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36 plaques found that match your criteria
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Fighting Island 1838
On the night of February 23-24, 1838, a small force of "Patriots" was ferried from Detroit to Fighting Island, opposite here, whence an attack against Sandwich was planned. They were joined the following day by "General" Donald McLeod, a British army veteran and former resident of Prescott who brought several hundred supporters from Cleveland. Advised by the American general, Hugh Brady, of the proposed attack, British regulars and Canadian militia in the area moved against... -
First Baptist Church, Puce
The origins of First Baptist Church go back to the 1840s, when black settlers from the United States began to form a farming community in this area. Their numbers increased during the 1850s when the Refugee Home Society purchased lands along the Puce River to sell to freedom-seekers from the American South. Religion played an important role in community life. At first Baptists and Methodists worshipped in the same building, but by the early 1860s... -
James Baby 1763-1833
The first member of Upper Canada's French community to gain prominence in government circles, Baby was born in British-controlled Detroit, the son of a well-established trader. He was educated in Quebec and, after returning to this area, entered the mercantile business. In 1792, through his family's influence, he received lifetime appointments to the Executive and Legislative Councils, Upper Canada's pre-eminent political bodies. Three years later Baby moved from Detroit to the south shore and in... -
Bellevue 1816
This house, one of the finest remaining examples of domestic Georgian architecture in Ontario, was commenced in 1816 and completed about 1819 by Robert Reynolds, the commissary to the garrison at Fort Malden. "Bellevue" was also the home of his sister, Catherine Reynolds, an accomplished landscape painter, who was among the earliest known artists in Upper Canada. Working in pencil, crayon, sepia wash and water colours, she recorded scenes along the Detroit River and Lake... -
Development of Pelee Island, The
The largest in a string of islands in the western end of Lake Erie, Pelee Island forms, together with nearby Middle Island, the southernmost portion of Canada. In 1788, it was leased to Thomas McKee, the son of an influential Indian Department official, by the Ojibwa and Ottawa nations. The island, whose name is derived from the French "pelée," meaning bare, remained largely undeveloped, however, until William McCormick purchased it in 1823. In 1868, it... -
Puce River Black Community
While the first Blacks arrived in the Puce River area during the 1830s, the community owed its existence largely to the Refugee Home Society. This abolitionist organization led by Henry and Mary Bibb offered support to escaped slaves who travelled to this area from the United States through the Underground Railroad by providing opportunities for land ownership and self-sufficiency. Beginning in 1852, families purchased 25-acre farms in Sandwich and Maidstone Townships, from the Society, which... -
Siege of Detroit 1763, The
Shortly after the founding of Detroit in 1701, a village of Ottawa Indians was established on the south shore of the river in this vicinity, and its inhabitants lived on friendly terms with the French garrison and settlers. However, after the British took control of Detroit and other western posts in 1760, relations with the Indians deteriorated. In 1763, the great Ottawa chief, Pontiac, raised a strong confederacy of Indian tribes and attacked several British... -
Skirmishes at the Canard River
In the War of 1812, the first engagement in Canada involving British and American forces in significant numbers occurred here on the Canard River. On July 12, 1812, Brigadier-General William Hull invaded Canada and encamped near Sandwich. The British commander, Lieutenant-Colonel T.B. St. George, consolidated his forces, consisting of regulars of the 41stRegiment, Indians and Canadian militia, at Fort Malden, south of the Canard, and stationed a picquet at the bridge. This outpost was attacked... -
St. John's Church
Following the cession of Detroit to the United States in 1794, and the withdrawal of the British garrison two years later, many residents moved to the Canadian side of the river where they founded the community of Sandwich. Early Anglican services were conducted there by Richard Pollard, sheriff of the Western District. In 1802, he was ordained a deacon and appointed missionary to the settlement. By 1807, a log church had been erected, but it was destroyed by American troops during the War of 1812. It was replaced in 1818-19 by a larger structure that forms a portion of the present church. -
Sandwich First Baptist Church 1851
Eleven freedom seekers from the American south formed the congregation of Sandwich First Baptist Church about 1840, calling themselves the Close Communion of Baptists. It was one of three founding churches of the Amherstburg Baptist Association (1841), a cross-border organization of black Baptists that is still active today. Until 1847, when they built a small log cabin, members of First Baptist worshipped in homes and outdoors. To build this church, they hewed lumber by hand... -
University of Windsor, The
The University takes its origin from Assumption College (Roman Catholic) established here in 1857, and directed by the congregation of St. Basil after 1870. From 1919 to 1953, it was affiliated with the University of Western Ontario, becoming co-educational in 1934 with the formation of Holy Names College. Achieving independent University status in 1953, with Essex College and Holy Redeemer College in affiliation, it became Assumption University of Windsor in 1956. Canterbury College (Anglican) affiliated...