Item 2016.012.01 - Brick

This brick is likely from the brickyard located at the Ontario Reformatory – Mimico which was a branch of the Toronto Central Prison. In 1913, the Government of Ontario who owned the land discovered clay and shale deposits. The Ontario Government saw this as an opportunity to find natural building resources and established The Toronto Brick & Tile Company. The brickyard was then formed as a satellite camp run by the Toronto Central Prison, an adult-male institution located at King and Strachan in Parkdale. In 1915, the prison was closed, and the brickyard was now run by Ontario Reformatory-Guelph. In 1935, the Ontario Reformatory-Guelph merged with another reformatory and The Toronto Brick & Tile Company became the Ontario Brick & Tile Company and redesignated as the Ontario Reformatory-Mimico. In 1969, Ontario Brick & Tile Company closed due to pressure from labour unions that argued that the brickyard was taking jobs from their members.

One source believes that the bricks labeled “Mimico” were from the early 1900s (likely around when the brickyard first opened in 1913). It could also be likely labeled “Mimico” after the brickyard was run by and redesignated as the Ontario Reformatory-Mimico in 1935. So it is possibly it has a manufacturing date anytime between 1913-1969 (when the brickyard closed).