A colourful look at Toronto's pioneer roots, tracing the history of three neighbourhoods from their farming days to modern day.

Includes:
Don Mills: From Forests and Farms to Forces of Change
As recently as 1970, wheat crops were grown at Don Mills — and no small amount, but enough to line Toronto’s grocery-store shelves with baked goods. Single-herd milk was also commonplace, thanks to this last vestige of the city’s agricultural past. By 1980, it had been paved over, but Scott Kennedy offers a glimpse of the way things used to be.

200 Years at St. John's York Mills: The Oldest Parish in Toronto
St. John’s Church at York Mills was built in 1816 on land that had been donated by pioneer settlers: a little log building that was the first parish church in the City of Toronto. The brick church that stands there today, completed in 1844 and enlarged over the years, stands as a welcoming place of worship and repository of Canadian history.

Willowdale: Yesterday's Farms, Today's Legacy
In 1855, Willowdale post office opened in Jacob Cummer's store on Yonge Street. Today it is a bustling urban environment. Scott Kennedy recounts the notable stories of what happened in between and who was there as Willowdale evolved into a modern community.

Scott Kennedy witnessed the farms surrounding his North York childhood home being planted with a new cash crop of buildings. He joined the Toronto Musicians' Association in 1969, but as a professional musician he never lost his passion for history. He traces the evolution of a Toronto neighbourhood in his book Willowdale. Scott lives in a Historical Conservation District he helped create in Toronto's Beach neighbourhood.

Scott Kennedy's profile page

A great read for any Torontonian interested in the history of his or her city. And perfect for the former Torontonian as well.

Toronto Sun