In front of the former college building
Commemoration
The cornerstone of this building was laid June 7, 1832, and teaching began in 1836. First operated under a royal charter by the Wesleyan Methodists as the Upper Canada Academy, in 1841 it obtained a provincial charter under the name of Victoria College, giving it power to grant degrees. Victoria’s first president was Reverend Egerton Ryerson newspaper editor and founder of Ontario’s present educational system. In 1890, the college federated with the University of Toronto and, in 1892, left Cobourg.
Background
In 1842, Egerton Ryerson was appointed Principal of the college. Its federation with the University of Toronto was opposed, unsuccessfully, by Cobourg Council.
Weslayan Methodists follow the teachings of John Wesley, an 18th century preacher. The church put down strong roots in North America in the 1760s. It mde its way to Ontario through the United Empire Loyalists