The Mississaugas of New Credit are the aboriginal landowners of Toronto who were forced out of the Toronto region after 1805 and sent to live at the Credit River (in today's City of Mississauga) until they were forced out of that area as well.

With no place left to go, as all of their other lands in southern Ontario had been taken over by the government, they were invited by Chief Joseph Brant to go to live on part of the lands given by government to the United Empire Loyalist Five Nations League (now the Six Nations Confederacy).

These lands along the Grand River were originally Mississauga lands for which they have not been paid, and in 1923 when the New Credit Mississaugas received some government money under the Williams Treaty, they bought two blocks of the Grand River tract from the Six Nations - in effect buying back from the Six Nations their own land for which the government has still not paid them. The two blocks where they live today are called the New Credit Reserve located near Hagerville, ON.
Cottage Sketch
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A Community History Project site
Tollkeeper's Cottage Mementos

Tickets: $15 per lecture or $50 for the series of four. They can be purchased Saturdays at the museum (10 am - 5 pm), from a CHP member or by calling 416-515-7546 or just pick them up at the lecture (if room available). Tickets are limited to a maximum of 30 people per lecture.

Where: The Tollkeeper's Cottage, NW corner of Bathurst and Davenport.

When: Starting promptly at 7 pm.

There will be a break part way through the evening for tea or coffee. After each lecture, the lecturer will accept questions from the audience.

Jan.  Feb.   Mar.  Apr.  May  June  July  Aug.  Sept.  Oct.  Nov.  Dec.
Events

 

Sept 2023
 
anne
Reserve by calling, or drop by to see if there is space
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THE TOLLKEEPER'S COTTAGE WALKS ARE BACK!

OUR NEXT WALKING TOUR IS
SEATON VILLAGE, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24 AT 10:00 AM

This Walk is based on our previous Seaton Village Walk, but with added emphasis on the rich Black History of the area.

Please sign up, as we need a minimum of 4 people to do the walk and we limit the group to 15 walkers, so everyone can hear and be heard. Send us an email at tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com to get on the list.


If you consider Sunday at 10 coffee and pyjamas time, we will be offering other walks on some Sundays and Fridays at 2, before the snow flies!

POSSIBILITIES:
  • the Christie Pits area (the Riot, Garrison Creek, Koreatown ....) 
  • the West Annex (Jane Jacobs, Canlit, the Massey murder ...) 
  • the ever popular Wychwood Park
  • Seaton again.
  • If this sounds like your kind of thing, send us an email!
Our walking tours are a benefit of membership in the Community History Project. Members may go on any or all of our walks – and bring a friend! Not a member? That is easily remedied. Membership is $20/year ($35 for a family) and entitles you to an income tax receipt. You can pay by e-transfer to tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com, or bring cash or cheque to your first walk – or in advance when you visit us some Saturday at the museum. (Cheques to Community History Project.)

WE HOPE TO BE WALKING WITH YOU SOON!
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AND....THIS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

"THIS IS ANNE: OLDER AND WISER"
Performed by Maja Bannerman, Music by Rusty McCarthy

AT 3:00 PM AND 7:00 PM (approx. one hour show)
at the Tollkeeper's Cottage
Admission is by donation

The afternoon show is almost sold out! To reserve an evening seat,
call/text Maja at 906-933-3330 or email her at majabannerman@gmail.com


RELIVE AN OLD-TIME FAVOURITE!
https://anneolderandwiser.wordpress.com/

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Don't forget to join us for the following Indigenous events:
TEA AND BANNOCK AND INDIGENOUS STORIES SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 23 AT THE COTTAGE FOR 12:00-5:00
WHY WE WEAR ORANGE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 30 AT THE TOLLKEEPER'S PARK FOR STORIES, HAND DRUM AND DANCE 3:30-5:00

Tiny knitted orange t-shirt pins and regular t-shirts (shown below) are available for sale this Saturday at the Tollkeeper's Cottage.
 
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RECONSTITUTING NATURAL MATERIALS FOR RE-USE: Here is Mical, busy at work hammering in a rebar. She is making a "hugel mound" on the north east side of the property. The design was originally pioneered by Sepp Holzer and involves developing what is effectively a raised bed, filled with rotten wood and materials that would otherwise go to waste to create a hi

 

Our membership year is now January to December. Your membership fee of $20 individual or $35. per family will get you one whole year of membership, voting at the Annual Meeting in March or April, and an opportunity to run for the Board of Directors. Any questions, please email us at tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com.

Email tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com

 

 



We have some new and updated Slideshows on the site!! (Thanks to all ).. You can find them here

 

 

You too can be a member of the Community History Project! It’s only $20 a year. Just mail in or email us your membership fee to this address

If you would like to make a donation or pay a membership fee, you can now do it in the modern way – online! We can now receive an e-transfer at our email address! Donations and membership fees will receive an income tax receipt next February.

 

 


Event Background

The Tollkeeper’s Cottage is a museum wholly owned and operated by the Community History Project – a local history society serving on a volunteer basis. The museum is in a restored historic building dating from around 1835 and is a rare remnant from the beginning of the 19th century tolling system in Upper Canada. The restoration has been to the building’s earliest start – 1835 – but has been furnished mostly with antiques up to 1860 when a family of nine lived in the building’s three rooms.. Designated by the City of Toronto, the Tollkeeper’s Cottage is of national significance as it is the only historic tollhouse known to have survived into the present time, and it is also rare for its vertical plank construction. In period dress, trained docents are on duty every Saturday (non pandemic) from 10 am until 5 pm (4pm winter--closed between Christmas and New Year) and will take visitors on a tour for a modest donation. The museum is not subsidized by governments and raises its own operating costs through these donations and various fundraising programmes. Some items now part of the museum are extremely rare and interesting, but you will have to visit to find out what they are! And yes, very selected furnishings are still being accepted into the collection but only after being vetted by an expert.
Additional Events and details are provided here and on the bulletin board at the Cottage as soon as they become available

Some of the annual programmes that may be offered at the museum are: a series of lectures by experts in a spring and fall series on various historical subjects, knitting, rug-braiding, a Food Focus series of events featuring indigenous Canadian foods (berries, nuts, etc. and actual recipes using these foods as taken from historic sources. Special arrangements can be made for school classes, seniors and other group tours or special programmes preferably by emailing tollkeeperscottage@gmail.com and leaving a message for rates and dates. The modern addition to the historic building can also be rented for special events such as meetings, receptions. The museum is open at special times throughout the years, for example for selected Wednesday evening lectures. The museum has events such as Victoria Day Tea, St. Patrick's Day Tea, December Cookie sale, Strawberry Social. Visit this website periodically to learn more about these and other events. We usually have the activities for the next two months in more detail on this page.

Watch this site for changing tidbits on local history, announcements of new programmes etc. You may wish to watch some of our slide shows showing the restoration process, educational programs, activities and even our gift shop.


Virtual tour of the cottage (thanks to Andrew Jones)


 

Where's The Tollkeeper's Cottage?
The Tollkeeper's Cottage