Wallaceburg ( 2016 population 10,098) is an unincorporated community in the municipality of
Chatham-Kent
Chatham-Kent (Canada 2021 Census, 2021 population: 104,316)Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
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 ...
, 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 country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
's national hero, Sir
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; 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 ...
. 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 may refer to:
People
* List of people with given name Thomas
* Thomas (name)
* Thomas (surname)
* Saint Thomas (disambiguation)
* Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church
* Thomas the ...
, 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 historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Kirkcudbrightshire was an administrative count ...
, 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
Baldoon Castle was a 16th-century castle about south west of Wigtown, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, south of the river Bladnoch.Coventry, Martin (2001). ''The Castles of Scotland''. Musselburgh: Goblinshead. p. 65
History
The Dunbars of Wes ...
settlers, however, did not give up; many of them contributed to the early success and development of the town of Wallaceburg.
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 ...
's greatest
haunting
The list of reportedly haunted locations throughout the world, that are locations said to be haunted by ghosts or other supernatural beings, including demons. Reports of haunted locations are part of ghostlore, which is a form of folklore.
Ar ...
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 kilometers 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 Canadian and Dominion Sugar Company. It was opened in 1901. The company was known for producing raw sugar from sugar beets. It 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
James Paris Lee (9 August 1831 – 24 February 1904) was a British Canadian and later American inventor and arms designer. He is best known for having invented the action and magazine that are used in the Lee–Metford and Lee–Enfield series ...
(1832–1904) and his brother John perfected a rifle with a
box magazine
A magazine 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 holding several cartridges withi ...
in Wallaceburg. This rifle later became an antecedent to the famous
Lee–Enfield
The Lee–Enfield or 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 British Army's sta ...
rifle. A well trained gunman could fire approximately 15-30 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. Fisherman enjoy a variety of species, including
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
,
walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
,
perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Per ...
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...
, and
panfish
The word panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an American English term describing any edible freshwater fish that usually do not outgrow the size of an average frying pan. It is also commonly used by recreational anglers to refer to a ...
. Hunters take pleasure in searching for the area's abundant population of
water fowl
The Anatidae are the biological family of water birds that includes ducks, geese, and swans. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on all the world's continents except Antarctica. These birds are adapted for swimming, floating ...
,
deer
Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...
, and
rabbits
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit sp ...
. 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, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...
and
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for " Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chr ...
.
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 or 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 British Army's sta ...
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 volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U ...
, and is within an hour's drive of Blenheim,
Point Pelee National Park
Point Pelee National Park (; french: Parc national de la Pointe-Pelée) is a national park in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada where it extends into Lake Erie. The word is French for 'bald'. Point Pelee consists of a peninsula of l ...
, 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 Kent County. Lambton and Kent Counties are made up of ...
, the
St. Clair Catholic District School Board
The St. Clair Catholic District School Board (SCCDSB, known as English-language Separate District School Board No. 39 prior to 1999) is the separate school board that manages Catholic education in the county of Lambton including the city of Sarni ...
, the ''
Conseil scolaire catholique Providence
The ''Conseil scolaire catholique Providence'' (Csc Providence) is the French-language Catholic school board for southwestern Ontario, Canada. The Providence Catholic School Board includes 10,000 students in its 31 schools: 23 elementary schools ...
'' (CSC Providence), and the ''
Conseil scolaire Viamonde
The Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV) is a public-secular French first language school board, and manages elementary and secondary schools in the Ontario Peninsula and the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The school board operates 41 elementary schools an ...
''.
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. The Public General Hospital and St. 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 that has a fully functioning facility. It has an E.R., surgical department, x-ray facility, laboratory, and several qualified doctors and surgeons.
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
The Wallaceburg Red Devils are Junior "B" box lacrosse team from Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada. The Red Devils play in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League and were 2001 Founders Cup National Champions.
History
The Wallaceburg Red Devils played the ...
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 Founders' Cup is the championship trophy of Canada's Junior "B" lacrosse leagues. The custodial duties of this trophy fall upon the Canadian Lacrosse Association. The national champions are determined through a round robin format with a play ...
, 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
The second incarnation of Kraft Foods is an American food manufacturing and processing conglomerate, split from Kraft Foods Inc. in 2012 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It became part of Kraft Heinz in 2015.
A merger with Heinz, arran ...
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.
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 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 where Lake Huron f ...
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 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Water Bridge connects Highway 402 in Ontario with both Interstate 69 ...
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 ...
*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 a Canadian media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in newspaper publishing, new ...
. 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 October 20, 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 present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
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
Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was found ...
,
Knights of Columbus
The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...
,
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...
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 in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, alon ...
*
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 ...
- racquetball player
* John Lee - co-inventor of the Lee Rifle 1878
*
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 several ...
- 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 (ice hockey), National League and plays its home games at the Bossard Arena.
History
EV Zug won its first championship in the 1997–98 se ...
head coach
*
Shaun Suisham
Shaun Christopher Suisham (; born December 29, 1981) is a Canadian-born former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was signed ...
-
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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
player (placekicker)
* Stef Sanjati - popular YouTube personality and vlogger