Flash Bazbo
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- Feb 17, 2017
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Here is a mysterious plaque, located above 433 Parliament Street in Toronto, (between Gerrard Street East and Carlton Street; above the 'Freedom Mobile' store, with an orange and white sign):
"Lepper's Block 1885"
I couldn't find any other images, nor any written articles, about this plaque on the Internet, so I had a passer-by take a photograph of it for me, and send it to me by e-mail. I hate cell phones, and refuse to use them.
The information below is my best guess, with reference to this landmark:
In 1885, Parliament Street would have been on the eastern 'outskirts' of Toronto, with the Provincial Parliament buildings located further south, at Front Street; the original Parliament buildings during Colonial days had been one street west, on Berkley Street, but these were burned to the ground, in 1813, during the War of 1812. In 1885, Toronto was best known for being the largest alcohol distillery center in North America, so saloons and brothels were probably found in abundance, like in any 'Western' movie, with sheriffs, outlaws, and madams abounding.
"Lepper's" is probably a mispelling of "Leper's", referring to those with communicable diseases such as typhoid, leprosy, etc., and perhaps for various 'non white' immigrants, who would have been segregated to one part of town, with the wide Parliament Street separating them from the Irish, one step above them in the Social status pyramid. The stone cutter would most likely have had no formal education, beyond having parts of The Bible read to him, so his spelling would have been no better than a Millenial's Tweet or text message.
Most likely, a 'shanty town' of shacks and lean-to's would have formed a bustling ghetto, with footpaths through the scrub brush to the nearest source of available potable water, The Don River, likely also used for bathing, washing clothes, and disposing of liquid and solid human waste, not unlike the Ganges River of India today, but without the crocodiles to devour floating corpses.
Ironically, this same street today is the dividing line between the gentrified Cabbagetown neighborhood, and the low income housing projects of Regent Park.
Or, something like that. It's a believable Urban Legend, if nothing else.
"Lepper's Block 1885"
I couldn't find any other images, nor any written articles, about this plaque on the Internet, so I had a passer-by take a photograph of it for me, and send it to me by e-mail. I hate cell phones, and refuse to use them.
The information below is my best guess, with reference to this landmark:
In 1885, Parliament Street would have been on the eastern 'outskirts' of Toronto, with the Provincial Parliament buildings located further south, at Front Street; the original Parliament buildings during Colonial days had been one street west, on Berkley Street, but these were burned to the ground, in 1813, during the War of 1812. In 1885, Toronto was best known for being the largest alcohol distillery center in North America, so saloons and brothels were probably found in abundance, like in any 'Western' movie, with sheriffs, outlaws, and madams abounding.
"Lepper's" is probably a mispelling of "Leper's", referring to those with communicable diseases such as typhoid, leprosy, etc., and perhaps for various 'non white' immigrants, who would have been segregated to one part of town, with the wide Parliament Street separating them from the Irish, one step above them in the Social status pyramid. The stone cutter would most likely have had no formal education, beyond having parts of The Bible read to him, so his spelling would have been no better than a Millenial's Tweet or text message.
Most likely, a 'shanty town' of shacks and lean-to's would have formed a bustling ghetto, with footpaths through the scrub brush to the nearest source of available potable water, The Don River, likely also used for bathing, washing clothes, and disposing of liquid and solid human waste, not unlike the Ganges River of India today, but without the crocodiles to devour floating corpses.
Ironically, this same street today is the dividing line between the gentrified Cabbagetown neighborhood, and the low income housing projects of Regent Park.
Or, something like that. It's a believable Urban Legend, if nothing else.
