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Born in 1837 in Toronto, Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott holds the title of the first Canadian-born black doctor.

The son of wealthy black landowner Wilson Ruffin Abbott, Abbott attended a number of prestigious public and private schools including Ohio's Oberlin College. Not yet twenty, Abbott enrolled at the University of Toronto pursuing Medicine, and at the same time studied under noted black doctor, Alexander Thomas Augusta. Abbott obtained his Bachelor of Medicine in 1857 from the University of Toronto and only three years later obtained a license to practice Medicine from the Medical Board of Upper Canada. In 1863, Abbott was appointed one of just eight black doctors to serve in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Abbott was one of precious few to stand vigil at the bedside of the dying President Abraham Lincoln. He was later honoured by Mary Todd Lincoln, former wife of the President, with the presentation of a shawl once worn by the President.

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In 1901, the Margaret Eaton School of Expression was established by University of Toronto teacher, Emma Scott Raff. Over the years, this women's academy would gain renown, giving rise to talented women in the dramatic arts and physical education. Early courses included literature, drama, physical culture and rhetoric. Raff's teaching philosophy soon drew the attention of Margaret Eaton, wife of retail magnate, Timothy Eaton. Margaret Eaton financially supported the erection of a home for the newly renamed Margaret Eaton School of Literature and Expression. Built in 1905, the new school building on today's Bay Street soon became a landmark in Toronto. Designed by WR Mead, it resembled a Greek temple, with a short stepped entrance and columns facing the street. In this photo dated shortly after the building's opening, young students stand proudly outside, sporting the uniforms of the day.

During the reconfiguration of Bay Street, the building was demolished. Over the years, the school changed locations, vision and names, eventually amalgamating with the University of Toronto in the early 1940's.

Research by Maya Bilbao

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Located at 700 Queen Street East in Riverdale and was open from 1931-1933. The theatre had one screen and could sit 625 people.

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At Victoria Park Forest School in July 1913.

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Boys cycling across Lakeshore Road bridge at Mimico.

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Early in the last century, athletic and social clubs were established to offer recreational opportunities to Toronto's Jewish young people. In 1919, a number of these clubs joined to form umbrella organizations that developed by 1936 into the Young Men's-Young Women's Hebrew Association (YM-YWHA).

After first decidicated to sport, the YM-YWHA expanded to offer cultural programs and community services, and to serve children and adults as well. Larger facilities were constructed at Bloor and Spadina in 1953 and in North York in 1961. The "Y' was renamed the Jewish Community Centre (JCC) in 1978.

Although primarily a Jewish association, the YM-YWJA weclomed people of all faiths and cultural traditions. Now encompassing the Miles Nadal JCC, the Prosserman JCC (Bathurst-Sheppard area) and the Schwartz-Reisman Centre (York Region), the JCC continues to offer vital centres of community, support, and recreation for all. 

Heritage Toronto will be presenting a plaque on December 3 honouring the YM-YWHA and their legacy. 

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Stretching from Queen Street to Gould, Bond is a short street that's rich with history. Bond started to take shape in the 1840's when the former property of Captain John McGill was subdivided. Soon after, when Bond became residential, a home was built for Toronto's former first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie. His Greek Revival style row house, though covered with trees in this photo, still stands on the west side of the street, near Dundas, operating as the Mackenzie House Museum.

Bond Street also became home to several religious structures. In the foreground of this late 1800's photograph is the Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church. Often referred to as the "Cathedral of Methodism" this church structure was almost completely destroyed during a 1928 fire. By that time, the church had evolved in the Metropolitan United Church, and a new structure was subsequently built at the same location that today services many downtown communities.