Did you know Leslieville is named after a guy who ran a plant nursery?
George Leslie opened the Toronto Nurseries here back in the 1850s, growing trees and shrubs on what was then farmland east of the city. The neighbourhood that grew up around his business kept his name.
Here’s the part that gets me. The first school in Leslieville, built in 1863, had a principal named Alexander Muir. Not long after, Muir wrote “The Maple Leaf Forever,” one of the most recognized patriotic songs in Canadian history. So this quiet stretch near Queen Street, once known mostly for trees and greenhouses, has a direct line to a song that still shows up in classrooms and Canada Day playlists across the country.
I love finding threads like this. A nursery owner, a school, a song, and somehow it’s all still tied to the same few blocks over 150 years later.
If you’re ever curious about East Toronto’s history (or just want to talk real estate), my calendar’s always open: book a time.