Victoria Square United Church

The beginning of the United Church congregation in Victoria Square dates back to 1832, when the Primitive Methodists first established what was then termed a ''class'' here under the leadership of ''Daddy'' William Haton. This group built a church on the east side of Woodbine, north of Elgin Mills. Around the same time, John Wesley, leader of the Wesleyan Methodists, was initiating a new influence on our way of life. John Wesley was born in England in the 17th century. He and his brother, Charles, preached a strictly disciplined way of life and because of this, they and their followers were known as Methodists. Toronto's early settlers included many Methodists: Egerton Ryerson, Bishop Strachan, and Timothy Eaton for example.