Thornhill Village Walking Tour

The following points of interest will lead you on a self-guided tour through the Heritage District of old Thornhill, which celebrated its bicentennial in 1994. Settlement began when Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe advertised lots on Yonge Street, as it stretched northward from Lake Ontario. The name Thornhill did not come into existence until 1829 when Benjamin Thorne, a local merchant, was successful in having a post office established. By then it was the largest milling centre north of York (Toronto). The central core of the original village is a fine example of heritage preservation. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the past when Ontario (then Upper Canada) was young.

Print Version

The printed brochure version is available in the vestibule of the Thornhill Village Library, at 10 Colborne St., Thornhill. (Stop 1)

1. VILLAGE LIBRARY, 10 Colborne St. This house was built in 1851 for Mrs. Ellen Ramsden, born a Frizzell. It has been a grocery story and veterinary office; at one time the rear was a stable, with horses for hire. Since 1959, it has been the home of the Village Library which had been located in different venues since the first Book Society in 1829. The building has been expanded and renovated extensively and is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act as a unique example of a modest domestic building of the Classical Revival style. The garden is late Victorian in design and plantings. The library plays an important role in the community and also houses a ghost or two. The building celebrated its sesquicentennial in 2001.

The Thornhill Village Library at 10 Colborne Street was originally known as the Ellen Ramsden House and provides an important service to the community. This clapboard, one-and-a-half storey building is an example of the Classical Revival style. The main entrance is centrally placed with a double panel door and recessed mullioned transom of 18 divisions and a pair of unfluted pilasters at either ends. The second storey of the front façade is two bays across while the main level is three bays. The house was originally constructed for Mrs. Ellen Ramsden (née Frizzell) in 1851, but she unfortunately died two years afterwards. The house was given to her child John A. Ramsden, but there is a gap in the records that document the history of the property. It was known that John Grice Jr. operated a grocery store in this building in the 1890s until 1902. From 1902 onwards it was used again as a residence for John Campbell and the Murcock-McDonald family. The house was sold to the Library Board in 1959 for $16,000 to be used as a library. In 1971 this branch was scheduled to be closed, but due to public opposition the decision was reversed and portables were added to expand the space at the rear. In 1977, the property was officially turned over to the Town of Markham, later removing the portables in favour of a new addition that provided wheelchair access and more space with amenities. The Thornhill Village Library/Ellen Ramsden House became a designated heritage property in 1978 under the Ontario Heritage Act.

COLBORNE STREET As you make your way along this, the best preserved street in the Heritage District, note the plaques on many of the homes, which were typical mill workers' or craftsmen's dwellings The street is named after John Colborne, Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, 1828-1836. He also gave his name to John Street, one block south.

2. ST. VOLODYMYR'S UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, 15 Church Lane. Originally St. Luke's Catholic Church, it was built in 1847 by the Seager family and John Edey. The church was sold in 1972 to "St. Vlad's" when St. Luke's moved to new quarters on Green Lane.

3. ST. LUKE'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH CEMETERY, is first left off Church Lane. Until 1954 this was the only Catholic burying ground between Toronto and Newmarket.

St. Vladimir’s Catholic Church, formerly St Luke’s, is the oldest surviving Catholic Church in York County and was mainly financed by the Seager family. Constructed in 1847 by carpenter John Edey at 15 Church Lane, this church was used by the Roman Catholic Church until 1972 when St. Luke’s Congregation moved and the Ukrainian Catholic Congregation of Thornhill took over. This one storey, one room church has an exterior of wooden shiplap boards and has a three-bay main façade, but has extended to four bays in length. The windows are Regency Gothic in style and surround commissioned stain glasswork. The exterior of the building is decorated with the enclosed western pediment and the 1953 mural painting. When viewed as an entire complex, St Vladimir’s Church, the presbytery, and St Luke’s Cemetery all play an important role in providing the visual context of Markham’s history. This property became a designated heritage property in 1978 under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Al SIDE TRAIL, Walk through the cemetery, also known as the Thornhill Community Cemetery (1867). to Sumner Lane. Note the monument to Matthias Sanders, husband of the first owner of Cricklewood (see Side Trail F5) who fell at the Battle of York in 1813. It's about half way along on the south side.

