Todmorden Mills Heritage Site — Attraction in Toronto

This location once belonged to my 4th a great Grandfather, Parshall Terry and his second wife, Rhoda Skinner's, two brothers. To me, it is an amazing place. It's more than awesome to be able to literally walk where your ancestor's walked. Parshall first settled here in 1795 and was the first Watermaster on the Don River. He died crossing the river on horseback during a flood in 1808. At one point, he also owned the land where the Black Creek Living Pioneer farm is currently located. He was a member of the First Legislature of Upper Canada, and was given lands in the Toronto area for service to the British crown during the Revolutionary War. His siblings and Father fought on the American side, and the family legend says that he ended up on the British side after stopping to tie his shoe in line of March as part of the Colonial forces. His commanding officer struck him for that infraction and young Parshall struck him back, necessitating his exit from the Colonial army. He was Second in command to Joseph Brandt as part of Brand's Butler's Rangers, and led a party of British troops during the Battle of Forty Fort in Pennsylvania, where he was able to rescue his own family, including his wife and young son, by having them pretend they didn't know him. A rather...

This historical site dates back to the early 1800s (which, for Toronto, is OLD, because Toronto knocks down historical buildings for condos, and sometimes just for fun). Two cabins from the 19th century are on the property, and a modern Indigenous sculpture installation (I liked it!) was in the garden. The art gallery on site is free to enter, because it now features mostly art being sold. Having said that, the gallery is large and a pleasure to walk through. Staff are always wonderful: friendly and helpful. Washrooms are immaculate. So, why not five stars? Because if I was a tourist, especially on a limited budget, I don't think that the time and cost to reach this remote, publicly transit inaccessible destination, is worth it. But like I said, for Toronto, the site has...

Visited the site in early October, 2022. A great (and free!) site/museum to learn about a neat, hidden piece of Toronto's history! This is a place that so many people pass by unknowingly on the DVP, so it's great to get to know the site and its impacts on the city's development. I especially liked stepping into the homes. They were very well preserved and have very cool artefacts/replicas, such as antique cash, TTC transfers, and what bathtubs (if you could call it so) used to look like. The grounds are also quite nice for a walk; you could take a short loop around the museum. I even spotted a blue heron! Would encourage more people to come and visit. Plus, you could walk from here to/from Evergreen Brick Works to make it a...