Thames River

Picturesque depictions of pioneer life and early farming often show split rail or 'snake' fences as they were sometimes called. One can almost imagine a pioneer woman contemplating a new quilt and being inspired by the zigzag pattern of these...

Citizens of Chatham-Kent are wont to rant and rave about the potholes on our highways and byways especially after a long harsh winter. Victor Lauriston writes the following in his 1950's publication Romantic Kent “Kent was, from pioneer days, notorious...

“When I was your age” is a phrase that starts many a parent's lecture. It is true that in the past children were often forced to grow up fast and perform what today would be considered adult tasks. The following,...

It is likely that Matthew Dolsen built the first sailing craft launched on the Thames in 1795. This was for his use trading up and down the river. In that same year Captain William Baker was commissioned by the military...

Today we think nothing of picking up the phone and calling a friend for even the slightest of reasons. But picture the plight of this woman who came to the Chatham-Kent area in 1832. “My cousin Eliza was the only...

Since the beginning of time, fire has offered man both comfort and utility. It was no different for early people living alone in the wilderness. Beneficial as fire could be, it could also be ruinous, destroying in seconds, a life...

The North Star, or the Drinking Gourd as the freedom song calls it, led many escaped slaves north to Canada. They were helped along the way by various church groups who were against slavery. Three settlements happened in Kent around...

Is is hard to believe today that when settlement came to Chatham-Kent, this area was a heavily forested wilderness. In fact so dense were the trees that travel by river was the preferred mode of transportation. The sawtooth quilt pattern...

On the south bank of the Thames River in Raleigh Township stands a handsome Georgian style home known as McCrae House. It is hard to believe that this house is over 200 years old and one of the oldest brick,...

When one thinks of Chatham-Kent's Black history, thoughts usually turn to Josiah Henson's “Uncle Tom's Cabin” in Dresden or William King's Elgin Settlement now known as Buxton. However, less is known of the Black history of the city of Chatham...amazing...

The barn quilt phenomenon was born in the early 2000's out of one American woman's desire to pay tribute to two aspects of both her family's as well as her country's heritage; quilts and barns. Since then the idea of...

When one thinks of soldiers and the War of 1812, undoubtedly the famous British red coat comes to mind. While not quite as distinctive, the American uniform with its blue jacket and shako cap closely resenbled the British one. The...

It has often been said, with tongue in cheek, that descendents of those who lived along the river at the time of the Battle of the Thames have in their family lore a story that connects them to the famed...

Have you ever wondered why so many British place names appear on our maps? It is a source of endless fascination for visitors to our area. Well you can thank Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe! He envisioned an Upper Canada...

Tecumseh Park, Tecumseh Public School, Tecumseh Monument, Tecumseh Road and Tecumseh Street are Chatham-Kent names honouring the famed First Nations leader. Even the village of Thamesville was once known as Tecumseh until it was determined that there were two Ontario...

In an age of pre-packaged food, take out restaurants and microwaves, it is difficult to imagine just how hard early settlers had to work to provide even the simplest of foods for their family. For flour to bake bread very...

Though there are many country churches in the lower Thames valley and they all played a huge part in the lives of the settlers for faith, family and fellowship, we chose to tell the story of St. Thomas Anglican Church...

Due to the many marshes in our area, duck and goose hunting has always been plentiful and popular. Wild turkeys were also in abundance during the 1800's until hunted to near extinction. They have been reintroduced in the last 20...

Each summer many of us look forward to a feast of delicious, buttery corn on the cob. Believe it or not in corn's long history this is a realatively recent way of eating it. In fact many European newcomers to...

In 1790 and 1791 Patrick McNiff made a survey of the land along the Thames. The new settlers applying to the Land Board were Empire Loyalists who had been offered free land and those who had fought in the American...

What words could be used to describe woman who lived along the Thames River more that 200 years ago? Strong and hard working for sure but how about entrepreneur, successful business woman, wealthy landowner and diplomat? Although these words are...

Approximately 200 years ago a family by the name of Cartier, supposed descendants of Jacques Cartier, moved from Trois Rivieres in Lower Canada to the mouth of the Thames River. They fished on Lake St. Clair and set up a...

Tilbury East presented the early pioneers the challenge of wild swampy and desolate land to the north of the Thames River and primeval forest to the south. In the Spring the land was unbroken swamp but by Summer it was...

Although what was known as the Western District was densely forested, this proved to be both a boon and a bother to the new settlers during our time frame of 1750- 1850. The Carolinian forests, which covered most of the...

The Maple Leaf is an iconic symbol of Canada that is recognized the world over. The maple tree, species of which are found in every province in Canada, is a symbol of strength and endurance. Besides it's esthetic beauty this...

In 1763 there were some 70,000 French speakers most based in Lower Canada (Quebec). The Western Peninsula had been visited by French priests like Etienne Brule (1615) and Fransican, Pere Joseph de la Roche Dallion (1626) who recorded their visits...

Fish has long been a staple food of First Nations. For hundreds of years the Thames River has been providing nourishment for those who travelled its waters or settled on its banks. Even today when the pickerel come up the...

In the beginning there was the river known by First Nations as Askunissippi or Antler, La Tranche by the French and finally the Thames by the British. It has threaded its way through 11,000 years of history witness to discovery,...

In an attempt to explain the history behind this block, we need to understand why this fertile and attractive land of the South Western Peninsula remained uninhabited for nearly 100 years prior to the 1750 time frame of our quilt....