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Mike CrisolagoMike Crisolago
I am a 29-year old Toronto-based journalist and writer who has a passion for theatre, literature, history and baseball...

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For a 176-year old building, Toronto?s first post office looks pretty good. Unfortunately, according to postal clerk Meredith Hogan, many Torontonians don?t even know it?s there.

The building, restored to its colonial appearance, plays host to local students on a regular basis. But this weekend, the rest of Toronto has an opportunity to step back in time.

?We?re in all the travel guides so we get a lot of international visitors, but we don?t have as high a profile in Toronto,? Hogan said.

The front room boasts replicas of the glass-fronted P.O. boxes that dignitaries such as William Lyon Mackenzie and Egerton Ryerson used. The Model Room has a topographical model of Toronto circa 1837 alongside vintage photos and writing paraphernalia from that era.

The Reading Room, however, remains the biggest hit. That?s where visitors can write a letter using an authentic quill pen and ink well. Staff will even seal it with imported Scottish sealing wax. And yes, you can mail your letter anywhere in the world. It?ll only cost you a dollar.

The weekend activities have attracted ?fantastic? crowds so far, which Hogan hopes will help raise the profile of one of Toronto?s most venerable institutions.

?It?s either international visitors or grade three students who know about us,? Hogan said, ?so it?s really positive and we?re really happy for the turnout.?