A2 EDEY HOUSE, 4 Leahill Dr. Turn south onto Sumner Lane, continue east along John St. to Leahill Dr. Erected by master builder John Edey in 1845 for his growing family, this house is a fine example of the Regency Classical Revival style. Originally situated on the southwest corner of Yonge St. and Old Jane St, it was moved to its present site in 1966 due to the impending widening of Yonge St. This house is a testament to the fine craftsmanship of Edey and the loving care lavished upon it by subsequent owners.

4. HOLY ANN HOUSE, 32 John St. Proceed south to John St, then west towards Yonge St. This cottage was moved from its original location near Yonge St. and Elgin St. Ann Preston (1810-1906) came from Ireland as a housekeeper to Dr. John Reid. Her piety and association with several miracles led to her being called, often derisively, Holy Ann. Pilgrims came to visit the miraculous well for its waters (see Side Trail B1). Holy Ann is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

5. SUTTON FRIZZELL'S HOUSE, 18 John St. The original occupants of this house played a role in the Rebellion of 1837. (See Plaque)

B1 SIDE TRAIL ANNSWELL PARK, Dudley St. At this point, you may cross John Street to Confederation Way, walking south past the town houses and through the iron gates to the little park on your left. The Park is named after Holy Ann Preston (see Stop 4). A replica of her prayer shed and capped well are located here. When the well went dry, it is said that Ann's prayers brought water again, just one of the miracles associated with the Irish servant girl (See Plaque).

6. PLAQUE, southeast corner Yonge St. and John St.

Milburn Tavern / Brewers Hollow

Milburn Tavern, built in 1829 west of Yonge Street at John (formerly Milburn Rd.), was a meeting place for the local rebels of 1837. As a result the owner, Joseph Milburn, a Quaker, was arrested and banished to Van Diemen's Land in Australia in 1837 until his pardon by

Queen Victoria in 1843.

A tavern and inn under various names such as the White Horse Tavern, Lemon's Inn and Queen's existed at this location until 1905. It was at Lemon's Inn on Friday, June 2, 1848, at 10:00am that the trustees of the bankrupt estate of Thornhill's most prominent citizen, Benjamin Thorne, held an auction of his smaller possessions - horses and colts, sleighs, wagons, hogs, and ox cart. He was a wealthy owner of a number of mills who was financially ruined by the repeal of the Corn Laws in England in 1846. One month later, Thorne, aged 54, went to a rocky knoll behind his home (near Thornhill Country Club), and shot himself. He left behind a wife and eight children.

Brewers Hollow

A tributary of the Don that ran southeast of this location, currently under John Street, was known as Brewers Hollow because of the existence of at least two breweries

and a distillery in this area from 1820 to 1880.

Breweries were located close to water, near grist mills, from which the "tailings" and damaged grain were used in the brewer's mash.

Erected by the Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill

on the occasion of Thornhill's Bicentennial, 1994.

OLD JANE AND ELIZABETH STREETS - Cross Yonge St. at John St. and walk north to Old Jane St. on the west side. Old Jane St. and Elizabeth St. (one block west) were formerly named Strachan, after the first Anglican Bishop in the area and Hillier after an aide-de-camp to Sir Peregrine Maitland, Lieutenant Governor c. 1826. The streets were renamed after the daughters of John Edey whose home (see Side Trail A2) once stood nearby.

7. PLAQUE, north side of Old Jane St

Thornhill Schoolhouse

1846 - 1922

Thornhill's third schoolhouse was built on this site in 1846 at a cost of $875. It burned down in may, 1922 during a hectic week in which four fires had been set by an itinerent youth apprehended as he was about to set his fifth fire.

A favourite Halloween prank was the joining by rope of the bell in the school tower to the bell in the tower of the nearby Methodist Church (built in 1833 near Baythorn Ave. and moved to its present location in 1852). The rope was set in motion causing both bells the loudly ring at three o'clock in the morning.

Erected by the Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill and the Thornhill District Lions Club with the assistance of the Ontario Ministry of Culture and recreation, 1982.

