The first room that you come to in the Museum is the War of 1812 Room. This begins the chronological approach to the military history of Elgin County. Shortly after the arrival of Col. Thomas Talbot, depicted at the left, the war broke out between the Americans and the British over the North American Colonies. The war raged on for two years with battles along the border. During this time there were several raids on Port Talbot, the site of the Talbot Estate. The Americans were looking for Col. Talbot, but he managed to escape their grasp. They did however capture Col. Mahlon Burwell, Talbot's land surveyor, and took him back to Ohio. For more on his story please take a look at his veterans record in our Veterans Records Menu above.
The main exhibit in this room is a depicts the battle of Put-in-Bay in the West End of Lake Erie. The exhibit features two hand made models of the H.M.S. Detroit, and the U.S.S. Niagara. The ships themselves are fine exhibits of the modelers craft.