The Tollkeeper's Cottage

	The Tollkeeper's Cottage is a museum, owned by the Community History Project and operated by its trained volunteers. Admission is by a contribution of $2 or more per person towards operating costs. Around the cottage are heritage plantings which have been extended into the park itself. Additional Events and details are provided here and on the bulletin board at the Cottage as soon as they become available.
January

February	top of page
Spring Lecture Series.	This Spring series of 4 lectures provides insight into the lives and history of Toronto's aboriginal landowners and their predecessors. It will be held in The Tollkeeper's Cottage, continuing in the Fall with another series of four lectures on subjects relating to the study area. Mouse over here for ticket and venue information, and here for background re the Mississaugas of the New Credit.
Feb.11 - Wed.	Stories from the Past Affecting the Future: presented by Gary Sault, Mississauga Elder and Storyteller.
Feb. 16 - Mon.	Is Heritage Day in Canada. Visit the Cottage's special display and celebrate local heritage. 11 am - 4 pm.
Feb. 18 - Wed.	Indians 101: Who Are the Aboriginal People in Canada Today?: by Carolyn King, former New Credit Mississauga Chief, Development Officer.
Feb. 25 - Wed.	Being an Indian in a Non-Indian World: presented by Stacey LaForme, New Credit Mississauga Poet, reading from his works. Stacey will have copies of his works for sale this evening.
March	top of page
Mar. 4 - Wed.	The Toronto Purchase Land Claim - an Update: by Margaret Sault, New Credit Historian & Land Claims Expert.
Mar. 17 - Tues.	St. Patrick's Day - 10 am to 5 pm: a special exhibit at the Cottage on Toronto's Irish and celebration of the Cottage's Irish tollkeepers. $5 includes tea, authentic Irish sodabread and marmalade, as well as a tour of the cottage!
Mar. 21 - Sat.	Knitting Workshop - 11 am in the Cottage. Learn how to knit (and a "modern day" way of making your own knitting needles and a 1500 year old way of spinning yarn) from Marilyn Spearin (a Tollkeeper's docent, in period costume)! For adults and children over 10. $5 supplies materials for making knitting needles, wool and a tour of the Cottage.
Mar. 28 - Sat.	Storytelling at the Cottage - 2 pm: In conjunction with the Toronto Festival of Storytelling Mariella Bertelli (branch head of the Spadina Road Library) will tell 3 stories at the Cottage; The Day the Islands Came to Be, and other stories inspired by Toronto's history. The stories are for school-age children and adults, and entrance to the storytelling is free. For further information please call Storytelling Toronto at 416-656-2445 or click here.
April	top of page
Apr. 4 - Sat.	Cleanup of the Cottage grounds and The Tollkeeper's Park - 10 am until finish. All Tollkeeper's volunteers and neighbourhood users of the park are cordially invited to join us. Come on out and do what you can for as long as you can to help clean up the Tollkeeper's Cottage and the Park, including pruning, weeding and just plain old clean-up! Bring gloves, rakes, shovels, saws, clippers - whatever you can!
Apr. 18 - Sat.	Sweet Heritage- Maple- 10 am to 5 pm at the Cottage. See the museum's maple-related artifacts, purchase some fresh syrup or maple sugar to take home ($9 small bottle, $31 quart), or a plate of 3 small pancakes with maple syrup to eat right away ($1.50), coffee $1, or historic recipes using maple syrup ($.50) and learn about the incredible tree that is Canada's national symbol (as well as being a significant indigenous food source). A Food focus day. (mouseover for more information)
Apr. 25 - Sat.	Heritage Plantings in the Cottage grounds and The Tollkeeper's Park - 10 am until finished. Again this year we'll be continuing our habit of planting selected heritage plants around the Cottage and in the park. In the memory of Norm Sadler, we have now planted a little garden of serviceberry shrubs around the lamp standard on the south side of the historic building. All are invited to join us. I
May	top of page
May 2 - Sat.	A Birdhouse Workshop!Elementary school children with one adult are invited to construct their own birdhouse. All materials are provided including wood from the restoration of the Tollkeeper's Cottage. Learn how to attract birds to their new home. Be prepared for Spring! We are running short of the clapboard left over from the restoration, so this will be the last chance to build a birdhouse using some of this wood. At the Tollkeeper's Cottage. Two workshops are available: 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Fee: $12. PLEASE BRING A HAMMER! Call 416-515-7546 to register and advise which workshop you'll be attending.
