Willowdale: Yesterday's Farms, Today's Legacy

by Scott Kennedy

Overview

Stories of the evolution of Willowdale from its earliest acquisition of land to today’s urban environment.

In 1855, Willowdale’s post office opened in Jacob Cummer’s store on Yonge Street. Today, streets in Toronto’s community of Willowdale are peppered with the names of the early farm families of North York, such as the Shepards, Finches, and Kennedys.

Author Scott Kennedy’s intriguing stories embrace the evolution of Willowdale from the earliest acquisition of land to today’s urban environment. You will read about combat training for the ill-fated Rebellion of 1837 that took place in the community fields; about Mazo de la Roche’s estate, Windrush Hills, which stood at Bayview and Steeles, and is a Zorastrian temple today; about the Kingsdale Jersey Farm, which was located on Bayview until 1972; and about Green Meadows, the estate of "Bud" McDougald, which was the last operating farm in North York.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459717527
Publisher:	Dundurn Press
Publication date:	11/11/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	951,771
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Scott Kennedy witnessed the farms surrounding his North York childhood home being planted with a new cash crop of buildings. He joined the Toronto Musicians' Association in 1969, but as a professional musician he never lost his passion for history. Scott lives in a Historical Conservation District he helped create in Toronto's Beach neighbourhood.

Scott Kennedy witnessed the farms surrounding his North York childhood home being planted with a new cash crop of buildings. He joined the Toronto Musicians’ Association in 1969, but never lost his passion for history. He traces the evolution of a Toronto neighbourhood in his book Willowdale. Scott lives in a Heritage Conservation District he helped create in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Introduction
Background: The Lives of the Early Settlers and the Birth of North York

One: The Shepards, Joseph and Elizabeth
Two: The McBride Family Farms
Three: Elihu and Katherine Pease
Four: The Bales Family Farms
Five: The Risebroughs: Robert I, Robert II, Robert III, Roy, and William
Six: Barberry Place: The Thomas Clark Farm
Seven: Jacob Miller, Thomas Clark, and William Smith Lot 16-2E and Bayview Village Plaza
Eight: John D. Finch’s Farm
Nine: The Montgomery/Elliot Farm
Ten: Mazo de la Roche, Brébeuf, and the Zoroastrians
Eleven: Cameron, Munshaw, Thorne, Crookshank, and Brumwell (Lot 24-1E)
Twelve: The Cummers
Thirteen: The David Gibson Farm
Fourteen: Samuel Kennedy
Fifteen: The Johnston Family Farms
Sixteen: The Somewhat Bizarre Tale of Donald Springer
Seventeen: From the Macaulays to James Dean (Lot 25-2E)
Eighteen: Hildon Farm
Nineteen: Green Meadows
Twenty: The Dunns
Twenty-Two: The Kingsdale Jersey Farm

Appendix A: [possibly re Identification of lots and ownership - likely simple chart format]
Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index
About the Author

Editorial Reviews

In breezy chapters sketching the stories of main characters and their stakes in the community, well-illustrated in photographs, this is a clearly-written account of Willowdale's rural legacy that takes readers to its urban present.

OHS Bulletin

A great read for any Torontonian interested in the history of his or her city. And perfect for the former Torontonian as well.

Toronto Sun Mike Filey

…those interested in Toronto history and the recent rural past of North York will find a wealth of information and entertaining stories in Willowdale.

Beach Metro News

A great read for any Torontonian interested in the history of his or her city. And perfect for the former Torontonian as well.

In breezy chapters sketching the stories of main characters and their stakes in the community, well-illustrated in photographs, this is a clearly-written account of Willowdale's rural legacy that takes readers to its urban present.

…those interested in Toronto history and the recent rural past of North York will find a wealth of information and entertaining stories in Willowdale.

From the Publisher

"A great read for any Torontonian interested in the history of his or her city. And perfect for the former Torontonian as well."

Toronto Sun

"A great read for any Torontonian interested in the history of his or her city. And perfect for former Torontonians as well."

Toronto Star Mike Filey