This fonds contains original records documenting 19th and early 20th century land ownership for several parcels of land in rural Essex County, including deeds of land, affidavits, and mortgages. There are also handwritten notes tracking the chain of ownership for a specific parcel. The lands documented are (1) Lot 16 South of Middle Road, Rochester Township, and (2) Lots 17 and 18 in the Ninth Concession of Sandwich South Township (formerly Sandwich East Township). These transactions involve farmers, farmwives, and bankers, as well as single, widowed, and married people, neighbours, and relatives.

This collection contains an eclectic assortment of material – primarily images –relating to the history of Southwestern Ontario and its surrounding areas. The collection has been arranged into series that reflect the types of material received for digitization by SWODA. Series I contains photographs, including a number depicting the work and premises of a Windsor-area construction company, ca. 1920s-1970s; a 1943 group photo from a Windsor factory doing war production; and a Windsor elementary school class photo, ca. 1918; and mausoleums in Windsor Grove Cemetery, 1987-2021. Series II contains several hundred historic postcards in various styles (ca. 1900-2001) depicting landscapes, buildings, attractions, infrastructure, and modes of transportation primarily in Southwestern Ontario (especially Windsor and Essex County) and Detroit, Michigan. Five 1946 postcards depicting other places are all addressed to Miss F. “Rose” Perjul of Windsor, Ontario, mostly from newly demobilized soldier “Frank.” One postcard commemorates a 1959 royal visit. Further series will be added as applicable. Any known details about a specific item are included in the finding aid.

This fonds constitutes a rich record of Windsor Chamber of Commerce activities over more than a century, shedding light on the history and development of the business community in the Border Cities region, particularly Windsor. The bulk of the records relate to the Windsor Chamber of Commerce era (1935-1991). A small number of records document the original Windsor Board of Trade era (1876-1917, but with records only covering 1903-1912) and a somewhat larger body of records document the Border Cities Chamber of Commerce era (1917-1935).

The records consist primarily of correspondence, reports, and meeting minutes (1903-1991), with the addition of scrapbooks (1930s-1960s), photographs (1960s-1980s), and a copy of the 1876 charter which established the original Windsor Board of Trade. Due to the nature of the Chamber’s activities and advocacy, the fonds contains information about, or correspondence from, notable figures including O.E. Fleming, Art Reaume, George M. Duck, George Drew, Leslie Frost, Hiram Walker, Henry Ford, Jack Miner, Paul Martin Sr., Lester Pearson, John Diefenbaker, Pierre Trudeau, Mark MacGuigan, and Herb Gray. Major local issues touched on in the records include the development of the Windsor Airport, the local war effort during the Second World War, the purchase of Roseland Golf Club, the E.C. Row Expressway, Daylight Savings Time, downtown development, community planning, local government election procedures, regional government proposals, and transportation. Affiliated organizations including the Windsor Retail Merchants Association, the Manufacturers Association, and the Essex County Tourist Association are represented here as well.