Timeline of London and Middlesex History
Click on a century or scroll down the list. 
The 1600s
1600s - the early inhabitants were the Attiwandaras, Huron
and Iroquois
The 1700s
1744 - As-kum-essipi (meaning Antlered River), an early
name for the Thames River
1745 - La Tranche (meaning the cut or the trench), another
early name used by trappers for the Thames River
1793 - Lieutenant-Governor John Graves
Simcoe first viewed the forks of the Thames on March 2, with Thomas Talbot, Major Littlehales and Simcoe's dog, Jack Sharp
1796 - a parcel of land comprising the lower (main) forks
of the Thames River was purchased from the Chippewa by the Provincial Government
The 1800s
1800 - the District of London was proclaimed
1808 - Mahlon Burwell surveyed a
1000 acre ( 405 hectare) tract of land at the main Forks of the Thames to be held under a
licence of occupation by Joshua Applegarth for the purpose of cultivating hemp
1819 - Wesleyan Methodism was brought to London area by a
circuit riding preacher called George Washington
1825 - Laurence Lawrason was appointed first Deputy
Postmaster at the London Postal Station, at the southeast corner of present-day Sanatorium
Road and Oxford Street
1826 - Peter McGregor, London's
first settler, built his home which doubled as an inn
1826 - Royal assent was given to a Provincial Bill
designating the forks of the Thames as the administrative and legal centre of the District
of London
1826 - Mahlon Burwell surveyed
London's town site
1827 - the Court House of Western Upper Canada at Vittoria,
in Norfolk County burned and was rebuilt in London; the Forks Post Office was opened
1829 - Goodhue's Drug Store was
made the Post Office
1830 - Goodhue's General Store
and real estate office opened; the first execution in London occurred as Cornelius Burley
was hanged for murder
1830 - Reverend Benjamin Cronyn and Dr. William Proudfoot
settled in London; Labatt's Brewery was established; St. Paul's Cathedral erected
1833 - Hyman Tannery established; Methodist Church built on
Ridout Street; The United Associate Synod Congregation (later First Presbyterian Church)
was formally organized by Reverend William Proudfoot
1834 - St. Laurence Church, the first Roman Catholic
Church, was established at the corner of Maple and Richmond
1835 - London's first bank, the Bank of Upper Canada,
opened under the management of Richard Richardson
1840 - The Town of London was incorporated and therefore,
London would be governed by an elected Board of Police headed by George
Jervis Goodhue; the population was 1,816
1844 - the Bank of Montreal, Canada's oldest bank, opened a
branch at Carling and Ridout; St. Paul's Cathedral was destroyed by fire
1845 - the Great Fire of London destroyed one fifth of the
town on April 13
1846 - St. Paul's Cathedral was rebuilt
1847 - London was officially incorporated as a town on July
28 with a mayor and town council
1848 - Simeon Morrill, a tanner,
was elected Mayor and the population was 3,942
1849 - the first issue of the Canadian Free Press (now the
London Free Press)
1853 - the London and Port Stanley Railway Company was
incorporated and the Great Western Railway opened its
first station in London; in December, the first train arrived; Colonel
Talbot died
1854 - street lights were lit by gas
1855 - London was proclaimed a city, effective January 1,
1855 and built a new City Hall; the population was 10,000
1868 - eggs sold at the London Market for 12 cents a dozen
1874 - Victoria Park was dedicated as a public park; the
land was an old military reserve
1876 - free delivery of letters
1877 - the dry goods store of Smallman and Ingram opened at
147 Dundas Street
1878 - Dr. Richard Bucke became the first telephone
subscriber of the Dominion Telegraph company on Richmond Street
1882 - on May 24, the Victoria Day
Disaster occurred when a steamer ship called The Victoria capsized on the Thames River
and two hundred people died
1884 - Kensington Bridge was built; a lawnmower cost
$4.35
1885 - the town of London East
was annexed by the City of London, March 30
1893 - the public library was built at Queens and
Wellington
1897 - the village of London West was annexed by the City
of London, September 2; the Fire Department was established
1898 - the second floor of City Hall
collapsed with tragic results
The 1900s
1901 - the London and Middlesex Historical Society was
formed; Prince George (George V) visited the City
1902 - Guy Lombardo, the band
leader, was born
1904 - Chelsea Green bridge was built
1907 - the Reid Crystal Hall disaster, July 16
1910 - Byron Sanitorium opened
1911 - City Hall was sold; the
Pottersburg Bridge was built
1912 - Ealing, Pottersburg, Knollwood and Chelsea Green
were annexed; Miss Dora Labatt became the first London woman to ride in an airplane;
parks became the responsibility of the Public Utilities Commission; Nitschke Building
became City Hall
1914 - World War I, the Great War, began
1916 - 16,000 troops were stationed at Carling Heights
1918 - World War I, the Great War, ended
1919 - visit of the Prince of Wales (Edward VIII)
1924 - municipal Golf Links established; Registry Office on
County Grounds opened
1925 - garbage collection was available for the whole City
1926 - Quebec Street Library opened
1927 - Hotel London opened
1931 - The Toronto Dominion Bank at Richmond and John
Streets was robbed by a bandit who escaped in an airplane
1931 - John Labatt was kidnapped
by Three Fingered Abe's Gang
1936 - the Dominion Public Building opened, September 26
1937 - The famous "Flood of '37" happened on
April 26
1939 - World War II began
1940 - Elsie Perrin Williams Memorial
Library opened October
4; London City Airport opened on July 27; streetcars were abolished in favour
of buses
1941 - London Street Railway tracks removed from Dundas,
Richmond and Oxford Streets
1945 - World War II ended
1948 - parking meters were installed
1951 - visit of Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of
Edinburgh, October 14
1953 - CFPL-TV began its television service on Channel 10
1955 - London celebrated its centennial with a birthday
party at Hotel London and other events
1958 - Old 86 was given to London
on July 15; Storybook Gardens was officially opened on June 25; Victoria
House, London's Historical Museum opened
1960 - the $11,000,000 Wellington Square Mall opened
1961 - annexation expanded the City again
1962 - the Adelaide C.N.R. Overpass was constructed
1963 - the Highbury C.N.R. Overpass was constructed
1967 - Centennial Hall, named in honour of Canada's
Centennial year, was officially opened by Premier John P.
Robarts
1968 - Mayor Frank Stronach died in office on January 1
1969 - Univac computer installed at City Hall in September
1971 - new City Hall opened
1972 - Jane E. Bigelow was elected as the first female
mayor of London
1973 - Westmount Mall opened; Queen Elizabeth II visited
London
1974 - new Court House at 80 Dundas Street opened
1977 - Guy Lombardo, band leader
of the Royal Canadians, died in November
1978 - a major snow storm began at 7:00 a.m. Thursday
January 26 and ended 7:00 p.m. Friday after dumping 32 centimetres of snow; Guy
Lombardo Bridge was officially opened
1982 - Karen Baldwin, Miss Canada of 1982, was also crowned
Miss Universe, in Lima, Peru
1984 - construction began on Masonville Mall; the new
Parkwood Hospital opened
1991 - London hosts its first Children's Festival in
Victoria Park
1992 - the Royal Canadian Regiment was removed to
Pettawawa
by order of the Federal Government
1995 - London and Middlesex Historical Society posted its
first webpage and became the first Canadian Historical society on the Internet, August 29
