From Village Square to Commercial District

Agincourt was once called Hero Town by the citizens who lived there. It was officially founded in 1858 by John Hill, who opened the town’s first post office in his existing general store in June. The neighbourhood started as a small farming village in the late 1800’s, with mostly English and Scottish settlers living in it.

A black and white photograph featuring a two story white townhome with two small windows on the second floor, two large windows on the ground floor under a veranda, separated by a large door on a wide street with other homes, a picket fence, trees and a large power line. Seated in front of the windows are a woman and two young children to the left, and four dark figures to the right.

Unassuming at first, this photograph is suspected to be of John Hill’s post office and general store in the 1920s.

Agincourt grew slowly at first, with residents building around what is now Brimley Road and Sheppard Avenue East. By the late 1860s, John Hill’s general store, Milne’s sawmill and the Sons of Temperance Hall helped Agincourt grow into a crossroad community.

The first railway station in Agincourt opened in 1871. It allowed more people to settle along Main Street to Church Street, now known as Sheppard Avenue East and Midland Avenue. By 1884, the community of Agincourt had two railways–the Toronto Nipissing-Grand Trunk-CNR line that ran north to south between Kennedy Road and Midland Avenue, and the Ontario-Quebec-CPR line that ran diagonally through the community just east of Midland Avenue.

A black and white photograph of a barn-like structure with large black text reading Agincourt. The structure sits next to train tracks and depicts the one of the first railway stations in Agincourt.

Agincourt Station that would later support the expansion of the town and the introduction of passenger rail.

A black and white photograph from the Toronto Star newspaper showing the frontage of the Knox United Church on Midland and Sheppard Avenue East in Scarborough.

The Knox (formerly Presbyterian) United Church that served the Agincourt community.

After World War II, the 1950’s postwar baby boom transformed Agincourt from a small rural community to a larger town in order to meet the demands of its increase in population.

Changes to Canada’s immigration laws in the 1970s opened the country’s doors to more diverse populations. Agincourt began seeing many immigrants choosing to settle in the town. More people from China and other parts of Asia would eventually migrate to Agincourt due to political strains or for economic opportunity. They used food to bring with them a sense of home, creating a community for themselves while connecting with others.

People from all over are starting to come, so [we decided] let’s just be bilingual! So we let [our material] be Chinese and English, not only Chinese or only English.

– Ernie McCullough from Sheppard East Village BIA

Before Agincourt A Tense History