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by David Spittal, Fort York Archaeologist Thanks to the efforts of JoAnn Pynn and the co-operation of Wittington Properties Ltd. and Marshall, Macklin, Monaghan Ltd., a tall railway ‘dangler’ or ‘tell-tale’ has been salvaged from next to the Loblaws building east of Bathurst Street (the north end of the Loblaws building was partly demolished in June to make way for the eastern extension of Fort York Boulevard). The tell-tale was a pole erected beside the railway track; metal rods hanging from an arm over the tracks brushed over brake men working on the tops of freight trains and alerted them that there was an approaching bridge. This tell-tale will be stored at Fort York and will survive with its partner that still stands on City property west of the Bathurst Street Bridge. There are two more flanking the Strachan Avenue Bridge south of the Garrison Common. These railway fixtures have all but disappeared from the landscape. Recent research has located two on-line images of the CPR Wharf Lead railway line that show land south of the fort just before the construction of the Gardiner Expressway in 195960. These images will help to develop and commemorate these historic railway lands. This property was formerly excluded from the Fort York and Garrison Common Heritage Conservation District and the Fort York National Historic Site but the railway land is now officially included in both. High resolution images have been supplied by Mr. R. Kennedy who has posted interesting information on railways near Fort York at www.trainweb.org/oldtimetrains. A copy of the 1862 survey map of the Ordnance Lands in Toronto by J. Stoughton Dennis has been acquired by the
fort. This plan is one of the best maps to detail the early railway lines that entered the city beginning in the 1850s and which surrounded Fort York. Also shown are Farr’s Brewery and the Provincial Lunatic Asylum on Queen Street, the Crystal Palace (a cavalry barracks in the 1860s), King Street before it was extended west, the New Fort and lands of the Exhibition Park. This is a useful map with details of land surveys that help to show how the original Ordnance Reserve was divided and developed. This copy was supplied to the fort from the Canadian Military Institute via the good offices of Richard Dodds. Phase One of the renovation of Victoria Memorial Park is proceeding. Victoria Memorial Park, located east of Bathurst Street and between Niagara and Wellington Streets, is the city’s oldest European graveyard and part of the Fort York National Historic Site. Envision – The Hough Group is the multi-disciplinary consultant who is designing the park project. A public meeting was held on May 29 when designs for the park were discussed. The removal of trees and the location of a playground, walkways and an interpretive program are important issues which are being dealt with now. Archaeological Services Inc. has been retained to investigate the park to determine the extent of the cemetery there and to see how deep the graves are located. The nature of almost all future development designs will depend on the information gathered by Archaeological Services. Remote sensing supplemented by shallow excavations to locate grave shafts is occurring in September. Signage, a media release and other information is being made available now to inform the public and stakeholders about the project. More information on this project can be obtained by contacting David O’Hara, Parks Planner, at 416-392-8874.
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