In a city where it feels like we’re surrounded by new builds, modern condos, and sleek cafes, it might surprise you to know that there are some spots in Toronto that date all the way back to the 1700s. In fact, the city’s oldest home is still intact, and here’s where you can find it.
Scadding Cabin
Scadding Cabin is on the Exhibition grounds and is said to have been built around 1794, making it the oldest house in the city.
The York Pioneer and Historical Society says, “The cabin’s first owner was John Scadding, an assistant to Upper Canada’s first Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe. Scadding’s 250-acre property was on the east bank of the Don River, and his log home sat near where present-day Queen Street crosses the Don Valley Parkway.”
So, how was the cabin physically moved to the Exhibition Grounds? According to The York Pioneer and Historical Society, it’s suspected that the logs from the house were floated down the Don River and along the shoreline of Lake Ontario.
The Canadian Encyclopedia claims that pioneers worked with the CNE’s founders to move the cabin to its current site to celebrate the fair’s inauguration — dismantling the cabin, moving it, and reassembling it.
Far-fetched? Maybe. Impossible? No!
Interested in checking out the Scadding Cabin? You can find it nestled at 25 British Columbia Rd. in the city’s west end.
Every year during the CNE, you can tour the cabin, as well as during Toronto’s Doors Open campaign, which typically happens in May.
Crazy to think a wooden structure could last all these years, but Scadding Cabin has stood the test of time.
Scadding Cabin
Where: 25 British Columbia Rd.
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Taylor Lucas
Associate Editor – Taylor is a Toronto-based journalist with a passion for storytelling. Whether chasing a story, writing, or editing, she brings a creative spin to the media world and has a blast doing it. Taylor brings years of journalism experience in sports, local/national news, and entertainment. In her spare time, you can typically find Taylor trying out a new restaurant or cocktail bar, cooking, golfing or binge-watching true crime documentaries.
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