Todmorden Mills facts for kids
Todmorden Mills was once a small village in the Don River valley in Toronto, Ontario. It began as a lumber mill in the 1790s. At first, it was called "Don Mills." Over time, it grew into a busy area with factories and homes. Later, in the 1900s, it became part of East York.
Today, the area is home to the Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts Centre. This cool place has a museum, an art gallery, a theatre, and even a forest preserve. It's a great spot to learn about history and enjoy nature!
Contents
A Look Back: The History of Todmorden Mills
How Todmorden Mills Began
In 1795, the town of York (now Toronto) was growing. To help build new homes and buildings, Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe gave land along the Don River to Aaron and Isaiah Skinner. Their job was to build a mill to cut lumber.
The Skinner family ran the mill until about 1855. Then, the Taylor family bought it.
The Brewery and a New Name
In 1820, a brewery was built next to the mill. A brewery is a place where beer is made. Thomas Helliwell and John Eastwood ran this brewery. The Helliwell family owned it until 1855, when the Taylor family also bought it.
Todmorden Mills got its name from John Eastwood. His family came from a town called Todmorden in England.
The Taylor Family and Paper Making
The Taylor family owned many mills in the area. They also owned the famous Don Valley Brick Works. Under their ownership, the mill at Todmorden Mills changed. It started making felt paper instead of lumber.
The paper mill kept working until the 1920s. After that, the building became a place for riding horses.
A Prisoner of War Camp
In the early 1940s, during World War II, Todmorden Mills became a small German prisoner of war camp. This camp held sailors from German merchant ships. These sailors were kept in Allied ports when the war started.
The prisoners often worked at the nearby Don Valley Brick Works. In 1945, after the war ended, the prisoners went home. The camp closed down. Soon after, the camp buildings were destroyed by fire.
Riding Schools and Changes to the River
Between 1930 and 1967, the property was used for horse riding schools and small businesses. The Windermere Riding Academy used it in the 1930s. Don Vale Textiles was there in the late 1940s. From 1950 to 1963, the Whitewood Riding School used the stables.
During the building of the Don Valley Parkway, the area around Todmorden Mills changed a lot. The Don River used to curve through the site. But it was straightened, so it no longer flowed directly through the area. The old riverbed became a pond. A bridge that once crossed the river now only leads to a parking lot.
Todmorden Mills Today: A Museum and Nature Preserve
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In 1965, the mayor of East York, True Davidson, suggested turning the mill site into a special project for Canada's 100th birthday. On May 22, 1967, it opened as the Todmorden Mills Historic Site. It became a community museum.
Today, the museum has four original buildings from the old settlement. These include the paper mill from 1825, a brewery, and two homes. The Don railway station was moved to Todmorden in 1969. It stayed there until 2009, when it moved to Roundhouse Park. The museum hopes to fix up Helliwell House to look like it did in the 1890s.
In 1991, two nature lovers, Charles Sauriol and Dave Money, suggested turning a small forest next to the museum into a nature preserve. A group was formed, and the Todmorden Mills Wildflower Preserve was created. This group has been working to remove plants that don't belong there and bring back flowers and trees native to Toronto.
See also
- John Taylor (paper manufacturer)
- Pape Village
