Vanished historic buildings of a pioneer family, first to settle in the Beach or East Toronto region.
Details of Site Location: The houses were located to the west of the present house on Queen Street East at Woodfield. The first house, a log cabin, was between the present house and the second house east of the hollow. Both faced across Kingston Road towards the Bay. The Ashbridge Farm Lots amounted to 355 acres, and the houses were constructed on Part Lot 9, close to Kingston Road.
Boundary History: Boundaries of the area containing the houses have been under investigation by the Ontario Heritage Foundation’s archaeologist, Dena Doroszenko. Details are slowly being revealed as the dig continues, but are not yet available.
Current Use of Property: Current uses of the Ashbridge lands are housing subdivisions, with the area specific to the first and second houses in the open area to the west of the present house at 54 Woodfield, facing Queen Street.
Historical Description: John and Jonathan Ashbridge received Crown grants of land in August 1796, having spent some time in York determining where they would prefer to settle. The story persists that the family spent its first winter in York within the ruins of Fort Rouille. The fertile lands east of the Don River, well watered by several small creeks, was selected as suitable for farming. Log cabins were built by the Ashbridge brothers. John, for whom Ashbridge’s Bay was named, built his facing the Kingston Road trail and the bay. Whether his mother and three sisters lived with him or with his brother is not clear. While the land was being cleared of forests for farming, the Ashbridge family lived on fish from the bay, plentiful wildfowl, and pork from the pigs they raised. As soon as they could, they produced wheat, which they transported to local mills and then to the markets. During the winter months, they cut ice from the bay and sold it in the Town of York. Between 1809 and 1811, the brothers built a frame house to house all of them until the 1856 (present) house was constructed farther to the east. The brothers were appointed Pathmasters of the Kingston Road trail from 1797 until 1817, and twice John is listed as a tax collector. The 1856 house was designed by Joseph Sheard, a former Mayor of Toronto and architect of the Dead House at St. Michael’s Cemetery. At the time, the ruins of the frame house were located in the garden of the present house. In 1907, the property was subdivided into residential lots, with a large lot upon which the Duke of Connaught School was built. In 1955, the Don Valley Conservation Authority erected a plaque at the existing house, which in 1973 was placed on the City’s Inventory of Heritage Properties as a listed building
Historical Importance: The site is important for several reasons: From the time of the Crown grant made by Governor Simcoe himself, the houses and lands have been continuously occupied by the original family, and the 1856 house and its land have been acquired by the Ontario Heritage Foundation. The roles played by the Ashbridge family in the improvement of Kingston Road and in the development of the area, and their life as a pioneer family into the present day, should all be made available to the public.
Planning Implications: Planning should continue to protect the house in its setting and to make it accessible to the public.
Reference Sources: George Fairfield, editor, Ashbridge’s Bay (1998); Beach and East Toronto Historical Society files; Ontario Heritage Foundation files and pictures