the bricks, and then put the facade back together again to serve as the station entrance. Watch it.
There are also plans afoot to include heritage facades in the entrances to the new Ontario Line station at King & Bathurst. Read more.
GET DRUNK ON TOP OF AN OLD POST OFFICE NEWS — Postal Station K has a fascinating history. It was built in the 1930s on a particularly notable patch of land: the same spot on Yonge north of Eglinton where a century earlier Mackenzie’s rebels had gathered at Montgomery’s Tavern. And the post office was built at a particularly notable time, too. Above the door you’ll find the insignia of King Edward VIII, who you might remember from The Crown as Queen Elizabeth’s fascist-sympathizing uncle who gave up the throne after falling in love with an American divorcé. He was king for less than a year. But that happens to be the same year that Postal Station K opened, so the stone mark above the door is one of the few places in the entire world that you’ll find the exiled king’s symbol.
The post office closed more than a decade ago and Canada Post sold the building to a private developer. But the building was given heritage protection by the City, so while a condo tower now rises up behind it, the building itself has recently reopened as a “culinary venue.” Half of it seems to be a fancy grocery store called Stock T.C. while the Stock Bar is a restaurant and bar that includes a rooftop patio. So, now, you can have drinks high atop one of the most strangely unique post offices in the country. Construction Canada recently took a peek inside. Read more.
TORONTO HISTORY EVENTS
YONGE STREET’S INCREDIBLE MUSIC & POP CULTURE HISTORY
March 26 — 7pm — Online & At The Ralph Thornton Centre — Riverdale Historical Society
“Did you know… That Gordon Lightfoot once sang for $25 a night at a Yonge Street dinner theatre? That a chance meeting in Toronto helped determine the direction of The Beatles' greatest album? That the most decisive event in Rock N Roll history occurred at Yonge and Dundas? (In what is now a drugstore.)
“Yonge Street's connection to music, theatre and pop culture is literally second to none. It's been described as a musical/theatre mecca equal to, or even better than, Times Square or Hollywood Blvd. From Jazz and Motown to Hip Hop, Rock N Roll and Metal to Alternative. This 40-minute talk will show you a side of ‘The Strip’ you never knew existed.”
$5
LANDMARKS OF NORTH TORONTO
March 28 — 7pm — Northern District Library — North Toronto Historical Society
“An illustrated presentation by NTHS member Eli Aaron. Eli is an urban planner with an interest in local history and heritage preservation. He currently serves as vice-chair of the North York Community Preservation Panel.”
THE EARLY HISTORY OF HORSE-RACING & THE QUEEN’S PLATE IN WEST TORONTO
April 3 — 8pm — Online & At Swansea Town Hall — Swansea Historical Society
“Did you know that there was once a race track located between High Park Avenue and Keele Street? The first Queen’s Plate horse races (now called the King’s Plate once again) were held there, starting in 1860. John [Beram] has previously spoken to the Swansea Historical Society on subjects related to the history of West Toronto and the Junction area. We are pleased to welcome him back as our April speaker.”
QUESTIONING TORONTO: CELEBRATING TORONTO’S 190th ANNIVERSARY
April 4 — 7pm — Online & At St. John’s West Toronto — West Toronto Junction Historical Society
“Join us for a special event commemorating Toronto’s 190th anniversary with historian Richard Fiennes-Clinton. Delve into the city’s rich history as we explore its formation in 1834 and the pivotal events that shaped its identity over nearly two centuries. Richard, with over 30 years of experience in local history, will lead an engaging discussion on Toronto’s early governance, the significance of its incorporation, and how it has been commemorated throughout the years.
“Discover intriguing insights into Toronto’s past and gain a deeper appreciation for the city’s evolution. Whether you’re a history buff or simply curious about Toronto’s heritage, this event promises to be enlightening and thought-provoking. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to celebrate Toronto’s milestone anniversary with us.”
A SLICE OF TORONTO HISTORY: HOW ETOBICOKE HELPED POPULARIZE PIZZA 1950–1990
April 18 — 7:30pm — Montgomery’s Inn — Etobicoke Historical Society
“Pizza is far more than its constituent parts of dough, sauce, and cheese; it is used by Alexander Hughes as a lens to explore the history of immigration, business, labour, urbanization, gender, culture, economics, consumption, and food in Toronto. The commodification of pizza, the development of pizza industries, and the culture of consumption in Canada paralleled currents of postwar life in Toronto. How did culture, ethnicity, immigration, and urban economies shape the commodification of pizza, an ethnic food once confined to the food ways of Italian immigrants? And what role did Etobicoke play in shaping the commodification of pizza?”
Free for members; annual memberships at $25
NEW DISCOVERIES DOWN BY THE BAY AT THE ASHBRIDGE ESTATE
April 24 — 7pm — The Beaches Sandbox — The Beach and East Toronto Historical Society
The Beach and East Toronto Historical Society in partnership with the Beaches Sandbox present Dena Doroszenko, senior archaeologist with the Ontario Heritage Trust, for a talk about new discoveries made down by the bay at the Ashbridge Estate.
Free!
BATTLE OF YORK DAY AT FORT YORK
April 27 — 11am to 4pm — Fort York National Historic Site
“Commemorate the 211th Anniversary of the Battle of York with special tours and demos! Traverse the grounds and delve into stories of the battle that took place on-site, its participants and its impact on the land and peoples. Learn about Indigenous contributions in a battlefield tour, titled ‘The Anishinaabeg Defenders of York.’ Excite your imagination by experiencing historic musket demonstrations, historic kitchen animations, displays and more!”
Free!
MIMICO CREEK WALK AT MONTGOMERY’S INN
Various dates until April 28 — 11:30am — Montgomery’s Inn
“Learn about the history of Mimico Creek and its local communities, changing land use around the creek, and the protection of the local watershed as we celebrate environmental sustainability this month. This guided walk through Tom Riley Park is weather permitting.”
Free!
THE BEACHES: NEW FINDINGS ABOUT AN OLD NEIGHBOURHOOD
May 16 — 7:30pm — Montgomery’s Inn — Etobicoke Historical Society
“The Beaches (not the Beach) is one of the city’s best-known neighbourhoods, and its history has been recounted in several excellent local publications. But over the course of researching and writing his new book on the history of the neighbourhood, Richard White found plenty of history – both facts and interpretations – that had not yet been told. Richard will highlight some of the key findings in his book.”
Free for members; annual memberships are $25