The Founding of Dresden
Text from the plaque
In 1846 Daniel van Allen, a Chatham merchant, laid out a town plot on land purchased from Jared Lindsley, the first settler (1825) on the site of Dresden. By 1849 the erection of a steam sawmill, and the operation of a grist-mill in the neighbouring Dawn Institute Settlement founded by Josiah Henson, provided the basis for a thriving community in this area. A post office named "Dresden" was opened in 1854. The region's timber resources and the navigation facilities afforded by the Sydenham River fostered industrial growth. A county by-law of 1871 incorporated Dresden as a village with a population of about 750. Ten years later it became a town.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent
In Dresden, on the south wall of a building
at the northeast corner of
St. George Street (Road 21) and Main Street
N 42 35.414 W 82 10.763
Recorded September 2011. Check current access before visiting.
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Visitors' notes
January 1, 2015
I am researching a paper on No. 2 Canadian Construction Company during World War One. An intriguing member is James Huston Wales who gave his occupation on enlistment as 'minister' at Dresden, Ontario and described his affiliation as 'Apostolic'. Pastor Wales had previously served for almost five years in the 25th Infantry, US Army, one of the so-called Buffalo regiments, segregated units. Should anyone be able to provide any data on Private Wales I would be most grateful. Gordon Douglas Pollock, MA, PhD