On Brock Street east of Sandwich Street, on the right when traveling east.
The cornerstone of St. John’s Church was laid with Masonic Honours on June 24th, 1872 by M. W. Bro William Mercer Wilson Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada. Ancient free and accepted Masons assisted by Great Western Lodge #47. William Mercer . . . — — Map (db m286029) HM
On Sandwich Street at Mill Street, on the right when traveling north on Sandwich Street.
Oliver Hazard Perry, only 27 when named commander of the Lake Erie fleet, won acclaim and respect for his tactical brilliance. By defeating the British (the first time an entire British fleet was captured) the Americans took control of Lake . . . — — Map (db m279043) HM
On Mill Street at Sandwich Street, on the right when traveling west on Mill Street.
In his diary for December 4, 1838, Col. John Prince wrote: “A cold day. Awoke at 6 am by an alarm gun at Sandwich. Rose & saw a fire at Windsor. Proceeded there with the militia & found it in possession of Brigands & Pirates. We attacked . . . — — Map (db m278974) HM
On 254 Pitt Street West 0.2 kilometers east of Dougall Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
Early on December 4, 1838 a force of about 140 American and Canadian supporters of William Lyon MacKenzie crossed the river from Detroit and landed about one mile east of here. After capturing and burning a nearby militia barracks, they took . . . — — Map (db m37172) HM
On Park Street East at Goyeau Street, on the right when traveling east on Park Street East.
“Maria Theresa Philomena” received her name on July 3, 1869, and was placed in a temporary belfry, erected beside St.
Alphonsus Church which at the time was a small wooden structure, built in 1857.
With the laying of the cornerstone of the . . . — — Map (db m300009) HM
On Sandwich Street at Ojibway Parkway, on the right when traveling south on Sandwich Street.
English:
The Capture of Detroit
Confident of victory, General Hull had invaded Canada in July 1812, but failed to take advantage of his early success and the demoralization of the defenders. Fear of the Indians then rallying . . . — — Map (db m34321) HM
On Park Street East at Goyeau Street, on the right when traveling east on Park Street East.
The Catholic Coloured Mission of Windsor The first Roman Catholic mission for Blacks in Canada was established in Windsor in St. Parish in 1887 under the leadership of the Very Reverend Dean James Theodore Wagner. The "Catholic . . . — — Map (db m299975) HM
On Riverside Drive West 0.1 kilometers west of Bridgeman Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
Born in Montreal, Rankin moved to this province about 1830 and qualified as a deputy provincial surveyor in 1836. The next year he was commissioned as an ensign in the Queen's Light Infantry and captured the enemy's flag in the "Battle of Windsor . . . — — Map (db m300094) HM
Near Riverside Drive West north of Ferry Street, on the right when traveling south.
English:
The Detroit River
The Detroit River is unique in Canada, the United States and indeed, the world. Its shores embrace the largest metropolitan area on any international border - but rather than separating communities, . . . — — Map (db m37378) HM
On Sandwich Street West just north of Brock Street, on the right when traveling north.
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. . . . — — Map (db m282917) HM
On Sandwich Street near Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
In 1701, the French built a military and trading post at Detroit that governed this area of Canada. Jesuit Father de La Richardie came in 1728 at the request of the Huron Indians to establish “The Mission of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin . . . — — Map (db m278952) HM
On Pitt Street West west of Ferry Street, on the right when traveling west.
English:
The François Baby House
This house and adjacent farmland were the property of François Baby (1763-1856), first member for Kent in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada (1792-96), militia officer and Assistant . . . — — Map (db m34303) HM
On Ouellette Avenue at Viale Udine, on the right when traveling north on Ouellette Avenue.
Front - In English
Windsor is the oldest known site of continuous settlement in Ontario. The government of New France, anxious to increase its presence on the Detroit River, offered land agricultural settlement on the south shore in 1749. . . . — — Map (db m37343) HM
On Sandwich Street north of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
2:1 | Fur Trade Transportation in early Canada depended almost entirely upon the waterways. This area’s advantageous geography and rich natural resources, coupled with plentiful beaver, muskrat, bear, fox and fish explains the attraction to . . . — — Map (db m280026) HM
On Viale Udine at Ouellette Ave, on the left when traveling east on Viale Udine.
