Finch
In 1830 John Finch leased the inn "The Bird in the Hand", on the west side of what is now Yonge Street just north of Finch Avenue, from John Montgomery. Later he purchased a lot on the northeast corner and built a two storey frame hotel. "Finch's Hotel" was operated by many innkeepers until 1873, when it was demolished. During its early years, a travelling circus performed on the grounds.
The original settlement had begun in 1797, when Jacob Cummer, from Pennsylvania, acquired land in this area. His son, John, later owned a farm at the northwest corner of Yonge and Finch.
Plaque via Gilda Spitz and Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.