Image of Long Branch Hotel

As noted in a previous post, on one occasion I mistook a photo of the Eastwood Park Hotel for the Long Branch Hotel. I recently came across a copy of Villages of Etobicoke (1985), which features an image of the hotel. It’s an interesting book but when it comes to dates and details, I wouldn’t […]

1955 Villa Road photo includes a 1954 GMC pick-up in the driveway

I’m very pleased to share a photo from Sandy Bray, which I have posted with permission. That’s Sandy Bray at age 2 along with her father, Jim Bray, 22 years old in the photo. They lived on the south side of Villa Road from 1955 to 1963. You can click on the photo to enlarge […]

Construction proceeds along Lake Shore Blvd. West

For any of the photos below, you can enlarge them by clicking on them. Click again to enlarge them further. Use ‘Back’ button on your browser to return to the page you are now reading. The photos are a companion piece to a previous blog. From a conversation overheard at about 9:45 pm on Oct. […]

We’ve shared recent stories about Long Branch (Toronto not New Jersey) in the 1930s

I send out a message about once a week to an email distribution list, which I set up around November 2010 at the start of the Parkview School project, which I became involved in by happenstance. Email distribution list Sometimes the message is sent out once a week, sometimes more, and sometimes less. Contact me […]

Interview with Bernice Law (nee Butterfield), who grew up in Long Branch in the 1930s

As I’ve explained at a Comment in another post, I did an interview on Oct. 18, 2013 with Bernice Law (nee Butterfield), who was born in 1924 and lived at 86 Forty First Street, at a house that her father built. I’ve done several previous interviews with her. Now that I’m getting up to speed […]

During construction along Lake Shore Blvd. West, be wary of turns onto, or off of, Lake Shore (2 collisions observed in Long Branch)

During the past two days I’ve observed two car collisions – at least one of them involving personal injury – on Lake Shore Blvd. West east of Brown’s Line. The situation is as follows 1. Traffic is constricted along the construction route. Less space is available than otherwise to handle the usual flow of traffic. […]

Long Branch was a great place to be an adolescent, Alistair Thomson reports

Alistair Thomson has posted some great comments regarding Long Branch (Toronto not New Jersey) at the following post: A Long Branch resident passed along to Barry Kemp this photo of the Eastwood Park Hotel To access his observations, go to the Comments at the end of the above-noted link. In a subsequent email Alistair Thomson […]

Lost Cat Whiskers is back at home

“I was just making a poster to take around this afternoon,” Roxanne, at Fortieth and Villa Road, reported. “When Mike called to tell me that Rebecca found Whiskers hiding in the bushes in her backyard!” Rebecca lives across the street on Villa Road. “So we have a happy ending to the drama,” Roxanne added. “I just […]

1905 survey map shows buildings at Colonel Samuel Smith homestead site

I recently spoke with two former Long Branch residents, Jim Bray and his daughter Sandy Bray, who have filled me in on details, that I was not aware of, related to the barns at the Colonel Samuel Smith homestead site. Jim Bray has also shared some comments at a couple of recent blog posts related […]

Our Lost Cat Whiskers (Message from Villa Road & Fortieth in Long Branch)

The following message is from Roxanne at Villa Road & Fortieth: This is a picture of Whiskers. I will try to find some others, but this is the most recent. She is a long haired black, spayed, 2.5 year old female. She has a white patch on her chest and a white back paw. Whiskers […]