Spring Walking Tours	Sundays in May - walking tours with Jane Beecroft. Each tour begins at 2 pm at The Tollkeeper's Cottage, rain or shine, lasts 2 hours and costs $5 per person ($15 per person for all 4 tours). Each walk builds upon information provided in an earlier walk with no repetition, so it's ideal to take the entire series if you can.
May 3 - Sun.	Walking Tour 1. (click for pamphlet) (click for times, cost, etc.) This walk explores the southwest corner of The Tollkeeper's Cottage area which includes: - The Escarpment, the shoreline of Lake Iroguois that, over 10,000 years ago shrank to form the Great Lakes; - Davenport Road, shown on a map drawn on birchbark by Elizabeth Simcoe in 1796 extending from Montreal to Niagara - possibly the oldest road in the world; - Taddle Creek, the most "muscular" creek around (ask your tour guide!); - The top part of Seaton Village (never incorporated); - The MacNamara Farm, Market Garden, Hillcrest Racetrack, and Toronto Transportation Commission Hillcrest Yards.
May 10 - Sun.	Walking Tour 2. (click for pamphlet) (click for times, cost, etc.) This walk explores the southeast corner of The Tollkeeper's Cottage area which includes: - Farm lot 25, part of the amorphous area known as Seaton Village; - Farm lots 23 and 24 which belonged to the great Baldwin family and included parts of The Annex, Yorkville and Seaton Village. - The Tollkeeper's Cottage, being the first building constructed in the area; - The fascinating history of land use and later buildings in The Tollkeeper's Cottage area from the 1800's through 1970's, including a blacksmith, Patterson (truck) Springs, the narrowest house in the City, a bakery (including George Weston and Cawthra Mulock), George Brown College, Cooey's Machine Shop (building WW1 rifles ), a brickyard and Tarragon Theatre.
May 17 - Sun.	Walking Tour 3. (click for pamphlet) (click for times, cost, etc.) This walk explores the northwest quadrant of The Tollkeeper's Cottage area which includes: - Taddle Creek, Wychwood Park & Pond; - Tyrrell Street, named after the Squire of Weston; - History relating to the Davenport Street Railway; - The Wychwood Railway Yards (1913 - 1921) and Poverty Pond; - Bracondale, Hillcrest Park & Sir William Gage's Bon Air (1913); - Davenport Square Park.
May 23 - Sat May 24 - Sun.	Doors Open and Victoria Day at The Cottage -10 am- 5 pm both days. An exhibit honouring the Tollkeepers' Queen (190th anniversary) and the Lieutenant Generals of Ontario will be shown. This year, we are involved in the expanded city-wide Doors Open which takes place this weekend with up to 175 buildings open to the public on the 175th anniversary of the incorporation of Toronto. We will be open both days from 10am to 5pm. Free tours of the Cottage and grounds will be given. Limerick contest on the subject of roads or tolls. Submissions will be judged by Prof David Latham who will select a first, second and third prizewinner each day (for $15, $10 and $5 prizes) and the winning entries will be published on this website. Learn about writers who lived near the tollhouse between 1835 and 1895 from our specially prepared brochure for the occasion. Information on becoming a docent will also be available. UPDATE: Limerick winners have been selected and are posted HERE. (click to go to doors open web site)
May 31 - Sun.	Walking Tour 4. (click for pamphlet) (click for times, cost, etc.) This walk explores the northeast quadrant of The Tollkeeper's Cottage area which includes: - Crookshank's Lane (Bathurst St.), a dirt path from Crookshank's house....; - Yorkville and Vaughan Plank Road; - Hillcrest School; - Kate Evans and the formation of Hillcrest Hospital in 1884: - Ensign John McGill, and his small frame house (1797) called Davenport; - The home of E.J. Lennox, who designed the old City Hall and Casa Loma; - Casa Loma and Henry Pellatt - The Baldwins, and Spadina; - 1905 - Ravenswood, Ardwold, and John Craig Eaton.
