Sandwich, Ontario
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Sandwich Town (Olde Sandwich Towne) is located along the Canada–US border of the
Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...
, 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 the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
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.


History

This area south of what was named the Detroit River was initially inhabited by various
First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
, including the
Ojibwa The Ojibwe (; syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the northern plains, extending into the subarctic and thro ...
,
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
(known as Odawa),
Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...
, 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 (also Wyandotte, Wendat, Waⁿdát, or Huron) are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of the present-day United States and Canada. Their Wyandot language belongs to the Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian language f ...
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, almost all surviving I ...
-speaking tribe. In 1747, the first
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
mission in
Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, 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 Province of Queb ...
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. The area was located south of Turkey Creek along the east bank of the Detroit River and later as LaSalle. After Detroit became independent from
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
, 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. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...
. Sandwich has been the site of significant historic events, such as the beginning of the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
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 ( ; (March 9, 1768October 5, 1813) was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the Territorial evolution of the United States, expansion of the United States onto Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...
, 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. He is best remembered for his victory at the Siege of Detroit and his death at the Battle of Quee ...
and Henry Procter, and American General
William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...
, 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 Oligarchy, 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 Lower Canada Rebe ...
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 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,City of Windsor – Mackenzie Hall
/ref> and the Duff Baby House, 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– August 1, 1854), was an American author and abolitionist who was born into slavery. Bibb told his life story in his ''Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave'', which included many ...
, a fugitive slave who founded the first Afro-Canadian 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
walking guide
so that visitors can explore the history and heritage of the former town of Sandwich.


See also

*
List of Jesuit sites This list includes past and present buildings, facilities and institutions associated with the Society of Jesus. In each country, sites are listed in chronological order of start of Jesuit association. Nearly all these sites have be ...
* Neighbourhoods of Windsor, Ontario Sandwich * Sandwich Town BI


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