Cumberland
House is a Victorian house nestled in the park behind the
For many years, Dr. T.D. Cumberland, the Superintendent of
the asylum lived in the house with his wife and 2 children, hence the name
"Cumberland House". I'm told his son, Dr. T.J. Cumberland, was
a dentist in Mimico and his daughter is Nora Cumberland Pownell,
who is quite active in the community. After Dr. Cumberland retired, Dr. Moorhouse became the Superintendent, but his young son did
not want to live on the hospital grounds, so he moved to Applewood
Acres. The Cumberland House was then renovated and became an out-patient
clinic run by Dr. Bow.
The house by the gate was occupied by Dr. Carson, The
Assistant Superintendent, for many years.
One of Dr. Carson’s secretaries was Mildred Sanford McDevitt. She worked for him for 15 years. The
There was also another house closer to the lake, which was
actually the original powerhouse. When
the new powerhouse was built, the original was turned into a residence that was
occupied by Dr. Easton. That house has since been torn down.
I'm not sure of the origins of the first picture below, date
is unknown. A similar picture (likely the same) is pictured in the book, Villages
of Etobicoke. Ron Brown also has a picture in his book, Toronto's
Lost Villages. However, neither book describes the origins of the
house. The picture on the right was taken in 2003; the building as it is
the Jean Tweed Centre.
