Explore the Town of York on foot with our Museum Coordinator!

Imagine a Toronto where the tallest building is only three stories high, where Lake Ontario reaches Front Street, where the wagon wheels grind through the muddy roads, the air smells of smoke and animal, and the surrounding lands is farms, fields, and forests. This was what the neighbourhood looked like in the early 1800s.

In this walking tour, join us as we explore the beginnings of the area that would become the Town of York, the events leading up to the War of 1812, the Battle of York, and its aftermath while we walk the original 10 blocks of the early city.

This tour is the second of four in our Annual Summer Walking Tour Series. All tours start on the steps of St. James Cathedral (facing King Street East) and end at Toronto’s First Post Office. Tours run rain or shine, and may cover rough ground, so please dress accordingly. All ages are welcome. Dogs are also welcome as we walk, though portions of some tours may include areas where they are restricted.

—Acknowledgement—

We acknowledge that the Town of York Historical Society & Toronto’s First Post Office operates on the sacred, traditional, and ancestral lands of many First Nations peoples including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabek, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat.