North Toronto Historical Society Monthly Meetings
 
September October November 2023




**** Note the time change! ****    Meetings are from 7 - 8 p.m. in Rm. 224 at Northern District Library, 40 Orchard View Blvd. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. No refreshments will be served - you may wish to bring your own. Co-sponsored by The Toronto Public Library.
 

. Wednesday, September 27   7 p.m.

          Tales from the Hollow: The Story of Hogg's Hollow and York Mills

In this illustrated presentation, author Scott Kennedy will take us on a journey through the history of Hogg’s Hollow and York Mills from its beginnings to the present day. Along the way we will discover early pioneers and the farms they established, how St.John’s Anglican Church welcomed its first worshippers over 200 years ago, and the rise of the estates on Bayview. The area’s rich history includes connections to Amelia Earhart and the famous thoroughbred racehorse Northern Dancer. Scott Kennedy, whose first address was RR#1 York Mills, has been witness to major changes in the neighbourhood over his lifetime.

Copies of the author’s book Tales From the Hollow will be
available for purchase prior to the program.


. Wednesday, October 25   7 p.m.
             
The Beatle Bandit: A Serial Bank Robber’s Deadly Heist, A Cross-Country Manhunt and the Insanity Plea that Shook the Nation

True crime author Nate Hendley will give a presentation based on his latest book The Beatle Bandit, winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for Non-Fiction in 2022.  He will tell the story of Matthew Kerry Smith, a troubled navy veteran who robbed Toronto-area banks in the early l960s.  On July 24, l964, disguised in a Halloween mask and “Beatle” wig, Smith held up a CIBC bank at Bathurst Manor Plaza and in the fracas that ensued killed a patron who tried to intervene.  Smith escaped but eventually was captured near Yonge and Eglinton.  His case launched a nation-wide debate about gun control, insanity pleas and the death penalty.

Copies of the book will be available for purchase prior to the program.


.Wednesday, November 29   7 p.m.
Growing Up in a North Toronto Chinese Laundry: Sam Low Laundry, 2616 Yonge Street, 1925-1977

An illustrated presentation by Harvey Low, NTHS member and long-time resident of North Toronto.
Harvey grew up in North Toronto, going to John Fisher PS, Glenview, then North Toronto Collegiate. His family has been in the community since the 1920s and earlier in Toronto since the 1890s. His grandfather opened a Chinese Laundry at 2616 Yonge Street in 1923. Harvey will provide a combination of family slides and verbal memories of what it was like growing up in a Chinese Laundry - the focus being the personal experiences of balancing life between old and new customs.




 







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