Montgomery's Inn , Toronto

Montgomery's Inn was built about 1830 for Thomas and Margaret Montgomery. East and south wings (containing a new bar room and a second kitchen) were added to the building in 1838. The Inn was surrounded by a large profitable farm, which provided food for the Montgomery family as well as the customers at their hotel. The Montgomery family ran the hotel for about 25 years, until mid 1859s. The land was farmed by the family (and later by tenants) until the 1940s. Thomas Montgomery (1790 - 1877) was born in Ireland. Family tradition holds that he came to Canada when he was about 25 years old, and spent his early years working in the salt trade and as a surveyor.

In 1829, Thomas married another Irish immigrant, Margaret Dawson (1808 - 1855). The couple had 7 children, but only 2 sons, William (1830 - 1920) and Robert (1837 - 1864) survived to adulthood. Over the years the household also included various servants and farm labourers. While little is known about Thomas' early life, it is clear that by age 40 when the Inn (with its stone construction and fine architectural features) was built, he was prospering.

The Inn is of an architectural style known today as "Loyalist" or "late Georgian". When it was built, it was called "Classical," as it was inspired by ancient Greek and Roman architecture. Features such as the centre-hall plan, the symmetrical balance of the building, and the fanlight over the front door are typical of this style.

Restored to a fully function museum & tour, a few stories are only now beginning to surface on this location. Ranging from phantom footsteps to disembodied whispers when no one else is around are some of the initial reports. Is there more going on?

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