Labourers from the British Isles settled this area in 1906. They worked at local factories and collected materials such as tar and paper to make shacks, until they could afford to build a proper brick house for their families. Each night during these hard times, Reverend Peter Bryce would walk through the muddy streets of Earlscourt with only a lantern and a pair of boots. This was to offer hope and inspiration to the families of the area. When the neighbourhood became a part of the City of Toronto in 1910, conditions in the area improved greatly, and eventually it became the area we know now.