[Note: The Methodist Church referred to on this plaque, whichstood at the south west corner of Centre and Elizabeth Streets, was damaged by fire on June 19, 1983 and was later dismantled.]

8. HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, Brooke St. Continue on Old Jane St. to Brooke St. to the site of this church, first located an the west side of Yonge St. at Royal Orchard Blvd. In 1950 it was dismantled, tagged and re-assembled here. Founded in 1830 by William Parsons and Benjamin Thorne, this is the oldest original church building still in use in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. The window, second from the front on the north side, is dedicated to Benjamin Thorne, both village and church founder.

C1 SIDE TRAIL ARNOLD HOUSE, 1860 - 21 Spring Gate Blvd. Walk south on Brooke St. past Holy Trinity Church and cross Arnold St. At the end of Brooke St. is the Gallanough Resource Centre, and to the west, at the corner of Springate Blvd. and Springfield Way. is this large red brick building. The house was moved from Yonge Street in 1981 and has been restored as an arts centre.

D1 SIDE TRAIL, THOREAU MACDONALD HOUSE, 121 Centre St.The Tangled Garden, now in the National Gallery in Ottawa. Thoreau's parents moved to Thornhill in 1912, where they first resided at 18 Centre St. Two years later the family moved to 121 Centre St. After his father death in 1932, Thoreau stayed on until 1974 when the house was donated to the City of Vaughan. A nature lover Thoreau lived here for 60 years, preserving on paper the way of life of a now vanished community. He designed the wheatsheaf logo for SPOHT. Much of his work is in the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg. From Holy Trinity Church, head north to Centre St., turn left to the garden gate and along the path to this farmhouse, once the home of Group of Seven artist J.E.H. MacDonald and later of his son Thoreau, a talented artist in his own right - book designer, illustrator and calligrapher. It was here that MacDonald senior painted his famous

9. MARTIN HOUSE STORE AND MUSEUM, 46 Centre St. The main trail goes east along Centre St. This Neo-Classical frame house was built by carpenter John Martin who originally came from Devon. Over a period of 50 years, he designed and erected a number of houses in the area. The best known example of his craft is the house that bears his name, built around 1845, possibly for his own family. It was erected on land granted to David Soules in 1805 by Lieutenant Governor Simcoe. It has achieved prominence more recently, as a unique shop devoted to dolls, teddy bears and other toys. The Museum inside displays vintage dolls from the 1800s.

10. HOMEWOOD HALL, 19 Centre St. One of the village's oldest houses, another fine example of the Neo-Classical style, was built in 1825 by carpenter Robert Shuter. It has been, since 1869, the home of many of Thornhill's doctors, during which time it became known by its present name.

11. PLAQUE, northwest corner Yonge St. and Centre St. in Lions' Parkette.

Old Victoria Hall

Just north of this location Victoria Hall was officially opened on Dominion Day, 1871. The Hall was reputed to have excellent acoustics, hence musical concerts as well as political meetings and social events were held there. At least two Prime Ministers, Sir John A. Macdonald and Mackenzie King spoke there.

It was subsequently used as a Masonic Temple and torn down in 1961. A skating rink built nearby in 1894 was taken down in 1905 and another built a year later at 67 / 77 Centre St. It came down in 1936.

Mineral Water Bottling Plant

In the late 1880's Thornhill gained publicity as a health spa because of the mineral waters that flowed from the various springs, especially on the south side of the Don River valley, west of Yonge. The Hawthorne Mineral Springs House was established by Dr. John Langstaff just north of the valley. The surrounding grounds provided a pleasant setting for Sunday walks.

This mineral water was bottled and shipped from a shed near the bottom of the southern slope. For a period after 1916 part of this shed, no longer a bottling plant, was used by famed local Group of Seven Artist J.E.H. MacDonald as a studio for some of his students.

Erected by the Society for the Preservation of Historic Thornhill

on the occasion of Thornhill's Bicentennial, 1994.

E1 SIDE TRAIL, THE MILL COTTAGE, 15 Mill St. From Centre St. north side, near Yonge St. follow Old Yonge St. past the park to Mill St. Many millworkers' cottages dotted this road. This double cottage is the only one remaining. Built circa 1825, its one of the earliest structures in the village.

