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House of Refuge |
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Following the first European settlement in the 1780s, Ontario, wrestled with problems of destitute residents. Much like today, hardship impacted society's most vulnerable people the most – the unskilled, the elderly, the disabled, women and children.
Established in 1860, the House of Refuge provided shelter for “vagrants, the dissolute, and for idiots.” Houses of Refuge are an important part of Canada’s social fabric and one of the country’s first responses to poverty.
In exchange for labour, the |
destitute were provided with accommodation, clothes and food which they generally produced themselves.
During the major smallpox epidemic of the 1870’s, the House of Refuge became a smallpox hospital. As the danger from smallpox diminished, the hospital transitioned to treating people with other infectious diseases such as diphtheria and scarlet fever.
A separate part of the building housed homeless elderly people during the 1880s and 1890s. The original building was demolished in 1894, and a new structure operating under the name of the Riverdale Isolation Hospital became Toronto’s treatment and teaching centre for infectious diseases in 1904.
By 1903, new legislation required every county in Ontario to have a house of refuge. By the mid 20th century, the hospital was still treating some infectious disease, such as Polio. However, as infectious disease had largely declined, it began to provide care for those with chronic illness. In 1957 the hospital changed its name to The Riverdale Hospital.
Over the years several buildings were constructed on this site. The City’s archaeological survey discovered some small artefacts, including pieces of pottery at the site. Materials from the site are still undergoing analysis, but the survey work at the site was completed in May 2009.
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