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Historic
Fort York |
When Lieutenant Governor
John Graves Simcoe arrived at the future site of Toronto in 1793, one of his first
priorities was to construct a military garrison. With the help of the Queen's Rangers, the
Loyalist Regiment he commanded in the Revolutionary War, he did so on a site two miles
west of the original Town of York. Simcoe left York before long, but his instincts about
the American threat were accurate, and American troops invaded and occupied York twice
during the War of 1812, destroying most of the original fort in the process. After the war
the fort was rebuilt, but fell into disrepair towards the end of the 19th century,
particularly after a new garrison was built west of the original fort in 1841. In 1909 the
city bought the fort and restored it between 1932-34 as part of Toronto's centennial
celebrations. The present buildings at Fort York are a combination of restored original
structures from the 1813-15 period and replica buildings.
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