intersection of Bedford and Sandwich Streets became the municipal heart of the Town of Sandwich. The southeast corner would become home to Sandwich’s first Anglican church, St. John’s, and the southwest corner would serve to house numerous military structures, as well as the first school in the town. The northeast corner would come to house judicial and administrative structures.

Given its location directly across the river from the United States, Sandwich has figured centrally in major events in Canada’s history, including the War of 1812, the Upper Canada Rebellion and the Fenian Raids. Sandwich was also home to several important Canadian figures including Alexander Mackenzie, the second prime minister of Canada, and Henry Bibb, a fugitive slave who initiated the first Afro-Canadian newspaper (Morgan 1991). Many escaped slaves fleeing the United States came to Sandwich via Detroit and settled there. By 1909 the Town of Sandwich included over 2000 acres and was noted for its many beautiful private residences, excellent hotel accommodations and scenic location near the Detroit River. Many of its earliest residences and buildings still stand, including the Duff-Bâby Mansion, considered one of the oldest standing structures in all of Ontario (Les Amis Duff-Bâby 2012). Sandwich was home to Assumption College (later to become a member of the federation of colleges of the University of Windsor), as well as four churches. Several industries were also located in the town including a canning factory, the Sandwich Branch of the Pittsburg Coal Co., salt-wells operated by the Saginaw Salt and Lumber Co. and the Sandwich Branch of the J.H. Bishop Fur Company (Neal 1909:28). In 1935 the Town of Sandwich was amalgamated with Walkerville, East Windsor and Windsor to form the City of Windsor (Morgan 1991).

City of Windsor

As previously noted, the original lands of Sandwich Township were divided in 1854 when Windsor became an independent municipality under a village charter (Neal 1909:12). Windsor was becoming a thriving community and growing rapidly and later became known as the City of Windsor. The first store in the city was opened by James Dougall in 1830 (Neal 1909:136). By 1835 it included a tavern, ferry, show shop, wagon shop, grocer, tailor, bake house, brewery, blacksmith, saddlery, store house and a tin, copper and sheet iron factory, (Morgan 1991:37).

Early industry also focused on the river as the community became an important shipping point for supplies and merchandise and wharves and ferry docks were built. By 1836, the population of what is now Windsor was 200 and settlement consisted only of the riverside portions of Lots 78-83, Concession 1 along Riverside Drive (Morgan 1991: vii; CRM Group Ltd. et al. 2005:2-20). However by 1854, it had grown to 750 and the coming of the Great Western Railway in the same year switched the focus of commerce from Sandwich to Windsor. Settlement expanded along Riverside Drive from Lots 78 to 87 and by 1889 from Lots 68 to 91. By the end of the 19th century, Windsor’s population had risen to well over 10,000 (CRM Group Ltd. et al. 2005:2-20).