Historical Plaques of
Middlesex County

In one of several concentrations of British troops in Upper Canada various infantry and artillery units were stationed on a military reserve here during the mid-19th century. The garrison, which contributed significantly to the economic growth of London, was first established in 1839 to guard against border raids following the Rebellion of 1837. Although its troops were withdrawn in 1853 to serve in the Crimean War, and military duties were assumed by pensioners, it was re-occupied by British regulars in 1862 when the American Civil War posed a threat to the province. To help repulse an expected invasion of Fenians, militant Irish sympathizers, the garrison remained active until 1868. Six years later, this part of the old military reserve was set aside as Victoria Park.

The opening of a railway station near here in 1854 on the recently completed Great Western main line from Niagara Falls to Windsor provided the nucleus around which a community was soon established. In that year John Tucker and Robert Thompson registered subdivisions and a post office named "Newbury" was opened. The community flourished and by 1857, with a population of almost 500, it contained hotels, stores, sawmills, a gristmill, a foundry and several other small industries. The development of lumbering stimulated the growth of Newbury which by a county by-law of June 7, 1872, was incorporated as a village with a population of about 800. The fist council was elected in January, 1873.

In 1830 James Buchanan, the British Consul at New York City, acquired a tract of 1200 acres of unsettled land in Adelaide Township. He transferred control of the property to his son, John Stewart Buchanan (1815-1875), who settled there within the next two years. By 1836 John had built a sawmill and grist-mill on the Sydenham River. These pioneer industries formed the nucleus of a settlement which was named Strathroy by James Buchanan after his birthplace in County Tyrone, Ireland. The construction of a branch line of the Great Western Railway through Strathroy in 1856 further stimulated the community’s development, and it was incorporated in 1860.

Born near Strathroy of Irish parents, Blake, a distinguished lawyer and brilliant orator, was elected in 1867 both to the Canadian parliament for West Durham and to the Ontario legislature for South Bruce. After serving as leader of the Liberal opposition in the provincial house, he became Ontario’s second prime minister in 1871, but resigned his provincial seat the following year. Blake served as federal minister of justice in Alexander Mackenzie’s cabinet and was recognized as a foremost authority on constitutional law. In 1892 he went to the United Kingdom where for fifteen years he served as an Irish Nationalist member in parliament. Disabled by illness in 1907, he returned to Canada.

One of Canada’s most distinguished soldiers, Currie was born on a farm some three miles from here 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 and shortly after became General Officer Commanding the Canadian Corps. On his return to Canada he was promoted to the rank of full General. From 1920 until his death he served as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University.

In 1832 and 1833 a considerable number of retired veterans of the British Army and Navy, some of whom had commuted their pensions for land, settled in this area. Largely members of the Church of England, their spiritual welfare was at first cared for by the rector of Adelaide township, the Reverend Dominick Edward Blake. In 1840 one of these settlers, Lieutenant Charles Preston, donated land for a church and burying ground, and this frame building was constructed about 1843. St. Mary’s is the oldest remaining church in Middlesex County. It was consecrated by Bishop Benjamin Cronyn in 1860, and many of the original settlers lie buried in the adjacent churchyard.

In 1829 a group of fugitive Negro slaves in Cincinnati decided to seek a more secure refuge in Canada. In 1830, with the help of Quakers in Oberlin, Ohio, they purchased 800 acres of land in this vicinity from the Canada Company. A settlement was established, the first in Biddulph Township, and groups from New England and New York State joined those from Ohio. By 1833 there were thirty-two families, two schools and a sawmill in this settlement, which was named after the great British abolitionist William Wilberforce. One of the earliest Negro colonies in Upper Canada, its population dwindled rapidly in the 1840's although some families remained for more than a generation.

The founding of this community coincided with the construction of the section of the Grand Trunk Railway line from St. Mary's to Point Edwards, begun in 1858 and completed a year later. In 1861 David Craig and W.G. Shipley registered subdivisions and a post office was opened. Adopting the name of a small Scottish island, Ailsa Craig, the settlement flourished as the centre for the fertile surrounding region. In 1870 it had a population of 500 and contained hotels, stores, mills and several other small industries. By this time Ailsa Craig had become the site of the largest cattle market west of London. By a Provincial Act of December 21, 1874, the community became an incorporated Village, and the first council met on January 19, 1875.

