I knew who John Graves Simcoe was- he was the first Governor of Ontario (Upper Canada), and I knew that Castle Frank was a subway station. I just didn't know that there was a connection between the two until I took the time to stop and read a plaque opposite the train station. The funny thing is, I'm sure I have passed this spot many different times over the years without ever bothering to take the time to look at the memorial plaque in the park. Castle Frank was the name of the summer home of John Graves Simcoe, built in the late 18th century. Simcoe was the first Governor of the province of Ontario, which was then known as Upper Canada. The province of Upper Canada was created after the American Revolution, when Anglo-American Loyalist refugees- people who had supported Britain during the war- began to arrive from the newly established American Republic. Nearby Canada, which was still under British control, provided a nearby refuge for the Loyalists. Before the Loyalists arrived, there had been very few permanent European settlers in what is now southern Ontario. But in response to the influx, the British government began to purchase land from indigenous peoples like the Mississauga and created the new province of Upper Canada in 1791. Simcoe was appointed Governor of this new British province. Upper Canada was distinguished from the 'other Canada'- Lower Canada (modern-day Quebec)- by the fact that most of its European inhabitants were English-speakers. The majority of those in Lower Canada, on the other hand, were Francophones. The land that now comprises Downtown Toronto was bought from the Mississauga (who gave their name to the city west of Toronto). Toronto was originally called "York", after the same English town that lent its name to the city of New York. The early town of York was just a small village near to the Harbor on Lake Ontario. Many of the built up areas that are now considered part of Downtown Toronto were originally rural areas where wealthy colonists had country estates and farms. Simcoe chose to build a summer home near to where Castle Frank subway station is now located. He called this home "Castle Frank" after his son, Francis. Simcoe returned to England in 1796, before the home was completed. He never came back to Upper Canada. His son Francis died fighting in Spain in 1812, and never returned to the "Castle Frank" home. Peter Russell, who replaced Simcoe as Governor of Upper Canada, made use of the residence. In 1829, however the home burned down. The Simcoe family eventually sold all of their land in Upper Canada. Much later, a Toronto politician, member of parliament and businessman, Sir Edward Kemp, built a new home called "Castle Frank" north of the original site. Kemp's mansion was demolished in 1962 to make way for Rosedale Heights Secondary School. Soon afterwards a subway station on the Bloor line was built nearby, also bearing the name "Castle Frank". References: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2007/03/08/the_real_castle_frank.html http://yorkspace.library.yorku.ca/xmlui/handle/10315/1248

• published: 01 Sep 2013
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