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Colonial Advocate, The
This influential journal of radical reform was first published on May 18, 1824, at Queenston by William Lyon Mackenzie. A native of Scotland, Mackenzie had immigrated to Upper Canada in 1820 and three years later settled here and opened a general store. Within a year he had established a printing office in his home on this site, but in November 1824, moved to York (Toronto). Because of Mackenzie's frequent attacks on the "Family Compact", supporters... -
Solomon Moseby Affair 1837, The
The second courthouse and jail of the Niagara District was erected at this site in 1817. Several high-profile cases were tried here, including that of African-American freedom seeker Solomon Moseby. In the spring of 1837, Moseby stole his enslaver's horse and escaped, settling in Niagara. A few weeks later, his new-found freedom was threatened when his enslaver arrived with an arrest warrant and extradition papers. Moseby was detained at this jail while awaiting an extradition... -
David Gibson 1804-1864
This building, a good example of an early Victorian farm-house was completed in 1851 by David Gibson. Born in Glamis Parish, Forfarshire, Scotland, Gibson emigrated to Upper Canada where, in 1825, he was appointed a Deputy Land Surveyor. He was an ardent supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie, and was twice elected as a Reform member to the provincial parliament. One of Mackenzie's chief lieutenants in the unsuccessful Rebellion of 1837, he fled to the United... -
District Court House and Gaol
When the British withdrew from Detroit in 1796, they transferred the courts of the Western District to Sandwich (Windsor). An abandoned blockhouse, relocated from Chatham, served briefly as the court house and gaol until fire destroyed it in 1797. Its replacement, built soon afterwards, was burned by American soldiers during the War of 1812. A brick court house and gaol, completed by 1820, served until 1856 when the present building was constructed. Designed in the... -
District Court House and Gaol 1825
In 1816, the Ottawa District was established and the Courts of Quarter Session, which at that time possessed local administrative as well as judicial authority, were held in the Township of Longueuil. In 1824, Jacob Marston donated a plot of land in this vicinity for the use of a court. By September 1825, the central portion of the present building, constructed by Donald McDonald and Walter Beckworth, contractors, was completed. Designed in the Loyalist Neo-Classic style, this is the oldest remaining court house in the province. Extensive additions were made in 1861-62. -
District Court House and Gaol 1833
The central portion of this building was completed in 1833 and served as the court-house and gaol of the Eastern District. First named Luneburgh, this district was established in 1788 by proclamation. In 1794 an Act of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada authorized the magistrates of the District Court of Quarter Sessions to erect a court-house and gaol at Cornwall. A two-storey frame structure was completed on this site about 1802 and, until destroyed... -
Emily Ferguson Murphy 1868-1933
A leading Canadian feminist, journalist and reformer, Emily Murphy lived in Chatham from 1890 to 1894 when her husband was rector of this church. In 1916 she was appointed police magistrate for Edmonton. Her authority was challenged by a lawyer who claimed that under the British North America Act women were not legal "persons" and could not hold crown appointments. Women's organizations tested the law repeatedly by submitting female candidates for the Senate. All were... -
Emily Howard Jennings Stowe, M.D. 1831-1903
The first female physician to practice medicine in Canada, Emily Jennings was born in Norwich Township to Quaker parents. For some years she taught school, then, in the early l860's she decided to pursue a career in medicine. Refused admission to an exclusively male institution in Toronto, Stowe enrolled in the New York Medical College for women. She received her degree in1867 and, returning to Canada, established a successful practice in Toronto. A passionate advocate... -
Establishment of Free Rural Mail Delivery, The
One of the most significant developments in the history of postal service in Canada, free rural mail delivery was established largely through the efforts of two Ontarians, George Wilcox and Joseph Armstrong. Wilcox, a farmer here in South Norwich Township, roused wide support for the system through numerous newspaper articles and a prolific letter writing campaign. At the same time, following his election in 1904 as the representative for Lambton East, Armstrong became a tireless... -
Chief Francis Pegahmagabow, 1889-1952
Francis Pegahmagabow, an Ojibwe of the Caribou clan, was born in Shawanaga First Nation. He volunteered at the onset of the First World War and served overseas as a scout and sniper with the Canadian Expeditionary Force's 1st Battalion. He was one of 39 Canadian soldiers awarded the Military Medal and two bars for bravery. He is Canada's most decorated Indigenous soldier. After the war, Pegahmagabow settled on Wasauksing First Nation, where he married and... -
Jean Lumb, C.M., 1919-2002
Jean Lumb was born Jean (Toy Jin) Wong in British Columbia, and came to Toronto in 1935. She was soon operating a profitable fruit store and, by 1959, she co-owned the well-reputed Kwong Chow restaurant with her husband, Doyle Lumb. Energetic and outgoing, she established strong links with prominent politicians and, in the 1950s, lobbied successfully for the removal of discriminatory immigration regulations in Canada. Wide-ranging community work earned her numerous honours, including appointments to... -
Jeanne Lajoie, 1899-1930
Jeanne Lajoie, a dedicated teacher and advocate for the establishment of French schools in Ontario, was born in Lefaivre, near Hawkesbury, in 1899. In 1923, Lajoie helped a group of francophone parents to establish the first independent French school in Pembroke. The school ensured that their children were educated in their own language. The creation of L'École Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc was one of the last major events in the Franco-Ontarian struggle against Regulation 17, which from... -
Agnes Campbell MacPhail 1890-1954
