The building
Welcome to Toronto's First Post Office, a fascinating little museum tucked away in the heart of Toronto. This is a place where you can step back in time and even hand-write a letter to a loved one with a quill pen and seal the envelope with red wax.
This building was first errected in 1833 by James Scott Howard (then Postmaster of York), and it functioned as both a post office and his personal residence. When the city incorporated as Toronto the following year, it was home to about 9000 people, all of whose mail was delivered to this "Duke Street" post office.
In 1837, Howard was accused of rebel sympathies and dismissed from his job and replaced by Charles Berczy, who moved the post office to Front Street in 1839. This building was used for many other purposes over the next 140 years and was gutted by fire in 1978. It was bought by a private investor, and its origins were then revealed by research undertaken for the restoration. Efforts were made to reconstruct the interior according to the original building. In 1981, the building was designated a National Historic Site and, on its 150th birthday, it was repopened not only as a museum but also as a functioning post office.
Source of information: Town of York Historical Society - Pamphlet on Toronto's First Post Office Museum
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TRADITIONAL LANDS
We acknowledge this sacred land on which Toronto's First Post Office operates. It has been a site of human activity for 15,000 years. This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. The territory was the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Iroquois Confederacy and Confederacy of the Ojibwe and allied nations to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes.
Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory.
Revised by the Elders Circle (Council of Aboriginal Initiatives) on November 6, 2014
The cache
At the posted coordinates, you will find a plaque with some historical information on this site. What kind of roof is a later edition? Take the number of letters in this word, and walk that many steps westward. You should find yourself in front of a set of stairs that will lead you inside the building. Just after you enter, against the left wall, look for somewhere that you might want to throw your all your bills and junkmail to set them on fire; don't worry, the flames have long been put out, and you can open the little black door and instead find a cache.
Permission & Hours
Permission for this cache placement has been granted by the property manager/executive director of the museum. Please be respectful of your surroundings; no need to act suspicious as all the staff should be aware of the cache. Access to the museum itself is by donation, but this is NOT a requirement to access this cache. Please note that this cache is only available during the following dates and times:
Monday to Friday, 9-5:30
Saturday 10-4
Sunday 12-4
Note: Closed on holiday Mondays and the Sundays preceeding them.
Wheelchair Access
Stair-free access is available from the north entrance only, at the rear of the Post Office building. If possible, please call in advance if you require this entrance. 416-865-1833
