Menu
Search results
360 plaques found that match your criteria
-
Bruce Peninsula Portage
The Bruce Peninsula presents a formidable barrier to water transportation between Lake Huron and southern Georgian Bay. To avoid a difficult detour to the north, aboriginal peoples developed a portage route across the base of the peninsula. The eastern section ran along high ground between here and Colpoy's Bay at Wiarton. West of here were two routes. One ran south across Boat Lake and along the Rankin and Sauble Rivers to Lake Huron. The other... -
Founding of Wiarton, The
In 1855, a town-plot was laid out here on recently acquired Indian Land and named Wiarton, reputedly after the English birthplace of Edmund Head Governor General of Canada (1854-61). Settlement commenced in 1866 and two years later a post office was established. Agricultural prosperity, excellent harbour facilities and extensive sawmilling operations stimulated the community's growth. In 1880, with a population of about 750, it was incorporated as a village. The operation of the Stratford and... -
Founding of Blenheim, The
In 1837 James W. Little, a militia officer and land speculator of neighbouring Raleigh Township, purchased land here at the intersection of Ridge Road and Communication Road, the latter planned by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe to connect the town of Chatham with Lake Erie. Little surveyed a village plot, named Blenheim, but sold few lots before 1847. The completion in that year of Rondeau Harbour and of Communication Road fostered the development of lumbering, and... -
Founding of Bothwell, The
In 1851 George Brown, founder of the Toronto Globe and one of Canada's Fathers of Confederation, purchased about 4,000 acres in this vicinity. The Great Western Railway ran through his property in 1855 and that year a station and a post office were opened. He had the town plot of Bothwell surveyed and by 1857 Brown and others had established several industries. The new community prospered until affected by the general depression of 1857-58 but... -
Mary Ann Shadd Cary 1823-1893
African Americans came to Canada in increasing numbers after the United States passed the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. Some settled in segregated communities: others, like Mary Ann Shadd, promoted full integration into society. A teacher and anti-slavery crusader, Shadd immigrated to Windsor in 1851. She started the "Provincial Freeman" in 1853 to encourage Blacks to seek equality through education and self-reliance. Two years later she moved to the newspaper to Chatham, where it operated... -
Chatham Blockhouse 1794, The
On this site a blockhouse was constructed in 1794 by order of Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe. He planned to establish here a small naval arsenal which would form a link in the defences of Upper Canada's western frontier and also draw the Indian trade from Detroit. The post was garrisoned by a detachment of the Queen's Rangers, and two gunboats were built; but by 1797 it was abandoned. In 1798 the province's Administrator, Peter Russell, had the blockhouse moved to Sandwich to serve as the Western District's court house and gaol. -
Founding of Dresden, The
In 1846, Daniel van Allan, a Chatham merchant, laid out a town plot on land purchased from Jared Lindsley, the first settler (1825) on the site of Dresden. By 1849 the erection of a steam sawmill, and the operation of a grist-mill in the neighbouring Dawn Institute Settlement founded by Josiah Henson, provided the basis for a thriving community in this area. A post office named "dresden" was opened in 1854. The region's timber resources... -
John Brown's Convention 1858
On May 10, 1858, American abolitionist John Brown held the last in a series of clandestine meetings here at First Baptist Church. Brown planned to establish an independent republic within the United States and wage guerrilla war to liberate the South from slavery. He came to Upper Canada to recruit blacks who had fled here in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Law (1850). On October 16, 1859 Brown and 21 supporters seized the government... -
Dawn Settlement, The
In the 1830s, the Reverend Josiah Henson and other abolitionists sought ways to provide refugees from slavery with the education and skills they needed to become self-sufficient in Upper Canada. They purchased 200 acres of land here in 1841 and established the British American Institute, one of the first schools in Canada to emphasize vocational training. The community of Dawn developed around the Institute. Its residents farmed, attended the Institute, and worked at sawmills, grist-mills... -
Kent County Court House
In 1847, the Kent District was established and authority was given for the erection of a court house and jail at Chatham. One year later construction began according to plans submitted by the prominent Canadian architect William Thomas. Designed in the Neo-classical style common to many contemporary public buildings, this well-proportioned white limestone structure features a balustraded balcony above the entrance, a prominent pediment and a crowning cupola. The building was completed in 1850 and... -
James Paris Lee 1831-1904
One of the foremost 19th century arms inventors, Lee was born in Scotland. In 1836 his family came to Canada and settled at Galt. Lee was trained in his father's profession of watchmaker and jeweler, before moving to Wisconsin about 1858, where he began his career as an inventor. His greatest contribution to firearms design was made in 1878 when he completed the development of the "box magazine." Tradition holds that this occurred at Wallaceburg... -
Harry G.B. Miner, V.C. 1891-1918
Born in Raleigh Township, Miner enlisted in the 142nd Battalion, C.E.F. in December, 1915, and the following year transferred to the 58th Battalion, then serving in France. During a Canadian attack near Amiens on August 8, 1918, Corporal Miner rushed a German machine gun post single-handed and turned the gun on the enemy. Later, with two companions, he assaulted another post and put its gun out of action, following which he again attacked alone and... -
New Fairfield 1815
In 1792 Fairfield, a Moravian missionary settlement of Delaware Indians was established by David Zeisberger just north of here across the Thames. It was destroyed by invading American forces following their victory at the Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813. Christian Frederick Denke, who guided the homeless Fairfield Indians during the war years, re-established the mission here at New Fairfield in 1815. A small log church was then built which was replaced by a... -
