Old Sandwich Town (Olde Sandwich Towne) is located along the Canada–US border of the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively refe ...

, and was established in 1797.Windsor Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (WACAC). ''Historic Sandwich Town: Walk through Ontario’s oldest, continuous European settlement: a field study''. (Windsor, Ontario: University of Windsor, Faculty of Education, 1987) It is considered one of the oldest, most historically significant settlements in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Morgan, Carl. ''Birth of a City''. (Tecumseh, Ontario: TraveLife, 1991) and has been the site of several historically significant events in Ontario's history. Many historic buildings remain in Old Sandwich Town and the area hosts an annual festival to celebrate its heritage. The area is now a neighbourhood of the city of

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

History

This area south of what was named the Detroit River was initially inhabited by various

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

, including the

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

(known as Odawa),

Potawatomi The Potawatomi , also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American people of the western Great Lakes region, upper Mississippi River and Great Plains. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a m ...

, all of which were

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

-speaking, and

Wyandot people The Wyandot people, or Wyandotte and Waⁿdát, are Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands. The Wyandot are Iroquoian Indigenous peoples of North America who emerged as a confederacy of tribes around the north shore of Lake Ontario ...

s, also known as the Huron to the French. The Huron were an

Iroquoian The Iroquoian languages are a language family of indigenous peoples of North America. They are known for their general lack of labial consonants. The Iroquoian languages are polysynthetic and head-marking. As of 2020, all surviving Iroquoian la ...

-speaking tribe. In 1747, the first

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

mission in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

was established in this area. A French colonial farming settlement formed near the mission and became known as '' Petite Côte'', for being located near a bend in the Detroit River which shortened some of the riverfront frontage for the farm plots that extended into the interior. After Detroit became independent from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

in 1796, resulting from the United States success in the western theatre of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, the Crown encouraged development at Sandwich on the opposite side of the river.Windsor Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (WACAC). ''Historic Sandwich: Welcome to Ontario’s oldest, continuous European settlement 1797''. (Windsor, Ontario: Windsor Architectural Advisory Committee, 1990). Most Loyalists from Detroit moved south of the Detroit River, to the Sandwich area. By 1797, Britain purchased this land "…from the Huron Indians for about 300 pounds' worth of supplies…". In 1858, Sandwich was properly acknowledged with "town" status.Neal, Frederick. ''Township of Sandwich: Past and Present''. (Windsor, Ontario: The Essex County Historical Association and The Windsor Public Library Board, 1979). In 1935, Old Sandwich Town was amalgamated with East Windsor, Windsor, and Walkerville to formulate the city of

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

. Sandwich has been the site of significant historic events, such as the beginning of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

between Britain and the US, in part fought over the northern border with Canada. This brought various influential military figures to Old Sandwich Town, such as; Chief

Tecumseh Tecumseh ( ; October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and ...

, British Major Generals Sir

Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he c ...

and Henry Procter, and American General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...

, who later became the ninth president of the United States. Sandwich also saw action during the

Upper Canada Rebellion The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the rebellion in Lower Canada (p ...

in 1837-1838; which revealed Sandwich and Windsor to be likely targets for rebellion, and invasion by a Fenian movement from the United States. The

Battle of Windsor The Battle of Windsor was a short-lived campaign in the eastern Michigan area of the United States and the Windsor area of Upper Canada. A group of men on both sides of the border, calling themselves "Patriots", formed small militias in 1837 wi ...

commenced during December 1838, which confirmed suspicions of American invasion. Hundreds of "Patriots" stormed the Canadian frontier of the Detroit River, until they were thwarted by militia in Sandwich.

Historic buildings, monuments and notable residents

Old Sandwich Town is home to some of Ontario's oldest and most historically important buildings, such as Mackenzie Hall, built by Alexander Mackenzie, a local stone-mason and builder who went on to be Canada's second Prime Minister, and the

Duff Baby House The Duff Baby House is an historic house located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. History The house was built between 1792 and 1798 by Alexander Duff as a fur trade post. In 1807 the building was bought by James Baby and it is alleged to have been u ...

, considered to be the oldest-surviving structure in all of Ontario. Some important Canadian figures have lived here, including Mackenzie and

Henry Bibb Henry Walton Bibb (May 10, 1815 in Shelby County, Kentucky – August 1,1854 in Windsor) was an American author and abolitionist who was born a slave. Bibb told his life story in his narrative ''The Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb: An American ...

, a fugitive slave who founded the first

Afro-Canadian Black Canadians (also known as Caribbean-Canadians or Afro-Canadians) are people of full or partial sub-Saharan African descent who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin, though ...

newspaper. In the antebellum years of the United States, Sandwich and the surrounding area became a destination and established black settlement for thousands of freed and fugitive slaves taking refuge from slavery in the United States. A life-size bronze statue of a dismounted Brock alongside a mounted Tecumseh, created by Canadian sculptor Mark Williams, was unveiled in Sandwich Towne, on September 7, 2018. The sculpture commemorates the partnership between the two leaders which resulted in the capture of Detroit. Scott Finlay was the model for Brock while David Morris was the model for Tecumseh; both frequently portrayed the two leaders during War of 1812 commemorative events in Ontario. Brock is shown examining Detroit through his telescope while Tecumseh watches a British artillery battery on the Canadian shore bombard the fort. The community has published
self-guided tour
so that visitors can explore the history and heritage of the former town of Sandwich.

Olde Sandwich Towne Festival

The annual "Olde Sandwich Towne Festival", which has been celebrated for nearly 20 years, highlights the history of the community. This festival includes such events as a re-enactment of escapes along the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

, various tours throughout the community, a parade, and open houses for the local jail, as well as the

References

{{Coord, 42.299, N, 83.076, W, display=title Neighbourhoods in Windsor, Ontario Former municipalities in Ontario Populated places established in 1797 1797 establishments in Canada 1935 disestablishments in Canada 1935 disestablishments in Ontario Former towns in Ontario

History

Historic buildings, monuments and notable residents

Olde Sandwich Towne Festival

See also

References