by Sylene Argent
As part of the Town of Essex’s ongoing Heritage Plaque Program, a new interpretive plaque was unveiled in front of the Municipal Building on Friday morning that details the early origins and history of Essex Centre.
The plaque holds information from Essex Centre’s Native American roots to the 1999 provincially mandated amalgamation that joined Essex Centre to Harrow, McGregor, and Colchester to form the Town of Essex.
First Nations, including the Three Fires Confederacy (Ojibway, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples) and the Huron-Wendat peoples first inhabited the area, the plaque notes.
The British Colonial Government asked Indian Agent at Detroit, Alexander McKee, to negotiate a treaty – the McKee Purchase – in 1790 to open the area between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair for settlement, it adds.
The plaque also makes note of Alexander Cameron, who bought 100 acres of land in 1872, which is where the Canada Southern Railway would meet Talbot Road, and his developments with business partner, George Wilson. The contributions of John Milne are also mentioned, including his partnership with James Irwin in purchasing a sawmill in 1874. Milne also funded construction of affordable homes to attract new residents and became the proprietor of the Essex Centre Chronical in 1879.
Essex Centre was incorporated as a village in 1884, with a population of 800. Dr. James Brien led its first Council as Reeve. Town status was granted six-years later.
The plaque also highlights the burning of the tollgates in 1896, the Essex Railway explosion of 1907, and the 1980 Valentine’s Day natural gas explosion.
“We encourage residents of the Town of Essex to come out and give it a read,” Essex’s Manager of Planning Services, Rita Jabbour, said, who is also the Town’s liaison for the Essex Municipal Heritage Committee. She explained it is an extensive process to complete the information literature for these plaques. Not only does research need to be conducted, the information is also passed along to local heritage committees to confirm the details.
She gave credit to the Town’s summer student for his work on completing this project. The Town of Essex Heritage Plaque Program is also administered in collaboration with the Essex Municipal Heritage Committee.
The Town of Essex added an interpretative plaque before Veterans Memorial Park in Harrow in 2018, which details its history that started in 1824 with the introduction of Plan 202, known as the Hopetown Survey, which drew the boundaries for the community on 850 acres of land. Its origins had slow growth initially, until the late 1800s, when Hiram Walker’s railway brought a boom of commercial activity and trade.
Another interpretive plaque was added in Colchester during its 225th anniversary celebration that took place in 2017, detailing that this community was the first village laid-out in Upper Canada, West of Niagara.
Jabbour noted an interpretive plaque will be added to McGregor in the future.
Another interpretative plaque was installed at Essex District High School a few years ago.
Under the Town’s Heritage Plaque Program, interpretive plaques are used to mark sites having historical, cultural, or social significance to the community, but are not designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Through the program, the Town also offers a Bronze Plaque, which details historically designated private and public areas through the Ontario Heritage Act. Those interested in learning more about designating their homes, or criteria that needs to be reached to obtain this status, are urged to contact Essex’s Planning Department or check out https://www.essex.ca/en/build/heritage-plaque-program.aspx