Merlin, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Merlin is a small farming community inhabited by 750 residents located in Southwestern Ontario
. It lies five kilometres due north off the shores of Lake Erie
in the municipality of Chatham-Kent
.
Merlin is the hometown of country music singer Michelle Wright
.
The town has three main streets branching out from the main intersection. Erie Street (Merlin Town Line) runs north and south through the centre of town. William Street begins at the main intersection and travels west toward the town of Tilbury
while Aberdeen Street travels east from the main intersection toward the hamlet
of South Buxton
.
and elementary school
. However, after enrollment fell below 100 students, Merlin District High School, located on William Street and home to the Merlin Mavericks, closed around 1980 and was subsequently torn down. Merlin Area Public School, home of the Merlin Colts still operates at the northern edge of town on Erie Street. The school opened in 1968 and has a present enrollment of approximately 250 students. The Merlin Library is located on Aberdeen Street, and has book
s and internet
access.
Merlin did have an Ontario Provincial Police
detachment located at Blake and Erie Street South, but the police station closed in the 1980s. The building is now occupied by the Chatham-Kent Fire Department after renovations to meet the department requirements.
People in Merlin mainly play fastball (the game using a softball, NOT the pitch) and has a rich fastball history and has built a reputation as one of the province's most recognized powers in the sport.
The Kinsmen
have a charter in Merlin and have a Park which has a playground
, shelters and two baseball
diamonds located in the Northeastern area of the town.
Merlin also is home to the Royal Canadian Legion
, Branch 465 and is considered by many to be an important part of the community.
A Community Center and another baseball diamond are located on the east side of the town, and are maintained by Chatham-Kent.
and are capable of generating a combined total of 101.2 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
Natural Gas
wells was once part of the area to the west, in the former Tilbury East township, with the raw gas going to a Union Gas
pumping station at Port Alma. With the capping of the wells and the closing of pumping station in the 1980s, Union Gas sold the facilities and the main pumping building is no longer there in Port Alma, but some maintenance sheds and an office building still remain there.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It lies five kilometres due north off the shores of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
in the municipality of Chatham-Kent
Chatham-Kent, Ontario
Chatham–Kent is a unitary authority in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Mostly rural, its centres of population are Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Tilbury and Wallaceburg. Modern Chatham–Kent was created in 1998 by the merger of Kent County and its municipalities.- History :The former city of...
.
Merlin is the hometown of country music singer Michelle Wright
Michelle Wright
Michelle Wright is a Canadian country music artist. She is one of the country's most widely recognized and awarded female country singers of the 1990s, winning the Canadian Country Music Association's Fans' Choice Award twice...
.
The town has three main streets branching out from the main intersection. Erie Street (Merlin Town Line) runs north and south through the centre of town. William Street begins at the main intersection and travels west toward the town of Tilbury
Tilbury, Ontario
Tilbury is a community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. It is located between Chatham and Windsor on Highway 401.-History:...
while Aberdeen Street travels east from the main intersection toward the hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
of South Buxton
South Buxton, Ontario
South Buxton is an unincorporated community in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. The population is approximately 78. The majority of the population is retirees. South Buxton has only two roads and a single church. It is near the South Buxton raceway...
.
Facilities
The town once was home to both a high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
. However, after enrollment fell below 100 students, Merlin District High School, located on William Street and home to the Merlin Mavericks, closed around 1980 and was subsequently torn down. Merlin Area Public School, home of the Merlin Colts still operates at the northern edge of town on Erie Street. The school opened in 1968 and has a present enrollment of approximately 250 students. The Merlin Library is located on Aberdeen Street, and has book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s and internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
access.
Merlin did have an Ontario Provincial Police
Ontario Provincial Police
The Ontario Provincial Police is the Provincial Police service for the province of Ontario, Canada.-Overview:The OPP is the the largest deployed police force in Ontario, and the second largest in Canada. The service is responsible for providing policing services throughout the province in areas...
detachment located at Blake and Erie Street South, but the police station closed in the 1980s. The building is now occupied by the Chatham-Kent Fire Department after renovations to meet the department requirements.
People in Merlin mainly play fastball (the game using a softball, NOT the pitch) and has a rich fastball history and has built a reputation as one of the province's most recognized powers in the sport.
The Kinsmen
Kin Canada
Kin Canada is a secular Canadian non-profit service organization that promotes service, fellowship, positive values, and national pride....
have a charter in Merlin and have a Park which has a playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
, shelters and two baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
diamonds located in the Northeastern area of the town.
Merlin also is home to the Royal Canadian Legion
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
, Branch 465 and is considered by many to be an important part of the community.
A Community Center and another baseball diamond are located on the east side of the town, and are maintained by Chatham-Kent.
Industries
The town of Merlin, and the adjacent townships of Tilbury East on its west side, and Raleigh to its east (no longer officially townships since the formation of the municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998) maintain farming as it primary industry. Although a significant alteration to the local landscape started in 2007 with the construction and erection of 44 windmills by Kruger Energy. These windmills were constructed in DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and are capable of generating a combined total of 101.2 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
Natural Gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
wells was once part of the area to the west, in the former Tilbury East township, with the raw gas going to a Union Gas
Union Gas
Union Gas Limited is a major Canadian natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Chatham-Kent, Ontario. The distribution business serves 1.3 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in more than 400 communities across northern, southwestern and eastern...
pumping station at Port Alma. With the capping of the wells and the closing of pumping station in the 1980s, Union Gas sold the facilities and the main pumping building is no longer there in Port Alma, but some maintenance sheds and an office building still remain there.
External links
- Merlin at Geographical Names of Canada