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Wallaceburg ( 2021 population 10,323) is an unincorporated community in the municipality of
Chatham-Kent Chatham-Kent (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 103,988) is a Census divisions of Ontario#Single-tier municipalities, single-tier municipality in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is mostly rural, and its population centres are Chatham, Wallac ...
in Southern (Southwestern)
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 ...
, Canada. Originally a small settlement, it was recognized for its significant contribution to the lumber and boat building industries and strategic location along the banks of the scenic
Sydenham River The Sydenham River is a river in Chatham-Kent, Lambton County and Middlesex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, flowing southwest from its source west of London, Ontario and emptying into Lake Saint Clair. The length of the river is and it ...
. In more recent years (1895–1999) the town was known for its glass-making industry. For that reason, Wallaceburg is locally known as the "glass town of Canada". Wallaceburg is the home of WAMBO (Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing), an annual antique car, boat, bus, and fire truck show that began in 1988.


History

The town was founded in the early 19th century and named after
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
's national hero, Sir
William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of St ...
. It was incorporated as a village in 1875 and then as a town in 1896. In 1998, it was amalgamated into the new municipality of Chatham–Kent.


The Baldoon settlement

The first settlers to the Wallaceburg area came in 1804. They initially settled along the Snye River at a location they called the Baldoon Settlement.
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk FRS FRSE (20 June 1771 – 8 April 1820) was a Scottish landowner and philanthropist. He was noteworthy as a Scottish philanthropist who sponsored immigrant settlements in Canada at the Red River Colony. E ...
, provided an opportunity for poor farmers and peasants from
Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbrightshire ( ) or the County of Kirkcudbright or the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright is one of the Counties of Scotland, historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an ...
, Scotland to come to what is now known as Wallaceburg to build better lives for themselves. He is often considered a great philanthropist for his efforts working with his poor countrymen. Unfortunately, the early Baldoon settlers faced a plethora of difficulties: malaria, harsh winters, marshland, lack of food, and American invaders during the War of 1812. By the 1820s, the settlement was deemed a failure by Lord Selkirk and other interested parties. The Baldoon settlers, however, did not give up; many of them contributed to the early success and development of the town of Wallaceburg.


The Baldoon mystery

The Baldoon Mystery is one of
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 ...
's greatest
haunting This is a list of locations that are (or have been) said to be haunted by ghosts, demons, or other supernatural beings throughout the world. Reports of haunted locations are part of ghostlore, which is a form of folklore. Argentina * Cinco ...
stories, handed down by word of mouth. The strange events of this case are alleged to have occurred between 1829 and 1840, within a few kilometres of Wallaceburg, Ontario.


Industrial history

The town's first major industry was the lumber trade. It was highly successful during the mid- to late 19th century. The most notable business that developed during this era was the Wallaceburg Cooperage Company. It was opened by David Alexander Gordon and his uncle Captain James Steinhoff in 1887. By the end of the 19th century it was difficult to make large profits off of a declining hardwood supply. Industrialists needed to find other business ideas to sustain the local economy. When historians think of Wallaceburg they often remember its three major modern industries: glass, brass, and sugar. In 1894 the Sydenham Glass Company began. The glassmaking industry in Wallaceburg lasted over 100 years. The factory closed in 1999. This left approximately 1000 workers unemployed. Another notable industry was the Dominion Sugar Company. It was opened in 1901, and merged in 1930 with another company. The company was known for producing raw sugar from sugar beets. The business in Wallaceburg closed in 1960. The Wallaceburg Brass Company was the third staple industry. It opened in 1905 and was famous for creating brass faucets and plumbing supplies. The company later merged with Kindred industries, founded by
Robbert Hartog Robbert Hartog CM (January 28, 1919 – January 27, 2008), was an economist, business leader and philanthropist in Midland, Ontario, Canada.Waltec. The factory stopped manufacturing in Wallaceburg as late as 2006.


The Lee rifle prototype

In 1878, James Paris Lee (1832–1904) and his brother John perfected a rifle with a
box magazine A magazine, often simply called a mag, is an ammunition storage and feeding device for a repeating firearm, either integral within the gun (internal/fixed magazine) or externally attached (detachable magazine). The magazine functions by holdi ...
in Wallaceburg. This rifle later became an antecedent to the famous
Lee–Enfield The Lee–Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century, and was the standard service rifle of th ...
rifle. A well-trained person could fire approximately 15 to 30 shots a minute. The prototype was tested successfully in Wallaceburg and is currently housed at the Wallaceburg and District Museum.


