John Naulls finds site of first home

May 1, 2015 Geoff Kettel Stories

mapAccording to Jane Pitfield’s book, Leaside, the first settler, John Lea Senior, built the first brick house in York County here in 1829.

John Naulls, a local historian, used his skills as a cartographer to locate the position of the Lea family farm building, for Pitfield’s book back in 1999.

By using old maps and aerial photos the site has recently been verified again as being at Rosedale Landscaping on Canvarco Rd.

site-2Five other barns and sheds were just to the north ending at a small CNR rail building on Esandar Dr.

Could this be an archeological site?

Pitfield’s book states that the house burned down in 1912. The whole site has not been built on so the house basement might remain.

About Geoff Kettel 226 Articles
Geoff Kettel is a community connector and advocate for “making places better”. He is currently Co-President of the Leaside Residents Association, Co-Chair of the Federation of North Toronto Residents‘ Associations (FoNTRA), member of the Toronto Preservation Board and Past Chair of the North York Community Preservation Panel. He writes a monthly column on heritage and planning in Leaside Life.