The main line of “The Great Western”, from Niagara Falls through Hamilton and London to Windsor, was opened in 1854. The company extended its line from Hamilton to Toronto in 1855, from Komoka to Sarnia in 1858, and from Glencoe to Fort Erie (the . . . — — Map (db m100728) HM
Near Sandwich Street south of Brock Street, on the left when traveling south.
With honor and pride in memory of Gregory Robert McGregor Esq. Born 1737 Perthshire, Scotland, served in the French-Indian War then settled near Fort Detroit where he rose to prominence as 1st Sheriff of the District of Hesse in 1788, . . . — — Map (db m281630) HM
On Riverside Drive East west of Walker Road, on the left when traveling east.
Massachusetts born, Hiram Walker had by the 1850s become a successful general merchant, distiller and grain dealer in Detroit. After Michigan adopted prohibition in 1855 he acquired land across the river in Canada where he established a distillery . . . — — Map (db m37377) HM
On Sandwich Street south of Brock Street, on the left when traveling south.
Alexander Grant, son of the seventh Laird of Glenmoriston, was born in Inverness-shire, Scotland. During the Seven Years’ War, he served with Montgomery’s Highlanders, eventually commanding a sloop on Lake Champlain. In 1776, Grant became . . . — — Map (db m278958) HM
On 2072 Riverside Drive East west of Walker Road, on the left when traveling east.
On July 4, 1812, Brigadier-General William Hull, commander of the North Western Army of the United States, landed with about 2,000 men near this site. He issued a proclamation stating that he came here to liberate Canada from oppression. The British . . . — — Map (db m34302) HM
On Sandwich Street north of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
5:1 | Introduction – The Great Lakes Basin The Great Lakes Basin is the home to the largest body of fresh water on earth. Connected by a capillary of rivers and lakes they form a network of transportation systems. The Windsor region is a focal . . . — — Map (db m280268) HM
On Mill Street at Russel Street, on the left when traveling north on Mill Street.
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, . . . — — Map (db m300168) HM
On Riverside Drive West at Huron Church Road, on the right when traveling south on Riverside Drive West.
In 1728 a mission to the Huron Indians was established near Fort Pontchartrain (Detroit) by Father Armand de la Richardie, S.J. The mission was moved to Bois Blane Island and the adjacent mainland in 1742. In 1747 it was destroyed by disaffected . . . — — Map (db m37386) HM
On Sandwich Street north of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
3:1 | Windmills on the Detroit River Numerous windmills were found along the extent of the Detroit River in the early 19th century. The windmill pictured below is similar to the one which was situated diagonally from the Duff-Baby House. . . . — — Map (db m282518) HM
On Sandwich Street north of Brock Street, on the left when traveling south.
Arriving as refugees from enslavement in the United States, Mary and Henry Bibb fought all their lives to improve the well-being of the African Canadian community. A year after they settled in Sandwich in 1850, they founded a militant abolitionist . . . — — Map (db m278965) HM
On Ferry Street at Chatham Street West, on the left when traveling north on Ferry Street.
Born in Delaware to free African American parents, Mary Ann Shadd was an experienced teacher, abolitionist, and author prior to arriving in Windsor in 1851. Here, Shadd established an integrated school. Her 1852 monograph, a Plea for Emigration . . . — — Map (db m240809) HM
On Riverside Drive West north of Askin Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
In the year 1782 the Huron First Nation gave Montreal Point to the Diocese. The Jesuit Fathers constructed the Assumption Parish in 1787, the first Roman Catholic Parish west of Montreal, Quebec. Today the park, named Assumption, is owned and . . . — — Map (db m37389) HM
On Sandwich Street north of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
4:1 | Where the River Bends Wawiiahtanan ZII BII The Indigenous presence in the Windsor region is extensive and rich with history and the memory of generations. The lakes, rivers, and people, created vibrant connections. Because of the . . . — — Map (db m280281) HM
On University Avenue East at Freedom Way, on the right when traveling east on University Avenue East.