Born on a nearby farm, Ontario's fifth prime minister was for many years a teacher and a school inspector in Middlesex County. He was elected to the federal parliament in 1872 as Liberal member for Middlesex West. In 1883, he entered the Ontario government as minister of education under Oliver Mowat. When A.S. Hardy retired in 1899, G.W. Ross became prime minister of Ontario and provincial treasurer. His government, 1899-1905, promoted distribution of hydro-electric power and the construction of a provincial railway for northern Ontario. Appointed to the Senate in 1907, he was its Liberal leader from 1911 until his death. Ross was knighted for his public service in 1911.

The opening of a railway station near here in 1860 on the recently completed Grand Trunk line from Guelph to Sarnia provided the nucleus around which a community soon became established. A post-office named Westwood (renamed Swainby in 1861 and Park Hill in 1863) was opened that year. In 1861 a village plot was laid out by William Kelly. Growth was slow until 1865 when a bonus subscribed by the citizens induced John Harrison to build a steam-powered grist-mill. Other industries, including a brickyard and a foundry, soon followed, and by 1891 Parkhill was a thriving community of about 1500 people. It became an incorporated village on January 1, 1872, and a town fourteen years later.

A pioneer in the study and treatment of mental illness, Bucke was born in Norfolk, England and raised near here. He graduated from the McGill College medical school in 1862, after spending several adventure-filled years in the American West, and from 1877 until his death he served as superintendent of the London Asylum for the Insane. During his tenure at this hospital, Bucke attracted widespread attention for his progressive theories on emotional disorders and his innovative care of mental patients. Inspired by the writings of Walt Whitman, the American poet whose biography he later wrote, he also devoted himself to far-reaching philosophical speculations. With the publication in 1901 of his celebrated book, Cosmic Consciousness, Bucke became recognized as a leading interpreter of the mystical experience.

This noted Canadian artist was born in this city and about 1875 had a studio on Richmond Street in the marble works operated by his father. After studying in Philadelphia and at the Royal Academy Schools, London, England, he moved to Paris in 1887 where he worked under such prominent painters as Gérôme, Boulanger and Constant. Peel is represented in the National Gallery of Canada by "Mother Love", "A Venetian Bather" and other canvases. Examples of his work are also to be found in the civic galleries of London, Toronto, Vancouver and in other public and private collections. After a short but brilliant career, Peel died in Paris in 1892.

Born in London, Ontario, Peel became one of the most prominent Canadian painters of the French academic school of painting and among the first to gain an international reputation. He studied art in Philadelphia, London, England, and Paris where he was influenced by the current European fashion for polished brush technique and subjects taken from everday life. In 1890 his most famous painting, After The Bath, was awarded a medal at the Paris Salon. He returned to Canada twice to exhibit his work and was elected a fellow of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1890.

Nè à London (Ontario), Peel fut l'un des plus importants peintres canadiens de la tradition académique française, ainsi que l'un des premiers à se mériter une renommée mondiale. lI étudia la peinture à Philadelphie et à Londres, puis à Paris oú il fur influencé par la peinture de genre, alors à la mode en Europe. En 1890, sa fameuse toile Aprés le bain lul mérita une médaille au Salon de Paris. Revenue deux fois au Canada pour exposer ses oeuvres, il fut un membre de la Royal Canadian Academy of Arts en 1890.

Erected in 1830, this building was modelled after Malahide Castle, near Dublin, Ireland, the ancestral home of Colonel Thomas Talbot, founder of the Talbot Settlement. The site was a part of the town plot set aside by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe after his visit to The Forks in February, 1793, Here he proposed to locate the provincial capital.

En 1830, le colonel Talbot, fondateur de la colonie Talbot, lît érîgé cet édifice d'après le modèle de Malahide Castle, près de Dublin, sa maison ancestrale. L'emplacement faisait partie du lotissement urbain réservé par le lieutenant-gouverneur John Grave Simcoe, lors de sa visite à - The Forks -, en février 1793. C'est ici qu'il projetait d'établir la capitale provinciale.