Tourist attractions

Wallaceburg is home to a number attractions and yearly events. Tourists come to Wallaceburg to experience fishing, hunting, golf, and pleasure boating. Fishers enjoy a variety of species, including
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
,
walleye The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...
,
perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...
, pike,
muskie The muskellunge (''Esox masquinongy''), often shortened to muskie, musky, ski, or lunge, is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name ...
,
trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...
, and
panfish The word panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an American English term describing any food fish, edible freshwater fish that usually do not outgrow the size of an average frying pan. It is also commonly used by recreational fishing, re ...
. Hunters take pleasure in searching for the area's abundant population of water fowl,
deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
, and
rabbits Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form ...
. Boaters enjoy a vast array of rivers and lakes. There is still water for knee boarders and wake boarders. There is also open water nearby for those who enjoy
sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, Windsurfing, windsurfer, or Kitesurfing, kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (Land sa ...
and
scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...
. The Wallaceburg and District Museum documents the history of Wallaceburg, starting with the area's First Nations groups dating back thousands of years. It then moves to the first European settlement started by Lord Selkirk's Baldoon settlers, in 1804. However, the museum's current major focus is on the community's rich industrial heritage. Some of the major industries highlighted include glass, brass, and sugar. The museum is also home to the Wallaceburg Sports Hall of Fame and a number of other temporary and rotating exhibits. Arguably the most internationally significant artifact on display is the Lee Rifle prototype, the precursor to the
Lee–Enfield The Lee–Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century, and was the standard service rifle of th ...
Rifle. This dates back to 1878 and was invented and perfected in Wallaceburg by James Paris and John Lee. The first shots of the rifle were believed to be taken at the Lee Foundry on the banks of the Sydenham River. The community also hosts a number of annual events that attract people from around North America. WAMBO is the most notable and is commented on at length below. Live theatre can be experienced at various times during the year. The Jeanne Gordon Theatre puts on at least two productions annually. Wallaceburg is only minutes from
Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...
, and is within an hour's drive of Blenheim,
Point Pelee National Park Point Pelee National Park (; ) is a National parks of Canada, national park in Essex County, Ontario, Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada where it extends into Lake Erie. The word is French for 'bald'. Point Pelee consists of a peninsu ...
, and
Rondeau Provincial Park Rondeau Provincial Park is the second oldest provincial park in Ontario, Canada, having been established with an order in council on 8 September 1894. The park is located in Southwestern Ontario, on an 8 km long crescentic sand spit exten ...
.


WAMBO

The Wallaceburg Antique Motor and Boat Outing is Wallaceburg's largest annual summer festival and was started in 1988. It is the largest transportation show in Canada. It takes place on the second weekend in August every year. The event attracts approximately 30 000 visitors to see the boats, cars, motorcycles, airplanes, fire trucks, tractors, and various other antique vehicles. In addition to antique vehicle exhibitions, WAMBO also includes a number of other significant events, including a car dream cruise, soap box races, a toy show, art in the park, live bands, food vendors, art and craft vendors, pioneer crafts at the museum, camping in Crothers Park, and free admission to the Wallaceburg and District Museum.


Education

School boards serving the community include
Lambton Kent District School Board The Lambton Kent District School Board (known as English-language Public District School Board No. 10 prior to 1999) is the school board responsible for public education in Lambton County and Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. Lambton and Kent Coun ...
, the St. Clair Catholic District School Board, the '' Conseil scolaire catholique Providence'' (CSC Providence), and the '' Conseil scolaire Viamonde''. Wallaceburg has six elementary schools and a high school. The public elementary schools are A. A. Wright, and H. W. Burgess. The Catholic elementary schools include St Elizabeth, Holy Family, and Christ the King. There is also Wallaceburg Christian School. Wallaceburg District Secondary School is the town's high school. It accommodates children from Wallaceburg and the surrounding rural communities. In 2018 Edward International Academy opened in the former D. A. Gordon Public school as a private high school with boarding available for foreign and domestic students.


Climate


Healthcare

Wallaceburg and Chatham-Kent as a whole are served by the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, since 2019. The Public General Hospital and Saint Joseph Hospital in Chatham were moved to a single campus in 2004, while the former Sydenham District Hospital remains in Wallaceburg. The Sydenham District Hospital was opened in 1957 after many years of lobbying. Wallaceburg is one of the few smaller communities in Ontario with a fully functioning facility. The now-Wallaceburg District Hospital has an emergency room, x-ray facility, laboratory, and various therapies.


Sports

Wallaceburg is home to an assortment of amateur sports teams. The Wallaceburg Thunderhawks are the local Junior C hockey team. The Wallaceburg Red Devils are the local Junior B lacrosse team. Other teams include the Wallaceburg Warriors, men's and women's baseball teams, and the Wallaceburg District Secondary School Tartans. In 2001, the Wallaceburg Red Devils won the Founders Cup, the national Championship for Canadian Junior B lacrosse. Wallaceburg was one of the stops on the historic Olympic Torch Relay (Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics) on Christmas Eve, 2009 (Day 56). In 2011, Wallaceburg was selected to win a community grant of $25,000 from TSN and
Kraft Foods Kraft Foods Group, Inc. was an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate (company), conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. on October 1, 2012, and was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz on July ...
to refresh outdoor lacrosse fields. Many town members spent hours voting continuously over that 24-hour span, and even booked the local UAW hall in town to hold a voting session. Some townspeople also had friends in Australia, England, the United States and South Korea voting for the town.


