THE FOUNDING OF LEAMINGTON
Parts of Mersea Township were surveyed in the 1790's, but it was not until 1833 that Alexander Wilkinson, who had acquired land elsewhere in the township by 1810, obtained his patent for a lot now located in the heart of Leamington. A settlement known as Wilkinson's Corners developed and, on June 1, 1854, a post-office called Leamington was opened. A saw and grist-mill was in operation the following year. By 1860 the community comprised 75 persons and stagecoach communication with Windsor was established. Leamington, with over 750 inhabitants, was incorporated as a Village by an Essex County by-law of November 26, 1874. The first election, however, was not held until December 27, 1875, and the first Village Council took office on January 1, 1876.
From: Wikipedia
Leamington
Leamington is a Southern Ontario municipality in Essex County, and has a population of 31,113. It is located near Point Pelee. It has a large H. J. Heinz Company factory and is known as the "Tomato Capital of Canada", with 4 km² of this crop in the vicinity. It also lays claim to being the "Sun Parlour" of Canada due to its southern location.
History:
Leamington was incorporated as a village in 1876. It was a crossroads hamlet with about 300 residents and was known for its lumber products rather than its tomatoes. There were several docks, and fish were plentiful in Lake Erie, so much so that sturgeon could be speared from the shore and fish was the cheapest food available. Leamington once had many tobacco farms but now they are virtually nonexistent. In 1908 the H. J. Heinz company came to Leamington, bringing many jobs to the area and contributing to Leamington's growth.
In the early hours of Sunday, June 6, 2010, an F2 tornado ripped through portions of southern Essex County, stretching from Harrow, through Kingsville, to downtown Leamington before dissipating near Point Pelee National Park, creating considerable damage, but no loss of life.