12. Plaque, THE FOUNDING OF THORNHILL, east side of Yonge St. just south of Thornhill Summit Dr.

The Founding Of Thornhill

Settlement began here after the opening of Yonge Street in the mid-1790's and by 1802 a grist-mill and sawmill were operating on the Don River. The community developed slowly until 1829 when Benjamin Thorne built a large flour mill, tannery and store. Within a year the village also contained a post-office named "Thornhill", a church, school and tavern. Thornhill's growth as a milling and agricultural centre suffered after 1846 when the loss of British markets drove Thorne out of business. Further decline occurred when the Northern Railway bypassed the community in 1853. Recovery began with the flow of grain southward during the American Civil War and by 1867 about 700 residents were recorded. From 1931 to 1971 Thornhill was an incorporated Police Village.

Erected by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture and Recreation

13. THORNHILL PAINT SUPPLIES, 7707 Yonge St. (corner Colborne St). This store, built in 1850 for the Gallanough family, has been in almost continuous use as a retail outlet. The Adkins family, which now owns the paint store, have been associated with this property since 1946.

F1 SIDE TRAIL, WAITING ROOM, TORONTO RADIAL LINE, east side of Yonge St. at entrance to Cricklewood Park. Stop 17 housed passengers waiting for the electric radial streetcar which would take them north to Richmond Hill. Established by the Toronto and York Railway Company in 1896, the Line was in operation until 1948. This shelter, for decades located at the 14th hole of the Thornhill Country Club, has been moved and refurbished as a joint project of the Lions' Club of Thornhill and SPOHT.

F3 SIDE TRAIL, THORNHILL PIONEER METHODIST CEMETERY, Normark Dr. off Baythorn Dr. One block north on the east side of Yonge St. is Baythorn Dr. Follow it to Normark Dr., turn left, and on your right is a small plot dating back to 1837 when Elizabeth Lyons set aside part of her farm for a Methodist meeting house and burying ground.

F4 SIDE TRAIL, HEINTZMAN HOUSE, 135 Baythorn Dr. Continue along Baythorn Dr. to Royal Orchard Blvd. where this handsome property is located on the southeast corner. Originally the land was settled in the early 1800s by Loyalist Anthony Hollingshead. When Col. George William Cruickshank, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, and later the area's first justice of the peace, arrived in 1816, he built a 13-room mansion around the original two-room farm house. After Cruickshank sold it in 1854, it was owned by a number of families. During the 1970s, John Francis bought what was than known as Sunnyside Manor. Samuel Francis, one of nine children born there, took over the home and farm in 1892. Charles Heintzman of the Toronto piano company, bought the property from Francis about 1930. He made many contributions including the art deco interior. After Heintzman's demise, the property was bought by the Town of Markham. With a grand ballroom, solarium, meeting rooms and landscaped grounds, it is rented out for social and public occasions, but is not open to the public. Several supernatural events point to the evidence of a ghost. In May 2000 this building was officially recognized by the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada. It has been the scene of Hollingshead family reunions

F5 SIDE TRAIL, CRICKLEWOOD, 54 Cricklewood Cres. Continue west on Royal Orchard Blvd, turn left at Inverlochy Blvd. arrive at Cricklewood Cres. This grand home began as a small cottage built in 1803 on a Crown grant from King George III. The grant was to John Dennis, and the first cottage was built by his daughter Elizabeth who later married Matthias Sanders. (see Side Trail A1) In 1844 Englishman John Brunskill bought the property (which included several mills along John St.) and made a substantial addition to the Dennis home. Brunskill prospered until his sudden death in 1870, when his holdings were divided. Prominent lawyer George Hughes Watson bought the property in 1910. His daughter inherited the estate, and son Strafford got the rest including what is now the Ladies' Golf Club of Toronto (founded by golf champion Ada Mackenzie in 1924). The house, first called 'Brooklands' was renamed 'Cricklewood' in 1956. When it became part of a townhome development in the 1970s, the house remained although much diminished in lot size. In 1980 it was designated a heritage property. It boasts five bedrooms, six fireplaces, 11-foot ceilings, and a couple of ghosts! A