Southwestern Ontario was an open door to freedom in Canada for those Black fugitives who were able to make the journey on the Underground Railroad. Essex County is fortunate to have two museums dedicated to local Black history. Amherstburg Freedom Museum The Amherstburg Freedom Museum was formerly known as the North […]
The only known Negro Cemetery in the township is located in Kingsville between Roads 3 and 4, west of Division Road. It is the burial ground of early Black pioneer settlers of the Kingsville Gosfield area. Black United Empire Loyalists were the first known Black settlers of Essex County. They […]
This image, which originally appeared in the Kingsville Reporter in 1990, showed four local businesses which had undergone more than the regular spring cleaning. Top left shows Queen’s Auto Supply when it was located on Main Street West. Owners Wayne and Mary-Jo LeClair had just carried out a renovation of […]
This image of the north side of Main Street West, taken in 1910, shows an interesting assortment of businesses run by Chas. Leggett. Leggett was a wholesale paper bag manufacturer who specialized in cornucopias and paper sacks but also provided optical services, marriage licences, fireworks, stationery and telegraph services. This […]
This section of Main Street West was known as the Grenville Block in the 1890s. It was one of the first store and office buildings in Kingsville. From left to right is the Weir Co. which began as the Weir Tailoring Company in 1891. Next is Malott Bros. Meat Market. […]
This image, taken in approximately 1957, shows the exterior of the Crawford-Post Furniture Store. This was shortly after Bill and Olive Post of Simcoe, Ontario bought the business from Don Crawford. The building which is located at 28 Main Street West was constructed in 1946 by Gary Hogarth and Fred […]
On August 19, 1942, more than 5,000 Canadian navy, army, and air force personnel, joined by British and American troops, approached the German-occupied French towns of Dieppe, Puys, and Pourville to launch a large-scale raid against the Nazi troops guarding them. The operation was designed to test the German forces’ […]
This Kingsville Bingo Palace, which stood at 40 Main Street West, closed its doors in 2003 after owner Robert Dowd could not negotiate a new lease agreement. Dowd’s business was also facing an additional obstacle — new legislation that would restrict smoking in public and work places. The Kingsville Bingo […]
This little building, which stood at 16 Division Street North, was demolished in 1996 after having served as a taxi office for many years. It had previously been the location of E.L “Jack” Frost’s insurance business as well as the local telegraph office. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was […]
In 2021 we are all acutely aware of the value of the medical professionals who work to maintain our health. Even with the necessity of maintaining physical distancing, we have access to the services we need when we experience a health problem or emergency. We can phone or email our […]