Military heritage site.
Details of Site Location: Located at the top edge of the Rosedale Ravine on the north side of Bloor Street and the west side of Sherbourne.
Boundary History: The blockhouse had no palisades and was of standard size, and therefore occupied approximately an acre.
Current Use of Property: The property is currently built up with housing and a bridge over the ravine.
Historical Description: As the Reform movement grew and William Lyon Mackenzie’s tirades against the government grew more shrill, officials in the government and some citizens of the town grew more uneasy. It was known that meetings of rebels were being widely held and a full scale rebellion was anticipated. The “pitchfork army’s” march down Yonge Street and the shooting of Colonel Moodie at Montgomery’s Tavern, precipitated action. Several blockhouses were ordered for key locations, but not all of them were built. The Sherbourne Blockhouse was constructed in 1838 because the Davenport Trail through the Rosedale Ravine was a major entry point to the town. The blockhouse was of two storeys in log construction and was garrisoned mostly by militiamen. It never saw action at all, and had a placid existence looking over the creek, ravine, and Bloor’s Brewery. It was demolished in 1875.
Relative Importance: As a symbol of government efforts to protect Toronto from its own citizens and rebels from outside Toronto who were prepared to visit the capital of the province in order to make their point, this blockhouse has some significance.
Planning Implications: A plaque on the site would commemorate the Rebellion, but a publication giving information about all of the planned blockhouses and their fates over time would better serve the purpose.
Reference Sources: Paul Kane painting, Bloor’s Brewery, Rosedale Ravine, Toronto, undated, Royal Ontario Museum; Alden G. Meredith, Mary’s Rosedale and Gossip of Little York, 1928.
Acknowledgements: Community History Project files; Toronto Military Heritage Association.