Thamesville Corn Maize has War of 1812 connection

“Yes, the rumour is correct. Once again Chief Tecumseh is in the field. He looks great,” states Ingrid Dieleman, the organizer of the annual corn maize located at R.R#6, 12768 Longwoods Rd. (Hwy 2) Thamesville, Ontario. The giant corn maize shows a full-body likeness of Tecumseh, the Shawnee leader who united a First Nations confederacy and whose life ended during the War of 1812. The Battle of the Thames, near Thamesville happened on October 5, 1813.

Tecumseh is known throughout Canada and the United States as a prolific leader and his role in shaping South West Ontario’s history is especially significant. Dieleman explains, “We went with Chief Tecumseh this year because we really felt that he was worth the attention especially in this area…to know that he walked along our shoreline is pretty cool.”

The Thamesville Corn Maize is one of many initiatives throughout the province that honours Tecumseh. Canada Post launched a Tecumseh Stamp, and the Federal Government has identified Tecumseh as one of the four highlighted War of 1812 figures in its national campaign. In Chatham-Kent, local community members are working towards a major update of the current Tecumseh Monument east of Thamesville, the route taken by Tecumseh’s warriors and the British as they were being pursued by the Americans will be marked by the Tecumseh Parkway, which is also featured in a Smart Phone App and the Battle of the Thames committee is working diligently to plan a large-scale event on October 4-5, 2013.

The Thamesville Corn Maize won’t be around for much longer though as the corn season is coming to a close, so we are encouraging everyone to get out to the corn maize and get “lost” in history.