The nave and tower of this church were designed in English Gothic Revival style by architect William Thomas and constructed in 1844-46. Previously the Anglican congregation had held services in a wooden structure on the site. It had been opened in 1834 but was destroyed by fire ten years later. The first resident missionary to serve the London area was the Reverend E.J. Boswell who arrived in 1829. He was succeeded by the Reverend Benjamin Cronyn in 1833. In 1857 the Diocese of Huron was created and St. Paul's designated as its cathedral. Here for the first time in the British Empire a synod elected a bishop. Extensively altered in 1892-94, the building remains one of London's outstanding landmarks.

An outstanding Presbyterian and missionary and church leader, William Proudfoot was born near Peebles, Scotland and educated at the University of Edinburgh. Ordained in 1813, he served in Scotland until 1832 when he came to Upper Canada. A year later he settled in London. An energetic, authoritative man, Proudfoot made numerous preaching tours and organized congregations and missionary stations throughout Upper Canada and in the United States. In 1834 he founded the Missionary Presbytery of the Canadas in connection with the United Secession Church of Scotland and in 1844 he opened a divinity school in London to train Canadian clergy. Proudfoot wrote extensively on religious and secular matters and his diaries and letters provide a valuable account of 19th century life in Upper Canada.

This Ordnance Survey stone marks the
north-east corner of the former Military
Lands where units of the British Garrisons
were stationed between 1838 and 1868.
In 1873 the Ordnance Lands became the
property of the municipality and Victoria
Park was created in the area to the
south of Central Avenue. The Fair Grounds
occupied the northern section until moving
to the Queen's Park site in 1887. Carling's
Creek, which flowed to the west below
this point, was dammed to form Lake
Horn.

Erected by the City of London and the
London & Middlesex Historical Society

The son of a Congregationalist minister, Blackburn was born in London, England. After some experience in journalism he immigrated to Canada West (now Ontario) in 1850 and joined the staff of The Star in Paris. Two years later he purchased a small London weekly, The Canadian Free Press, from its founder, William Sutherland. Blackburn's keen business sense and flair for political writing made this newspaper a success. In 1855 he began a daily, The London Free Press and Daily Western Advertiser - later, The London Free Press. He also controlled The Ingersoll Chronicle and helped found The Mail in Toronto. An ardent liberal who later became an equally fervent conservative, he was one of the province's most influential newspaper publishers.

The college was founded by the Right Reverend Benjamin Cronyn who, following his election in 1857 as first Anglican Bishop of Huron, saw the need for a theological school and institution for advanced studies to serve the rapidly expanding population of the region. He selected Archdeacon Isaac Hellmuth to raise funds in England and Canada, and Huron College was incorporated in May 1863. Under Hellmuth's capable direction 1863-66 the institution provided theological training and a course in liberal arts. In 1877 the professors and alumni of this college, strongly supported by Hellmuth, proposed the establishment of the Western University of London, founded in 1878, with which Huron became affiliated in 1881.

About 1500 A.D. a Prehistoric Neutral (late Ontario Iroquois) Indian village occupied this site. Archaeological excavations suggest that it was an agricultural community covering 4-5 acres and housing approximately 1,000 inhabitants in communal longhouses. Strategically located so that protection was provided by steep slopes leading down to Medway River and Snake Creek, the village was heavily fortified in exposed areas by palisades, earthworks, ditches and lookout platforms stockpiled with rocks. Although the existence of the site was known in the nineteenth century, the first extensive excavations were undertaken in 1921-23 at which time it was named after the Lawson family who then owned the property. In 1969 this land was donated to the University of Western Ontario to ensure preservation of this important heritage resource.

On May 24, 1881, one of Canada's worst marine disasters occurred on the Thames River near this site. The "Victoria", a small, double-decked stern-wheeler commanded by Captain Donald Rankin, was conducting holiday excursion trips between London and Springbank Park. On a return trip to London the boat was dangerously overcrowded with more than 600 passengers. Oblivious of the danger, the crowd repeatedly shifted from side to side, resulting in flooding and a precarious rocking motion of the boat. It finally heeled over and the boiler crashed through the bulworks, bringing the upper-deck and large awning down upon the struggling crowd. The "Victoria" sank immediately and at least 182 people, the majority from London, lost their lives.

