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THE HOSPITAL HISTORY PROJECT

Mimico Asylum - Lakeshore psychiatric hospital

Sepia toned historic photograph of the bridge at th entry to the former Mimico Asylum
Black and white historic photograh of the former women's gazebo that once stood along the shoreline of Lake Ontario

1890 - 1979

Rebuilding History

Following the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital's closure in 1979, the bulk of its records were not preserved.

The Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre is working to rebuild the lost information and provide a resource through which visitors can explore the history of the institution. Our staff and volunteers are systematically making their way through publicly accessible records on a decade-by-decade basis. As the the chronology progresses, they will be sharing what they have learned on this site. 

Rather than a static resource, you are engaging with history in action!

Most Recent Additions

At the end of March 2019 we launched this project by reviewing materials published in the 1880s. Work has continued in the interim to review materials published in the 1890s and we are now working our way into the twentieth century. 

The site currently draws primarily from the following records:

  • Annual Reports of the Toronto and Mimico Asylums

  • Toronto-based Newspapers (The Globe and The Star)

  • Architectural Plans from the 1880s

All materials consulted for the Hospital History Project are listed on the Sources page. Flip through the annual reports or read the newspaper articles - we've provided direct links to all material available online. History is yours to explore!

Sections

Historic view of people sitting on porch of a brick cottage at the Mimico Asylum
Historic view of the brick Administration Building of the Mimico Asylum
Historic view of two cottages of the Mimico Asylum

Timeline

Timeline of major events in the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital's history

A Comment about Language

When discussing the history of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, we have used vocabulary that was appropriate to the period. For example, instead of "mental health centre" we refer to the institution as the "asylum" in the 19th century and "hospital" in the 20th century; similarly instead of "mental illness" we have used the term "insanity" when referring to periods when this term was commonly used.

The Hospital History Project records ongoing research focused on the history of the Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital. Content is currently being added on a decade-by-decade basis.

For an update on the project, please visit the project's home page.

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info@lakeshoregrounds.ca

416-675-6622 ext. 3801

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