Transportation

Wallaceburg is linked to Chatham, Blenheim,
Sarnia Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes, ...
and the
Blue Water Bridge The Blue Water Bridge is a twin-span international bridge across the St. Clair River that links Port Huron, Michigan, United States, and Point Edward, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Water Bridge connects Highway 402 in Ontario with both Interst ...
to the United States by Highway 40. The
Sydenham River The Sydenham River is a river in Chatham-Kent, Lambton County and Middlesex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, flowing southwest from its source west of London, Ontario and emptying into Lake Saint Clair. The length of the river is and it ...
runs through the town of Wallaceburg, and provides a water connection to Lake St. Clair and the rest of the Great Lakes water basin. The Sydenham River is dredged to a depth of approximately . The Walpole Island Ferry serves as the closest method of transportation to the United States, located just outside of Wallaceburg.


Media


Print

*The ''Wallaceburg Courier Press'' is a local paper owned and operated by
Postmedia Network Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is an American-owned Canadian-based media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in En ...
. It was owned by Gary O'Flynn from its debut in September 1972 to 1991. O'Flynn was a former mayor of the town (1989–1991). The ''Courier Press'' continues to print weekly and is online. *The ''Wallaceburg News'' was a local paper owned and operated by the Osprey Media Group. It was the oldest paper in Wallaceburg. It closed in 1996, and later reformed in 1999 as the ''Wallaceburg Community News''. It became the ''Wallaceburg News'' in 2003. The ''Wallaceburg News'' shut down in October 2007, and closed their office after a four-year newspaper war with the ''Courier Press''.


Radio

* CKXS-FM is Wallaceburg's only local radio station, which launched on 20 October 2009. The station broadcasts at 99.1 FM with an
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
format.


Politics

In the November 2006 municipal election Tom McGregor and Sheldon Parsons were elected as Ward Five Chatham-Kent councillors. These two men are responsible to constituents in the Wallaceburg area. Go to Chatham-Kent Municipal Council for a list of other municipal politicians. Previous representatives: *2003–2006 Chip Gordon and Tom McGregor *2000–2003 Chip Gordon and Tom McGregor *1997–2000 Chip Gordon and Jeff Wesley Following is a partial list of Wallaceburg MayorsSettlement on the Sydenham
/ref> prior to amalgamation into Chatham-Kent: *1991–1997 Jeff Wesley *1989–1991 Gary O'Flynn *1981–1989 Don Truan *1977–1981 Lou Stonehouse *1976 Joseph Taylor *1970–1975 Cecile Bechard *1966–1969 Nigel Savage *1963–1965 Alan B. Cousins *1962 George Clement *1959–1961 Robert Newberry *1957–1958 Jack Thompson *1952–1956 William Collins *1951 Wilfred Picard


Community organizations

Wallaceburg is home to a number of strong community organizations, including the Wallaceburg and District Chamber of Commerce, the Business improvement area, Rotary (1945–2020),
Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an Act of Co ...
,
Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic Church, Catholic Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney, Blessed Michael J. McGivney. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. ...
,
Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian veterans' organization founded in 1925. Members include people who served in the military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial or municipal police, Royal Canadian Air, Army and Sea Cade ...
, and
Kinsmen A kinsman is a male relative (see kinship). The term kinsman (or plural kinsmen) may also refer to: Places in the United States * Kinsman, Illinois *Kinsman, Ohio *Kinsman Township, Trumbull County, Ohio * Kinsman Mountain, in the White Mountains ...
.


Notable residents

* Brigitte Belton (1970–),
Canada convoy protest The Canada convoy protest, known as the Freedom Convoy (French: ''Convoi de la liberté'') was a series of protests and blockades across Canada in early 2022, initially organized to oppose COVID-19 vaccination in Canada, COVID-19 vaccine man ...
founder * David Corrente (1983–), former
Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
player and coach; member of Canada's Olympic Baseball Team at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 * David Alexander Gordon (1858–1919), Liberal Party MP, Wallaceburg mayor; co-founder of Sydenham Glass Company * Jeanne Gordon (1885–1952),
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
singer, daughter of D. A. Gordon * Seth Griffith (1993–), NHL player for
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
*
Tim Landeryou Tim Landeryou (born March 16, 1984) is a Canadian retired racquetball player. He was a member of the Canadian National Team from 2010 to 2020, winning multiple medals in international competitions. Junior Years Landeryou won the Boy's U14 Dou ...
(1984–), racquetball player * John Lee (1833–1907), co-inventor of the Lee rifle (1878) * Stef Sanjati (1995–), YouTube personality and vlogger *
Doug Shedden Douglas Arthur Shedden (born April 29, 1961) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player. He played in the National Hockey League between 1981 and 1991. After his playing career he became a coach, and worked in the minor leagues for severa ...
(1961–), NHL player,
EV Zug EV Zug is a professional men's ice hockey team from Zug, Switzerland. It is a member of the National League and plays its home games at the Bossard Arena. History EV Zug won its first championship in the 1997–98 season, and the second one in t ...
head coach * Shaun Suisham (1981–),
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
player (placekicker)


References


External links


Chatham-Kent Municipality
{{authority control Communities in Chatham-Kent