Toronto's First Post Office

Toronto's First Post Office at 260 Adelaide St E, in the Town of York Historic Site, is a restored brick building dating to 1833 and 1834 that served the early town of York. The post office was established under the colonial postal system, when letters travelled slowly by horse, boat and stagecoach, and postage was paid by the recipient rather than the sender. It was operated by Postmaster James Scott Howard, and the building is one of the few surviving structures from the town's earliest civic period. The structure stood in this neighbourhood when it was the heart of the young town, near the old courthouse and jail, and today it is surrounded by modern streets and buildings. The post office closed as a public postal office in the nineteenth century as the town expanded and then served other purposes, until a preservation effort in the 1960s and 1970s restored it. It is a National Historic Site of Canada, and a small museum inside shows how mail was handled. Visitors can see sorting tables, scales, quill pens and ink and read about early postal rates. The building is unusual because it still functions as a working post office, and visitors can write a letter with a quill pen and post it, with the letter receiving a historic hand-cancel stamp. The architecture is plain, a two-storey brick structure in a Georgian style with simple window openings and a gabled roof, typical of mercantile buildings of the period. The interpretation is hands-on and immersive, with staff and volunteers explaining the process of delivery in the 1830s and its role in the growth of the town and the province. Admission is free, with donations welcome, and hours are limited, usually on weekdays, so a check before visiting is advisable.