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The Liberty Village Timeline
c.7000 BCE The Toronto Carrying Place but the trees of the Military Reserve had trail is established by the Wendat, linking long since been felled, for many purposes. Ouentironk (Lake Simcoe) to Ontarí’io Only one warship was attempted, in a (Lake Ontario) yard at the foot of the present Bay Street. Nine thousand years ago, the edge of Lake 1853 Toronto’s first railway, the Ontario was five kilometres south of the Ontario, Simcoe, & Huron, begins present shoreline and Lake Simcoe did not operations; it would merge with the exist. Who lived here then is impossible Grand Trunk Railway in 1892 to say, but the Wendat (the Huron) as a distinct people only emerged after 1300 CE. 1856 The Grand Trunk Railway begins operations between Sarnia and Toronto, c.1650 The Wendat diaspora running diagonally through east Liberty begins, a result of conflict with the Village Haudenosaunee and devastation from European diseases 1872 The Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women opens on the current site of 1750 The French establish Fort Rouillé Allan Lamport Stadium; it was closed as a trading post along the Carrying and demolished in 1969 Place trail, south of present-day Dufferin Street 1873 The Toronto Central Prison 1793 The British military garrison is for Men opens near the Grand Trunk established west of the Town of York Railroad; the prisoners became a work and includes the area now comprising force for local industry Liberty Village 1884 John Inglis & Sons opens The blockhouse and barracks were built adjacent the Central Prison; in 1991, Inglis first; the town subsequently grew up east would be the last major manufacturer of the fort, along the shore of the harbour. to leave Liberty Village c.1810 The Town of York begins its c.1890 Road surveying and property westward expansion into the military subdivision of the garrison lands is garrison with the first issue of private completed and the transformation into land grants an industrial zone begins 1813 The Battle of York is fought on 1900 Diamond Park baseball grounds the shore of the garrison; all the reserve’s are built at Fraser and Pardee for the great trees were felled to build ships and Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club; the palisades stadium closed in 1908 The Battle of York was fought in April 1813
1901 The cornerstone is laid for the Anthes Iron Foundry at Jefferson and Liberty, one of the earliest manufacturers in Liberty Village 1910 The S.F. Bowser & Co. opens at 147 Liberty Street, Canada’s first manufacturer of kerosene fuel pumps 1914–1918 The First World War is fought; most industries in Liberty Village are adapted for the production of armaments, weapons, and bombs “Armaments” means weapons and none were manufactured in Liberty Village during the First World War. Inglis made several varieties of artillery shells, but “bombs” – munitions dropped from aircraft – have never been made here. 1915 The Toronto Central Prison is closed; all but the Roman Catholic chapel and paint shop buildings are demolished in 1920 1923 The Grand Trunk Railway is absorbed into the Canadian National Railway, along with other lines serving Toronto and Liberty Village
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