June
June 21 - Sun.	The Solstice. National Aboriginal Day. The cottage will be open from 2 to 4pm, to offer the public an opportunity to see something of the history of Toronto's landowners, the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, with a large display
July	top of page
July 1- Wed	Is our Anniversary Day. The cottage will have been open officially for one year. Visit the Cottage's special display and celebrate our first anniversary. 11 am - 4 pm.
August	top of page
Aug. 3 - Mon.	Simcoe Day Heritage Event 10am - 2pm at the Tollkeeper's Park. See an exhibit and learn about Upper Canada's first Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe and some of his successors. You may be surprised to discover that Toronto's first local historian was Simcoe's wife, Elizabeth, whose diary account will be available during the exhibit.
Aug. 23 - 24 Sat. - Sun.	Mississauga Pow Wow. Visit the Pow-Wow of the Mississaugas of the New Credit on their Reserve near Hagersville - our aboriginal landowners: Drummming, dancing, arts & crafts, exhibits, learning circles. All day, Saturday & Sunday.
Aug 29, Sept 12, Sept 26, and October 10	Food Focus days. The foods we focus on in the next 6 weeks, are Dandelions, Gooseberries, Blackberries, and Saskatoons (aka Serviceberries). 10am - 5pm. Click here for more details. At the tollkeeper's cottage from 10am - 5pm each Saturday!.
September	top of page
Sept 12	Food Focus days. Today, September 12, we focus on Saskatoons. Click here for more details. At the tollkeeper's cottage from 10am - 5pm .
Fall Lecture Series.	This Fall series of 4 lectures will be held Wednesday evenings at The Tollkeeper's Cottage Coffee/tea will be offered. Tickets are avalable. Mouse over here for ticket and other information
Sept 23 - Wed.	Fall Series -- Coffee in Canada: its early rare uses; coffee substitutes, demonstration of roasting and grinding using historic implements. By our local Java Mama. Mouse over here for ticket and venue information
Fall Walking Tours Cancelled	(guides unavailable)
Sept 26	Food Focus days. Today, September 26, we focus on Blackberries. Click here for more details. At the tollkeeper's cottage from 10am - 5pm .
Sept 27 - Sun.
Sept 30 - Wed.	Fall Series -- Yorkville's Residential Architecture (by popular request). architectural historian Shirley Morriss will repeat her illustrated lecture on the architecture of old Yorkville. This lecture was SRO at the Yorkville Public Library last year. Tickets: $15 per lecture. They can be purchased Saturdays at the museum (10 am - 5 pm), from a CHP member or by calling 416-515-7546. Tickets are limited to a maximum of 30 people per lecture. Where: The Tollkeeper's Cottage, NW corner of Bathurst and Davenport. When: Starting promptly at 7 pm. There will be a break part way through the evening for tea or coffee. After each lecture, the lecturer will accept questions from the audience.
October	top of page
Christmas Puddings	*Here's an opportunity to order a Christmas pudding home-made by Dorothy Duncan using the classic recipe which she has in her book "Nothing More Comforting".* For this order period (up to Friday, November 20th only) two sizes of puddings are offered: small, which serves 2 or 3 people at $10; and medium, which serves 3 or 4 people at $15. The puddings are very rich, and come with directions for serving, flaming, and making sauce. Please order by calling the office at 416-515-7546. Your order may be prepaid at the cottage any Saturday, or paid for at the time of the annual cookie sale on Saturday 19 December, on which day it will be ready to be collected. These make fine Holiday gifts as well as being an authentic traditional pudding for your own enjoyment. It is not often one can get the pudding made by such an authority as Dorothy Duncan, complete with historic brochures and other information, and we appreciate her again offering to make them for us.