This armoury was named after Major Fred Tilston, a true military hero of this community. Maj. Tilston, a member of the Essex Scottish, was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for bravery, for his exploits at the Battle of Hochwald Forest . . . — — Map (db m42292) HM
On Riverside Drive East at Riverside Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Riverside Drive East.
Served as the main navigational aid for the Great Lakes mariners using the Lake Erie Pelee Passage from 1902 to 1975.
The lighthouse was re-erected by Dean Construction Co. Ltd. on the present site as a gift to the City of Windsor.
In honour . . . — — Map (db m198379) HM
On Townline Road at Malden Road, on the right when traveling south on Townline Road.
River Canard Bridge
Built in 1937 as part of the Ontario government's Depression-era public works program, the construction of this bridge was funded jointly by the Province and Essex County and provided essential unemployment relief. A . . . — — Map (db m300236) HM
On Ouellette Avenue at Viale Udine, on the right when traveling north on Ouellette Avenue.
The Rt. Hon. Gray represented the west side
of Windsor in the House of Commons
from June 1962 to January 2002.
He was elected thirteen consecutive times
- a record - and set another record for continuous days
of service in the House of . . . — — Map (db m37496) HM
On Sandwich Street near Brock Street, on the left.
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 . . . — — Map (db m278959) HM
On Sandwich Street north of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
21:1 | Sandwich and the Underground Railway It is estimated that in the Underground Railroad era, 30,000 African Americans made the dangerous and arduous journey to Canada to pursue freedom from slavery. For many, the mile-wide Detroit River . . . — — Map (db m280068) HM
On Peter Street 0.1 kilometers south of Watkins Street, on the right when traveling south.
The Sandwich First Baptist Church
Erected in 1851 on land donated by the Crown, the
Sandwich First Baptist Church represents the once
numerous Black border-town churches which were built to
serve the rapidly increasing numbers . . . — — Map (db m300170) HM
On Peter Street south of Watkins Street, on the right when traveling south.
Sandwich First Baptist Church
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 . . . — — Map (db m300172) HM
On Mill Street at Russell Street, on the right when traveling west on Mill Street.
In the 18th Century, numerous wind-powered grist mills stood on the south shore of the Detroit River between Sandwich and Tecumseh. Jacques Baby's mill was located near this site on Lot #2 at the foot of Mill Street not far from the historic . . . — — Map (db m300502) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m36944) HM
On Sandwich Street at Brock Street, on the right when traveling south on Sandwich Street.
This government reserve, established when the Town of Sandwich was founded in 1797, has been in school use since 1808. The Western District Grammar School, called “The Stone College”, served as a barracks during the War of 1812. It was again . . . — — Map (db m278982) HM
On Sandwich Street north of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south.
6:1 | The Story of the Anchor With the projected opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway being built to allow larger ocean-going vessels direct access to the upper great lakes scheduled for 1959, the need for larger vessels and other innovative . . . — — Map (db m280017) HM
On Pitt Street East east of Goyeau Street, on the right when traveling west.
English:
The Underground Railroad in Canada
From the early 19th century until the American Civil War, settlements along the Detroit and Niagara rivers were important terminals of the Underground Railroad. White and black . . . — — Map (db m284001) HM
On Sunset Avenue at University Avenue West, on the right when traveling south on Sunset Avenue.
The University of Windor
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 . . . — — Map (db m300098) HM
On Sandwich Street north of Brock Street, on the left when traveling south.
The first professionally trained lawyer appointed a judge in what is now Ontario, Powell was born in Boston and educated abroad. He opened a legal practice in Montreal in 1779 and quickly gained a reputation as a brilliant advocate able to conduct . . . — — Map (db m278961) HM
On Drouillard Road at Riverside Drive East, on the right when traveling north on Drouillard Road.
The Windsor Ford Strike of 1945
As wartime labour shortages eased in 1945, contract talks between Ford of Canada and the United Auto Workers in Windsor stalled. The 10,000 members of Local 200 went on strike on September 12 to win . . . — — Map (db m299974) HM
