A Walk Through Walkerville

If you're looking for an interesting day trip from London, Windsor might not be your first thought. But a recent excursion to Canada's Automotive Capital made for an enjoyable day out. 

Why? Most of the day was spent in Walkerville, Windsor's answer to London's own Wortley Village. That is, a heritage neighbourhood filled with older buildings that have been adapted into restaurants, antique shops, quaint boutiques, and pubs. The neighbourhood has lots of examples of architectural reuse, including a Bank of Montreal that's become a restaurant/club (left) and the old whiskey storage facility that's now Walkerville Brewery. (For a glimpse of the latter, see the end of this post.)

For those not familiar with Walkerville, it was founded by distiller Hiram Walker, producer of Canadian Club Whisky, and became a town in 1890. Walker oversaw much of this "company town" himself, even building housing for his workers. It was annexed by Windsor in 1935, by which time industry had diversified to include the automotive industry. 

Despite its incorporation into a larger city, Walkerville has a small town feel. Its main thoroughfare is Wyandotte Street, filled with thriving independent businesses that manage to feel old-fashioned and hip at the same time. My friend and I had lunch was on the patio of The Kildare House, an Irish-style pub filled with lovely dark woodwork. I also need to recommend Biblioasis, not only because they're my publisher, but because what's a fun neighbourhood without a good indie bookstore? 

After lunch, a walk through some of the side streets led to some magnificent old houses like Willistead (right), home of Hiram's second son Edward.  The mansion, designed by Detroit  architect Albert Kahn in the 16th-century Tudor style, was built 1904-06, and really looks like a piece of Old England transferred into Canada's southernmost city. The Windsor municipal government wanted to tear it down in the 1970s but, fortunately, wiser heads prevailed and this 36-room mansion is now a banquet hall surrounded by Willistead Park. 

Surrounding Willistead are other lovely houses, including more designed by Kahn, all nestled among tall trees providing much needed shade for an afternoon walk in July. Altogether, Walkerville contains Windsor's largest concentration of heritage homes, so it's the perfect neighbourhood for architectural buffs to ooooh and aaaah over. The homes are well-preserved, displaying obvious pride of ownership. I think I might have seen one or two B&Bs, something to keep in mind if I decide my next trip needs to be more than a day.  

The only ambiance spoiler, while dining outside on Wyandotte, was the noise from the non-stop trucks headed for the US border tunnel. By non-stop I mean about a hundred transports an hour. My friend, originally from Windsor, assured me it's been like that for decades. My first thought was that all these trucks should be rerouted so I can hear myself think. Unfortunately, Windsor has very few other routes for the truck drivers to take. When  the tunnel was built in 1930, city planners wouldn't have imagined the number of trucks there'd be in the future.

So there you have it. A unique, fascinating - albeit noisy - heritage hotspot within a two-hour drive, recommended by Jenny. Here's to the town Hiram built! 

Update, November 2024:

OK, I've been back, and this time visited the Walkerville Brewery. Now this may not be of interest to those of you not into craft beers (what the heck's the matter with you, anyway?) but, for those of us who are, the brewery is worth a stop. The first incarnation, founded by Hiram Walker, operated from 1885 to 1956. A new company with the same name started up in 1998 but declared bankruptcy in 2007. Re-imagined in 2012, Walkerville Brewing Company is successfully serving lager, stout, pilsener, doppelbock, and, my personal favourite, IPA. The current owner is Mike Brkovich.

The brewery is located in Distillery Square, the centre of the neighbourhood many Windsor residents hope will revive their core and serve as an example to the rest of the city. Brkovich and the Rosati Group are partnering on an ambitious multi-use development expected to transform Walkerville’s commercial core into the Distillery District envisioned by city politicians.

I've mentioned elsewhere the big connection between craft breweries and history. But not every brewery is as into it as Walkerville. These guys display local antiques (and probable reproductions) in their mini-museum lobby, making me feel like I'd dropped right into Windsor'as past:

Sure they're into heritage. It says so right on their vehicle:

Sign up for a tour of Labatt Park, the World's Oldest Baseball Grounds

 

Labatt Park, the world's oldest continuously used baseball grounds, is finally receiving the promotion it deserves. I say "finally" because, despite owning the park since 1936, the City of London hasn't done much to boost its fame. But this summer, Tourism London is providing tours of the park, which has brand new interpretive signs as well as historical displays in the Roy McKay Clubhouse. You can book your tour here.

Some readers don't need to be told. You're already fans of baseball and Labatt Park. You enjoy the leisurely pace of the game, the fun of keeping a scorecard, the quoting of statistics. You love evening games, sitting in the grandstand under a dark, moonlit sky, the lights of downtown London shining across the River Thames. You also enjoy sitting in the stands on a bright summer day sipping a cold beer, cheering the crack of the bat. 

For others it's like watching paint dry. You may not be into spectator sports at all. 

Even if you're not into baseball, though, Labatt Park is still of interest to everyone interested in London history. Or women's history. Or black history. Some of the new signs illustrate why:

Signboard images courtesy of Tourism London.

The sign above illustrates how the floods of 1883 and 1937 were devastating to Labatt Park as well as the rest of downtown London. The 1883 flood destroyed the original grandstand. The Flood of '37 damaged the park again, necessitating the building of the park's third grandstand and a new clubhouse. 

During the first half of the 20th century, Labatt Park was visited by various Negro League teams from the US. Famed pitcher Satchell Paige visited in 1954 while touring with a baseball version of the Harlem Globetrotters. After Jackie Robinson broke the "colour barrier" in 1947, players formerly in the Negro Leagues, like Ted Alexander, played in the Intercounty Baseball League. 

During World War II, Labatt Park was the home field for several women's baseball, softball and fastball teams, including the London Supremes who played in the Michigan-Ontario Women's Fastball League right into the 1950s. It's like A League of Their Own right here in London. At left on the above sign is Marion Clark Knowles, pitching for the London Supremes. 

Courtesy of Stephen Harding

Information on the above topics and more can also be found inside the Roy McKay Clubhouse (right) which has been turned into a museum space. Shown here are displays about the Supremes, the PUC Playground Olympics, and the famous London Tecumsehs. The Tecumsehs, created in 1868, were named after their patron, the Tecumseh House Hotel that once stood at York and Richmond streets. One of their players was Fred Goldsmith, probably the inventor of the curve ball as this book explains. In 1877, the Tecumsehs became international champions by defeating the Pittsburgh Alleghenies 5-2 to win the International Baseball Association championship. Before it was Labatt Park, the diamond was Tecumseh Park. 

Courtesy of Tourism London

You never know who'll drop by while you're in the clubhouse. Here Barry Moore, 97, poses with a display of his own uniform, glove, and spikes. Mr. Moore, a retired teacher and minister, also found time to be a pitcher for the London Army team of the Intercounty Baseball League. The jerseys  in the background represent London Majors players who enjoyed exceptional careers during the team's 96-year history. Also on display are the jerseys of Londoners who have been inducted in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys.

Today, of course, Labatt Park is home to the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League. More information about the team and former players can be found here. Founded in 1925, the Majors are getting pretty historic themselves. 

Let's Play Ball!