In 1796, Thomas Mercer, a Loyalist, acquired some 200 acres of land in this vicinity. James Hogg, an enterprising Scottish emigrant, purchased part of this property about 1818 and built a grist-mill on the west branch of the Don River near here. In the 1820s, the mill became the nucleus of a small settlement known as Hogg's Hollow. The first St. John's Anglican Church (1817) was among the earliest built north of York. When the course of Yonge Street was changed in 1836, new mills, a tavern and a tannery were constructed to serve this rapidly growing community, and following the establishment of a post office, it became known as York Mills.

Location

In York Mills Park near the site of Hogg's former mill, Yonge Street and York Mills Road, Toronto

Themes

• Communities
• Industry and trade