Oct 7- Wed.	Fall Series --19th Century Burials and Cemeteries Ontario's top expert on cemeteries, Marjorie Stuart brings a special exhibit on burial grounds within range of the Tollkeeper's Cottage and will talk about each one, about nineteenth century burial customs, and about the current state of Bill 149 to protect around 4000 known but inactive (usually historic) cemeteries Tickets: $15 per lecture. They can be purchased Saturdays at the museum (10 am - 5 pm), from a CHP member or by calling 416-515-7546. Tickets are limited to a maximum of 30 people per lecture. Where: The Tollkeeper's Cottage, NW corner of Bathurst and Davenport. When: Starting promptly at 7 pm. There will be a break part way through the evening for tea or coffee. After each lecture, the lecturer will accept questions from the audience.
Oct 10 Sat	Food Focus days. Today we will focus on Gooseberries (an introduced food) 10am - 5pm. Click here for more details. At the tollkeeper's cottage from 10am - 5pm!.
October 11- Sun.	Walking Tour 3.CANCELLED
Oct 14- Wed.	Fall Series - Literary Bohemia: Professor David Latham of York University will surprise everyone in revealing something of Canada's emerging literature at the beginning of the nineteenth century despite strong influences from the old world-- Think of poems coming out of a cabin in the wilderness and you will have some idea why this lecture will be fascinating. Tickets: $15 per lecture. They can be purchased Saturdays at the museum (10 am - 5 pm), from a CHP member or by calling 416-515-7546. Tickets are limited to a maximum of 30 people per lecture. Where: The Tollkeeper's Cottage, NW corner of Bathurst and Davenport. When: Starting promptly at 7 pm. There will be a break part way through the evening for tea or coffee. After each lecture, the lecturer will accept questions from the audience.
October 18 - Sun.	Walking Tour 4. Cancelled due to lack of guide
Oct 24 Sat Oct 25 Sun	Annual Apples and Pumpkins Event, 10am - 5pm. Sale of heritage apples, pumpkins for pies and jack o' lanterns, cook books, heritage recipes for apples and pumpkins, and lots of home baking! At the tollkeeper's cottage from 10am - 5pm both days! These are Food Focus days.
October 25 - Sun.	Walking Tour 2. Cancelled due to lack of guide
November	top of page
November 20 - Sat.	Deadline to order Christmas Puddings for pickup on Dec 19.
December	top of page
December 19 - Sat.	Christmas Cookie sale and Pudding Pickup 10am - 5pm, at the tollkeeper's cottage Pick up your pudding that you ordered before 20 November from Dorothy Duncan. They will be frozen and accompanied with two classic recipes from Dorothy's collection, for regular or hard sauce. Dorothy's books are also available for sale and make fine gifts! We will have a wonderful selection of Christmas Cookies by our resident bakers, including gingerbread men and rum balls! The cookies look festive in their bags and are good for entertaining and also as modest little gifts. They will be at various prices. In addition, we will be selling a few handmade gift items as well as cookies At 5 pm the cottage closes for the holiday season until Saturday January 9th, 2009.
Spring 2010 Lectures	Will bring back the four Mississauga lecturers next February (dates will be Wednesday at 7pm: Feb 3, 7, 17, 24) for an update on their progress with the land claim on the Toronto Purchase. In the process, we are learning a great deal from them. Added to this is the current unfolding of some history of the "Mississauga Purchase" and Credit River system where they were sent to live briefly after being forced out hf the Toronto area. Visit the New Credit Pow-wow near Hagersville each August to stay in touch.