The first woman elected to the parliament of Canada was born on a nearby farm in Proton Township. In 1919, women had received the right to sit in the federal house, and in that year Agnes MacPhail joined the United Farmers of Ontario. Elected as a Progressive for Grey in 1921, she retained her seat until 1940. A strong and eloquent speaker, she always maintained her independence from party policies, and was concerned mainly with... -
Belleville City Hall
This imposing structure was erected in 1872-73 to house the public market and administrative offices of the rapidly expanding municipality of Belleville. It was designed by John Evans, a local architect, and constructed by contractor John Forin. A fine example of High Victorian architecture, the handsome brick and limestone structure was built as an expression of civic pride and confidence in the future. It is distinguished by tall, arched windows on the second floor, a... -
Camp Borden
Camp Borden was established during the First World War as a major training centre of Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions. The Camp (including this structure) was officially opened by Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defence, on July 11, 1916, after two months of intensive building. This military reserve, comprising over twenty square miles, was soon occupied by some 32,000 troops. Training facilities were expanded in 1917 with the institution of an air training program... -
Campbell's Raid 1814
On May 14, 1814, about 800 American regulars and militia under Lieutenant-Colonel John Campbell disembarked nearby the mouth of the Lynn River. The following day, meeting no opposition, they burnt the settlements of Dover and Ryerse's Mills and ravaged the surrounding countryside. Private dwellings were destroyed and livestock slaughtered. Campbell claimed that he acted in retaliation for similar raids against Buffalo and other points on the Niagara frontier by troops under British command. A Court... -
Charles Clarke 1826-1909
A leader in the radical reform movement in 19th century Ontario, Clarke was born in Lincoln, England. In his youth, he developed a keen interest in politics and, after emigrating to Upper Canada and settling in Elora in 1848, he joined the ranks of the province's radical reformers. In 1851, Clarke played a prominent role in drafting the "Clear Grit" platform, which included such policies as representation by population, universal male suffrage and the secret... -
Colonel Anthony Van Egmond 1778-1838
A native of Holland and veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, Van Egmond settled in this region in 1828. Under the general supervision of Dr. William "Tiger" Dunlop, he constructed the newly surveyed Huron Road for the Canada Company. A large landowner in the Huron Tract, Van Egmond became strongly dissatisfied with the Company's policies and in 1835 stood, unsuccessfully, as a Reform candidate for election to the provincial legislature. A supporter of William Lyon Mckenzie... -
Colonel Thomas Hornor 1767-1834
Born in New Jersey, Hornor first came to Upper Canada in 1793 and visited the unsettled township of Blenheim. Disposing of his holdings in the United States, he emigrated to Blenheim in 1795. That year, he completed (on lot 15, concession 1) the first sawmill, and in 1802 the first grist-mill, in what is now Oxford County. In 1800, he was appointed a justice of the peace for the London District and registrar for Oxford... -
District Capital 1815-1825, The
In 1800, the London District was formed and justices of the peace possessing administrative and judicial powers were appointed for this area. In 1815, the courts, then held at Charlotteville (Turkey Point) were moved to the new judicial centre at Tisdale's Mills (Vittoria). Here, a committee consisting of John Backhouse, Thomas Talbot and Robert Nichol was named to supervise the construction of a court-house and jail. This building was used both by the courts and... -
District Court House and Gaol 1832
An act of the legislature of Upper Canada in 1831 named Prince Edward County as a separate judicial district. Land for a court house in Picton was given by the Rev. William Macaulay and construction began late in 1832. Two years later, in this fine structure, built in the Greek Revival style, the first courts of quarter session of the new district were held. John A. Macdonald, later a "Father of Confederation" and Canada's first... -
District Court House and Gaol 1843
This excellently proportioned structure was designed in the neoclassical style by Malcolm McPherson of Perth. Its notable architectural features are the "floating" semi-circular headed transoms of the central second-storey windows and the temple design. The latter was common to all important public buildings of the period, and is here reflected in the dominating pediment and the well-defined projection of the central block. The building was erected 1842-43 as the court-house and gaol of the Bathurst... -
District Court House and Jail
In 1838, the District of Colborne was established and Peterborough selected as the "district town." In June of that year, the district magistrates, with the Hon. Thomas Stewart presiding, authorized the construction of a court house and jail. Joseph Scobell's plans for the building were accepted and the foundation stone was laid by Sir George Arthur, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, on August 25, 1838. At a cost of over £7,000, the court house was completed in 1840 and the jail in 1842 with stone quarried from Jackson's Park, adding to the community structures of notable size and design. -
Dr. Augusta Stowe Gullen 1857-1943
Canada's first woman graduate in medicine was born in Mount Pleasant. She attended the Toronto School of Medicine, received her degree from Victoria University in 1883, and was licensed to practise. Her mother, Dr. Emily Howard Stowe, had graduated in New York State in 1868, and after a prolonged struggle for recognition had been licenced to practise medicine in 1880, thus becoming Canada's first woman doctor. Both were ardent feminists, and devoted themselves to the... -
Dr. Charles Duncombe 1791-1867
This house was built in 1848 by Dr. Elijah Duncombe, brother of Dr. Charles Duncombe. The latter, born in Connecticut, came to Upper Canada in 1819 and settled on this property shortly thereafter. In 1824, with Dr. John Rolph, he opened at St. Thomas the province's first medical school, named "The Talbot Dispensatory" in honour of Col. Thomas Talbot. Charles Duncombe later moved to Burford Township and in 1830, was elected to the legislature as...