The museum commemorates the magnificent fighting reputation which members of the FIRST HUSSARS won in South Africa, and in Northwest Europe during two World Wars, and also pays tribute to those Canadian comrades who gave their lives in the cause of freedom. From its modest beginnings in 1856 as the 1st London Volunteer Troop of Calvary, consolidation into a regiment in 1872, and designation as the FIRST HUSSARS in 1892, this combat unit earned thirty-four Battle Honours.

This building, typical of military
architecture of its period, was
built in 1886 to provide quarters
for the recently authorized "D"
Company, Infantry School Corps, an
early step in the development of
the permanent forces of Canada. In
1901, after three changes, the Corps
was renamed the Royal Canadian
Regiment. Regimental Headquarters
moved here in 1923.
During the years 1914-18 and
1939-45 while the regiment was
on active service the building
was used for recruiting, training
and demobilization. The Regiment
returned to the Barracks in 1953.

Grosvenor Lodge is one of the best examples of the country estates that were developed on the outskirts of London in the prosperous mid-1850's.

This building is a monument to two early citizens of London, both of whom played important roles in the City's development. Samuel Peters came to Canada as a surveyor in 1835, but soon established himself in London as an entrepreneur who, like so many of his contemporaries, explored various lines of business: he ran a grocery store, a distillery, a abattoir, and he invested his earnings in real estate, so that he eventually owned considerable tracts of land. He owned and developed Petersville, the area west of Blackfriar's Bridge. He also created a country estate for himself and his family, and there in 1853 built Grosvenor Lodge as the family home.

The house was designed by his nephew Samuel Peters, Jr., also a surveyor who had maintained the practice of his initial profession. The younger Peters was London's first city engineer and was one of its earliest architects. In these three capacities, he proved largely responsible for the layout and the appearance of the early city.

Grosvenor Lodge is witness to the architectural skill of Samuel Peters Jr.. In plan, it provides a good example of a substantial Georgian residence of the period, but its facade, inspired by a manor house in the Peters' native Devonshire, is one of the best examples of the Tudor Revival Style in Ontario.

Called Askunesippi (Antlered River) by the
Natives and later La Tranche (The Ditch)
by the French, the Thames River was renamed
in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves
Simcoe after its namesake in England.
Originating in Perth and Oxford counties
respectively, it north and south branches
merge at London eventually to empty into
Lake St. Clair. The river has been a focal
point for commercial and recreational
activities in the communities through
which it flows.

Erected by the Historic Sites Committee of
the London Public Library Board. June, 1997.

Theatre has had a long tradition in London starting in 1839 with the opening of a British Army Garrison Theatre. Local productions and travelling shows appeared in a variety of locations until 1880 when the Grand Opera House at King and Richmond was opened. It was leased by C.J. Whitney, a Detroit theatre promoter who booked the biggest acts of the day including Henry Irving, Annie Pixley, and Sarah Bernhardt. The Grand burned in 1900 and was replaced by Whitney and his partner Torontonian Ambrose Small with this building completed in 1901. With 1850 seats, it was one of the largest theatres in Ontario. The proscenium arch, the side boxes and the two balconies were typical of touring houses of the day. Small's disappearance a few hours after selling his theatre chain in 1919 remains a mystery to this day.

Famous Players bought the building in 1924 and converted it to a movie theatre though it always remained more popular as an amateur theatre; in 1945, the local amateur theatre company, the London Little Theatre, bought the Grand where they had been performing since 1934. Many Londoners acted in, directed and worked behind the scenes of the nearly 250 LLT productions. Many received national awards at the Dominion Drama Festival competitions, particularly during Peter Dearling's years as artistic director (1957-1968).

The LLT turned professional in 1971 under the name Theatre London, later renamed the Grand Theatre. A massive renovation which saw most of the building demolished except for the arch and the stage, was completed in 1978.

