Residence and Industrial site

Details of Site Location: The house stood at the north corner of Yonge and Adelaide. The tannery ran along the south side of Adelaide from Yonge almost as far south as King, and west nearly to Bay Street. Ketchum also owned the block bound by Yonge, Adelaide, Bay, and Queen Streets.

Boundary History: The boundaries for the house are small and confined to a single corner lot, while those of the tannery property are huge and consist of the area described above.

Current Use of Property: Current use of the house site is 118 Yonge which is part of the Elgin Building of 1850. The tannery site is occupied by the Upper Canada Bible and Tract Societies Building of 1886, the Canada Trust Building of 1967, the John Kay Store/Wood Gundy Building of 1898, and the Scotia Plaza.

Historical Description: One of Toronto’s busiest and successful entrepreneurs, Jesse Ketchum is more for his extensive land purchases and for his very great generosity and equally serious temperance work. Having arrived in York from Buffalo, Ketchum set up his business on Yonge St. near the docks. It is one of the very earliest industries and one of the very largest. His land purchases and sales are woven into a large part of the city’s history. His leather and hides were sold to the general public but he had a huge business from the government. He donated part of his land for the opening of Temperance Street on condition that alcohol would never be sold there. His two storey house had a flat-topped belvedere or turret at the center of the roof with a walkway railing around it so that he could see ships coming into the harbour. Along his property and to conteract the mud of the street, he laid a path of tan bark so the pedestrians could arrive in dry footwear. Ketchum donated tracts of land to churches, and other worthy causes and was generous to his daughter at the time of her marriage. Among his donations were six acres in the Second Concession in Yorkville for the building of a school and the develoment of public parkland. From 1828 until 1834 he was a member of the House of Assembly. A non-participant in the 1837 rebellion, he was influenced by it and moved his business back to Buffalo.

Relative Importance: Jessie Ketchum’s importance to Toronto’s history and development is great. He should be remembered as a successful business man and as a philanthropist. It is not enough that a single street bears the name of one of his interests. He deserves to be remembered for his work to establish common schools, one of which bears his name today and became the York County Model School ( for teacher training). It should happen that his name is mentioned art the same time as those of Ryerson and Strachan.

Planning Implications: In planning for the future, the site of Ketchum’s house, his huge tannery and some of the more significant sites which benefitted from his philanthropy, should all be plaqued. For the sites on Yonge, there is no possibility for anything more than a plaque since the sites have been extensively redeveloped.

Reference Sources: City directories 1834, 1837, 1838; Toronto Reference Library, Baldwin Room.

Acknowledgements: Community History Project