Toronto's First Post Office
260 Adelaide St. E. M5A 1N1 Toronto, ON, Canada

With the holidays fast approaching, wouldn't it be great to go shopping and MAKE money? You can with #ShopOTT2Win. Enter Old Town Toronto's weekly draws to win $500 each for you and a local business (yes, that includes us )! Details here https://buff.ly/3n2cVAC

Learn a new skill Have a fun night Impress everyone with the most beautifully addressed holiday cards Join us tomorrow for a cozy night in as we welcome Cody Calligraphy for a VIRTUAL calligraphy workshop! We'll start from the very beginning, with tips on how to hold a brush pen and set up your workspace. From there, you'll master the basic strokes of modern calligraphy, the lowercase alphabet, common words, phrases and more!... Sign up today! https://bit.ly/3m4C8dm

A very happy Diwali to all those celebrating! Wishing you a safe and joyful festival.

With the holidays fast approaching consider supporting #local and #madeincanada makers through our online shop. Even better, all sales help support the Town of York Historical Society too! Here’s some extra incentive: 20% off purchases on our online shop with code LOVEPAPER. ... *Offer valid until December 31st, 2020. Cannot be applied toward Canada Post products or postage. Cannot be applied with another offer (member discounts, etc). Previous purchases cannot be adjusted.

Join us for a cozy night in on November 26 as we welcome Cody Calligraphy for a VIRTUAL calligraphy workshop! We'll start from the very beginning, with tips on how to hold a brush pen and set up your workspace. From there, you'll master the basic strokes of modern calligraphy, the lowercase alphabet, common words, phrases and more! Sounds like fun, right? -> https://bit.ly/36D6ihg

Scadding Cabin is considered to be the oldest surviving building in Toronto. John Scadding emigrated to Upper Canada in 1792 with John Graves Simcoe and worked as a government clerk. He built the modest cabin on a grant of land consisting of 253 acres located on the eastern side of the Don River. Using trees from his property, the design employed square-timbered white pine logs that were fitted with dove-tailed corners. When John Graves Simcoe returned to England in 1796, Sc...adding followed suit. He later returned to York in 1818 and sold the property to William Smith, a local farmer. Years later in 1879, the Smith family offered the cabin to the York Pioneer and Historical Society who relocated to it’s current location on the grounds of Exhibition Place. Scadding Cabin was designated as a heritage building under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1989 by the City of Toronto. Doug Taylor We also wish acknowledge this sacred land on which Scadding Cabin operates. This land is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are truly grateful to have the opportunity to work in the community, on this territory.

She did it again! Another amazing holiday arrangement courtesy of our volunteer Lynn #itsbeginningtolookalotlikechristmas #volunteersrock

During World War I, Canada was the first country to issue war tax stamps. A war tax stamp is a type of postage stamp that was added to an envelope in addition to regular postage, with the revenue used to defray the costs of a war. These stamps used modified dies of its King George V stamps with WAR TAX written on it. They were first issued in March 1915 in denominations of 1 cent and 2 cents, and later 4, 5 and 8 cents. In 1916, the tax stamps were modified once again with the inscription "1T" added to 2 cent stamps. This specified that the stamps included their face value as well as a 1 cent tax, and meant that two separate stamps were no longer needed.

Popularized by the Victorians, mourning letters were black edged letters created to prepare the receiver of a recent death. Just like mourning clothes, mourning stationery had specific requirements. The paper was typically grey or cream with a black edge and was used for the duration of the time the individual was in mourning (which varied based on the individual’s relationship to the deceased). Mourning envelopes would have a black border and a black X printed on its reverse side.

#TorontoProud! Only seems appropriate that as Toronto’s First Post Office we should carry some awesome Toronto themed stationery, right?

Please Note: Toronto's First Post Office will be closed Wednesday November 11th to commemorate the anniversary of the First World War Armistice and remember all those who served Canada in times of war.

Happy #WorldPostcardDay! DYK, the first officially recognized postcard made by a postal operator was sent from Austria-Hungary on October 1st, 1869, following the suggestions of Dr. Emanuel Hermann who suggested that a cheaper and more practical method should be implemented for shorter, more efficient communications. These days, the care and attention that is put into the sending of a postcard is what sets them apart in a world of instant communications. Surprise someone today with an unexpected postcard! Check out our Postcard Activity at our Museum From Home: https://townofyork.com/museum-from-home/

This #OrangeShirtDay we acknowledge and honour the #Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada. We also encourage you to learn more about the Indigenous #TOhistory of our city. Check out our online #HTtour for more info: http://ow.ly/pE8r50BDMmb #TOheritage

Let's talk early 19th century covers (letters covers that is)! First, you might notice that all these letters look like they're missing postage. That's because prior to the use of postage stamps, rates were marked directly on the cover. Our Postmaster James Scott Howard handstamped or personally marked many of the letters that passed his desk. The PAID ink stamp indicates that a letter had been paid for in advance, serving the same purpose as a stamp today. This mark is comb...ined with the postage rate written in the top right corner in manuscript. Correspondence relating to Post Office business could be sent free (note the FREE stamp). Next, notice the cancel. Like today, cancels includes the date and origin of the letter (and could also include rerouting locations). Finally, check out the cover that is also marked TOO LATE, meaning that the letter came to the Post Office after the mailbag was sealed and ready to go. In that case, a supplementary bag was made up and sent along with the regular mail, all for an extra fee, of course. These are just some of the most common markings that could be found on covers. As you can imagine, letters could be quite marked up by the time they finally arrived!

James Scott Howard is giving us all a lesson on how to smize! #maskup #wereallinthistogether

Modern mailbox surprise: A postcard mailed almost 100 years ago!

Volunteers needed at Toronto’s First Post Office... who’s in? On-site volunteering might be on hold, but we have have some volunteer positions that can be done from the comfort of your home. We are currently on-boarding for the following positions: - Social Media Content Creator... - Transcription Volunteer - Collections Database Volunteer If you are interested in helping out, or would like to find out more, visit our website here:https://townofyork.com/jobs-volunteering/

We love supporting our local businesses! And we are honoured to be featured in this newsletter from our local BIA in Old Town Toronto! Find out why you should visit us and our local neighbours this month: https://oldtowntoronto.ca/sept2020/

Correspondence pilling up? Are you missing our monthly Letter Writing Socials? Well, worry no more! The always amazing Toronto Letter Writers Society has been hosting the monthly meet-ups online instead. So grab your pen, find your stamps, log onto your computer, and start writing. Next meet-up is Sunday September 13th! Join the Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/torontoletterwriters

Fresh flags, who dis?

Don’t think they had this in the 1830s.... #uvlight #sanitizer #educationcollections #museumsafety

FYI: We'll be taking a couple of days for rest this weekend, and the P.O. will be closed this Sunday September 6th and Monday September 7th. We'll be open again bright and early on Tuesday! Happy Labour Day #longweekend #labourday #weekendclosures

We’re so obsessed with Vanessa’s drawing of the Post Office that we put it on a stamp! Have you picked up a sheet yet? These are a limited edition run so you better hurry up before they’re all gone https://bit.ly/2ZOyE65

Volunteers are just the best, aren’t they? Thanks @chalkhorse for the beautiful arrangement. It’s in full bloom today! #thankyou #volunteerappreciation #volunteersrock #summer #blooms