Medway in London in Middlesex County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Lawson Site
Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 30, 2026
1. The Lawson Site Marker
About 1500 A.D. a Prehistoric Neutral (Late OntarioIroquois) 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 the land was donated to The University of Western Ontario to ensure preservation of this important heritage resource.
Erected by Ontario Heritage Foundation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1500.
Location. 43° 0.828′ N, 81° 18.306′ W. Marker is in London, Ontario, in Middlesex County. It is in Medway. It can be reached from Attawandaron Road south of Aldersbrook
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Southwest Ontario Area and in Southwestern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Toll Gates on the Proof Line Road (approx. 3.8 kilometers away); Church of St. John the Devine, Arva (approx. 4.1 kilometers away); Site of Second UWO Campus (approx. 4.1 kilometers away); Doige Park (approx. 4.4 kilometers away); The Church of St. John the Evangelist (approx. 4.6 kilometers away); First UWO Campus (approx. 4.6 kilometers away); Josiah Blackburn 1823-1890 (approx. 4.9 kilometers away); Toddle Inn (approx. 5 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in London.
Also see . . . The Lawson Site- An Ontario Historic Place.
Known to settlers in the late 1800s as the Old Fort on Shaw-Wood farm and later registered under the Canadian Borden system as AgHh-1, the Lawson archaeological site encompasses over 20,000 square meters/5 acres. It is located east of the museum building, on a plateau overlooking Medway and Snake Creeks, tributaries that connect with the Thames River and the Great Lakes waterways. The location was recognized(Submitted on April 7, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)as significant by settlers because of its association with Indigenous occupancy and, as such, it was continuously investigated for over a century, often excluding the participation of Indigenous peoples, themselves.Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 30, 20262. The Lawson Site Marker
Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 30, 2026
3. Part of the Lawson Site In 2026
Credits. This page was last revised on April 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 7, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 7, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
