Lousy Smarch Weather.

FYI to all who want to see where former Toronto pre-amalgamation(s) borders were. Fascinating to look street by streets - you can still see 'ghosts' of these here and there in the city. www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/v...

This Friday! A weird Toronto history tour for Friday The 13th! No need to register, just show up outside Old City Hall at 7pm. Pay what you like!

Mar 12, 1886: riots break out during a Toronto Street Railway workers' strike as replacement workers try to put streetcars into service. For the first time, the Toronto Police Force used horses to help quell the rioters. 1/2

Time for some #TOHistory Monday 9 months ago I posted about the ruin on Highland Creek. I've know of them for many years, but knew nothing about them This lead me down a rabbit hole of Scarb history, stagecoach robberies, theft and politics. All tangentially tied to this one ruin on #HighlandCreek

Man, AI narration is getting out of hand. Just heard a butchering of 'Iroquois' in a history of Toronto video.

Spending this Sunday looking up early skating in Toronto. Some neat anecdotes of women partaking! Happy International Women's Day!

East Don River Thaw

New ideas need old buildings. In today’s @globeandmail I showcase a vision for Toronto’s Old City Hall as a space for contemporary culture - opening this year. Let’s go. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Niche annoyance while researching 19th century Toronto: Forgetting that Maria Street is now Soho Street.

1. Today we celebrate Toronto’s 182th birthday. Which is pretty weird. Because Toronto isn’t 192 years old. And it wasn’t founded in March. Here goes my annual rant…

Today, we mark the 192th year of Toronto's incorporation! On March 6, 1834, the Town of York was renamed and reorganized to the City of Toronto! What was the city's population in 1834? The answer: 9,254!

On this date in 1884, Toronto Public Library officially opened in the old Mechanics' Institute building at Church and Adelaide.

A weird walking tour for Friday The Thirteenth! Filled with strange and twisted true tales from the history of Toronto. Pay what you like — just meet outside Old City Hall at 7pm on March 13!

Well, that's a bummer. Toronto Historic Maps seems to be no more! arcgis-content.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/in...

The Keele subway yard was originally named Vincent Yard because of the former Vincent Street. Bay station has Yorkville as a subtitle. And Walmer was one of the two planned stations that got merged into the least convenient transfer station on the system: youtu.be/vq11033vrcc

Quite neat to see some alternate station names: Vincent, Walmer, and Yorkville.

#SundayRead: In the latest 'Toronto History Curiosities', I cover Toronto's hotel history...oh, and Mr. Dressup. 📺 open.substack.com/pub/bobgeorg...

I rode the Eglinton LRT today! My trip was from Yonge Street to Don Mills Road. Impressions are good!

Mary Ann Shadd broke ground with her anti-slavery newspaper, The Provincial Freeman. She was the first Black woman publisher in North America and the first female publisher in Canada. She later recruited Black soldiers for the Union Army during the American Civil War. 🧵 1/7

Love a good oxbow! This is a great meander by Boris!

Soooo...I am getting eviscerated in the comments for saying "FairMOUNT!" 😆

Well, that's lame.

Soooo...how we feeling?

Let's go! 🇨🇦

Whipped up a little something on TikTok on the Fairmont Royal York Hotel! www.tiktok.com/@bobgeorgiou...

What a game!

There lies a rural relic in Aginxourt neighborhood of Scarborough. An old silo sitting in Ron Watson Park. Today I stumbled on a painting of a farm that included the silo. This is the only depiction (no photos) Ive encountered of this structure in this state #Scarborough #parksTO #historyTO

Aw man 😞 🇨🇦

So this was neat: Recently had a stay at the historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel! 🏨 How many people have passed through this gorgeous lobby in the last 96 years? 🤔

The @museumoftoronto.bsky.social's "Mr. Dressup to Degrassi" is a great exhibition! Lots of childhood memories and lots of new things learned. Will have a full review on an upcoming Substack!

Is Tom Wilson the first person to have a Gordie Howe Hat Trick in the Olympics?! 🥅🍎👊

Happy Valentine's Day! ❤️ My latest Substack features my return to York University where my love of history began! open.substack.com/pub/bobgeorg...

Today marks 38 years around the sun. Tired in the moment but overall reflective and grateful.

Are you awake? ☕️ How about a Sunday Read? ⬇️

The Historic Places website is being re-created! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

My latest Substack is OUT! 📰 I pay tribute to Moira Rose, talk about the Toronto that could've been, and take on the robots! 🤖 open.substack.com/pub/bobgeorg...

January 31 – On this date in 1907, Timothy Eaton died at his mansion at 182 Lowther Street.

Here's the interior of the Drill Shed on 28 March 1885 with troops mustering for the Northwest Campaign. From Illustrated War News: www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm....

This is a building that completely stumped me: The Armouries on the current site of St. Lawrence Market. Succeeded by the now lost building on University Avenue? No idea it existed. 📷: TPL 1889, TPL 1894, Toronto Archives 1899

It begins next Thursday! SECRET TORONTO: SPIES, TRAITORS & UNDERCOVER AGENTS explores true tales of espionage, betrayal and conspiracy from the city's past — in four online lectures. Pay what you like! tinyurl.com/secretTOreg

Jan 30, 1947: Lone workman has huge task in clearing snow from steps of York County registry office as Toronto struggled to dig out from under drifting snow which blanketed city. 📸: Unknown Toronto Star Archive / Toronto Public Library #OnThisDay #1940s #snow #torontohistory #jeremyhopkin

Thank YOU, Catherine O'Hara.

Just because: Snow plows on Queen Street at Yonge on January 30, 1982. (City of Toronto Archives.)

NEW! For today's Saturday Star, I wrote an opinion piece on the value of historical plaques that commemorate events such as the story of Conrad the Raccoon - they are good community investments for so many reasons! #TOHistory #history www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

I don't like to fall into the "I like the before better" and "We destroy everything" commentary because it's not an exclusively Toronto thing when pretty buildings get knocked down....BUT this one hurts.

I'm taking in a show at the Royal Alex in a few weeks so this was a great primer!

Steinberg's stores in Toronto (and Ontario) in 1960. Look at those designs! Do you remember Steinberg's? (Toronto Star, November 14, 1960)

I shared my editor's intro to the new issue of Spacing, where I describe Eglinton as Toronto's "prime rib" spacing.ca/toronto/2026...