Toronto’s First Post Office — Geocache of the Week – Official Blog

💌 We just got a letter! We just got a letter! We just got a letter! I wonder who it’s from?

Welcome to Toronto’s First Post Office and Geocache of the Week (GC7HT4Z)! A little museum tucked away in the heart of Toronto. Here, you can step back in time and even hand-write a letter to a loved one with a quill pen and seal the envelope with red wax after signing the logbook.

Built in 1833 by James Scott Howard (then Postmaster of York), this building functioned as both a post office and his residence. All 9000 residents received mail from the “Duke Street” post office the next year to announce its official incorporation.

Over the next 140 years, this building underwent a series of transformations, serving various purposes. It fell victim to a fire in 1978; however, reconstruction efforts included updates to restore the interior to its original state. In 1981, the building became a National Historic Site of Canada, a testament to its enduring legacy. On its 150th birthday, it was re-opened as a museum and a functioning post office.

This geocache is located inside the building and can be accessed Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

CO yellow.warbler has crafted specific steps and posted them on the cache page. Follow the paper trail of particular steps to find this Letterbox Hybrid:

1. Look for a plaque with historical information about this site at the posted coordinates. What kind of roof is a later edition?
2. Take the number of letters in this word and walk that many steps westward. You should find yourself in front of a set of stairs leading inside the building.
3. Just after you enter, against the left wall, look for somewhere you might want to throw all your bills and junk mail and set them on fire; don’t worry; the flames have long been put out, and you can open the little black door and instead find a cache.

With the cache in hand, it’s time to test your calligraphy skills! A quill and ink wait on the nearby table for all geocachers to use to sign the log.

I have been eyeing this cache for quite some time. After a trip to the oddities and curiosities expo, we took a detour to this amazing historical post office! It happened to be a paper craft fair, and I couldn’t be more delighted!… Thanks for this super cool cache in an excellent location! Stamped a bunch of postcards too 🙂 weeee happiness” –UnicornPoopy

Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world. Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.