Built in 1882 for Charles Goodhue, Waverley is one of the mansions that made Grand Avenue a showpiece of London during the late nineteenth century. Charles inherited the wealth that enabled him to build the house for his father, the lawyer and entrepreneur George Goohhue, who was reputed to be London's first millionaire. The final designs for Waverley were drawn by George Durand: they extensively modified earlier drawings produced by Goodhue's brother-in-law, English architect Hamilton Tovey.

In 1893, Charles Goodhue's daughter sold Waverley to Thomas Smallman. A founder of the Imperial Oil Company, and later, of the London Life Insurance Company. After Smallman's death, Waverley was inhabited by their daughter Eleanor and her husband Claude Kyd Morgan. The building later gained fame as the home of the Shute Institute, which pioneered the medical applications of Vitamin E.

The two-and-a-half storey white brick house is an impressive example of the highly decorated early Queen Anne style. The house contains an abundance of exterior ornamental woodwork and brickwork, in its shingled gables and dormers, its belvedere and its several porches, in its bracketed eaves, in its decorative panels and in the chimneys. The Smallmans added the porte cochere with its elaborately turned posts. The Morgan's added the conservatory and the round porch. Waverley and its near-neighbour Idlewyld together still project the image of the grandeur that once characterized and defined Grand Avenue.

Here, in the early morning hours of October 31, 1920, Dr. Frederick Banting conceived an idea for research that led to the discovery of insulin. He believed that diabetes, then a fatal disease, could be treated by a substance extracted from a dog's atrophied pancreas. Banting was the pivotal member of the Toronto team that isolated and refined this extract, now known as insulin. In January 1922, insulin showed spectacular test results and begame a lifesaving therapy worldwide. Banting House, known as the "Birthplace of Insulin", reminds us of the most important Canadian medical discovery of the 20th century.

C'est dans la maison Banting que se produisit la plus grande découverte médicale du XXc siècle au Canada. À l'aurore du 31 octobre 1920, Frederick Banting cut l'intuition du processus qui allail mener à la découverte de I'insuline: à savoir que l'on pourrait soigner le diabète, maladie jusque-là fatale grâce à une substance extraite du pancréas atrophié d'un chien. Il fut le principal artisan de l'équipe de Toronto qui a isolé et-raffiné l'insuline. Après des test fructucux en janvier 1922, la prodection de l'insuline permit aux diabétiques du monde entier de bénéficier dune thérapie salutaire.

Lucan was founded in anticipation of the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway to Sarnia, projected in 1854 and built 1855-59. The first settlers had been members of the Negro Wilberforce Colony in 1830-35. One of this group, Peter Butler Sr., had by 1855 acquired the western part of the site of Lucan. The eastern part was acquired jointly by the Hon. Donald and John MacDonald, and the first village lots were sold in 1855. A steam grist mill, stores and hotels were built. Lucan Post Office was opened on June 1, 1857, and, with the completion of the railway, the settlement prospered. The Lucan Foundry, a large plant specializing in agricultural machinery, was founded in 1861. A county by-law passed in 1871 provided for the incorporation of Lucan as a village.

The founder of Kinsmen & Kinette Clubs of Canada was born and raised at 324 Dundas Street, directly across from the armouries. Seeking the camaraderie he had experienced in the army during the First World War, "Hal" Rogers began the first Kinsmen Club in Hamilton in 1920. Under his guidance other clubs soon formed, each dedicated to "serving the community's greatest need". Ongoing contributions from women prompted the formation of the Kinettes in 1942. During the Second World War, Rogers chaired the "Milk for Britain" campaign, the first of the clubs' many national projects. By visiting clubs across Canada throughout his life, he inspired countless young Canadians to serve their communities.

Born in Poland and educated at Breslau University, Hellmuth lived briefly in England before emigrating to Canada in 1844, where, two years later, he wass ordained in the Church of England. Appointed Archdeacon of Huron in 1861, he assisted Bishop Benjamin Cronyn in the establishment of Huron College, and served as its first principal, 1863-66. Succeeding Cronyn as Bishop of Huron in 1871, Hellmuth's foresight and determination led to the founding, in 1878, of this university, then known as the Western University of London. He served as its first chancellor, 1878-1884. After spending some 25 years ministering to spiritual and educational needs in this region, he returned to England in 1884.