Founding of Ridgetown, The
By 1826, the earliest settlers on the site of Ridgetown, notably William Marsh, James Watson, Edmund Mitton and Ebenezer Colby, had located in this vicinity. Marsh, the first to arrive, was granted a lease on 200 acres of Clergy Reserve land in 1831. Although the settlement's growth was slow, in 1853 a post office was opened. By 1858, with a population of 300, Ridgetown contained stores, hotels and a mill owned by John Moody, one... -
Fur Trading at Saugeen
The Anishnabe lived by the mouth of the Saugeen River before Pierre Piché arrived in 1818 to begin fur trading in the region. By 1826, the Hudson's Bay Company established an outpost at Saguingue to compete with independent fur traders like Piché. From La Cloche, its main post on Lake Huron, the Hudson's Bay Company employed First Nations, Métis, French and British fur traders who largely depended on Anishnabe hunters to supply deer, bear and... -
General Sir Arthur William Currie 1875-1933
The first Canadian-born general, Currie grew up on a farm in Napperton and attended Strathroy Collegiate Institute. In 1894 he went to Victoria, B.C. where he joined the militia in 1897. At the outbreak of World War I he was given command of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade and went overseas in 1914. He led the 1st Canadian Division at Vimy Ridge in 1917 with the rank of major-general. Later, he was promoted to lieutenant-general... -
Hugh Burnett and the National Unity Association
Between 1948 and 1956, the National Unity Association (NUA) of Chatham, Dresden and North Buxton, under the leadership of Hugh R. Burnett, waged a campaign for racial equality and social justice. Their efforts led to the passage of Ontario's Fair Employment Practices Act (1951) and Fair Accommodation Practices Act (1954), and laid the groundwork for subsequent human rights legislation in Ontario and across Canada. Traditional Anglo-Canadian rights, such as freedom of association and freedom of... -
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, 1872-1918
The distinguished soldier, physician and poet was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario. John McCrae graduated from the University of Toronto in medicine, practised as a pathologist and taught medicine at McGill University in Montreal. In 1899, he served in the South African War as an officer with the Royal Canadian Field Artillery. At the outbreak of the First World War, he re-enlisted with the 1st Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, as its Medical Officer. In... -
M.W. Bro. William Mercer Wilson, 1813-1875
William Mercer Wilson was born in Scotland and immigrated to Upper Canada at the age of 19. He moved to Simcoe where he worked as a court clerk, lawyer, Crown attorney and finally judge for Norfolk County. During the Rebellions of 1837-38, he served in the Norfolk Cavalry and attained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He introduced the first printing press in the district and for two years published the Norfolk Observer. In 1840, Wilson became... -
Wilfrid Laurier University
Founded in 1911 as the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary of Canada, and situated on land donated by the Board of Trade of Waterloo, this institution was originally established to train homegrown Lutheran pastors. It was expanded in 1914 with the creation of Waterloo College School, which included faculties for pre-theological education. In 1924, Waterloo College of Arts was established and the following year it became affiliated with the University of Western Ontario, thus offering its students... -
Banwell Road Area Black Settlement, The
Beginning in the 1830s, at least 30 families fleeing enslavement and racial oppression in the United States settled in the Banwell Road area in Sandwich East. They had the opportunity to purchase land through two Black-organized land settlement programs - the Colored Industrial Society (a mission of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Sandwich East) and the Refugee Home Society (administered by Black abolitionist Henry and Mary Bibb of Maidstone). Freedom and land ownership meant... -
Syl Apps (1915-1998)
Born in Paris, Ontario in 1915, Charles Joseph Sylvanus "Syl" Apps was a professional hockey player, businessman and politician. Throughout his life, Apps displayed remarkable breadth in his abilities and accomplishments. He was a varsity football star and as a pole vaulter won two national championships and competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. During an extraordinary 10-season hockey career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Apps was renowned for his skill and impeccable sportsmanship. He was... -
St. Thomas Canada Southern Railway Station
The St. Thomas Canada Southern (CASO) Station, financed by American railway promoters, was constructed between 1871 and 1873 to serve as both the passenger station for St. Thomas and CASO's corporate headquarters. During the 1920s, the station was one of the busiest in Canada. The Canada Southern rail route through southwestern Ontario ultimately linked Chicago and New York City, and was instrumental in the economic development and growth of St. Thomas. Designed in the Italianate... -
Tom Patterson, 1920-2005
A native of Stratford, Ontario, Tom Patterson grew up during the Great Depression and dreamed of plans that might revitalize his community. After serving in the Second World War and completing university, he worked as an associate editor for a trade publication in Toronto. During the early 1950s, Patterson began discussing plans to establish an internationally renowned Shakespearean festival in his hometown. Although considered a risky venture by some, Patterson gained encouragement from Mayor David... -
Old St. Paul's Church & Christ Church
With the assistance of local parishioners and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, the Reverend Richard Pollard began construction of St. Paul's Church in 1819. Located one kilometre from here on Stanley Street, St. Paul's was the first church in Chatham and the first Anglican church in Kent County, serving the local population which included members of the Black community and the British garrison. By the 1840s, the congregation had outgrown St. Paul's...