Labatt Memorial Park
On December 31, 1936, Tecumseh Park was donated to the City of London by the Labatt Brewing Company along with $10,000 for improvements, on the provisos that the park be renamed the "John Labatt Memorial Athletic Park" and remain a public athletic and recreational field in perpetuity.
From a sociological-historical perspective, it could be argued that the name change from Tecumseh Park to Labatt Memorial Park highlights the dramatic shift from 19th-Century colonial Canada (where the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh was immortalized throughout Canada West for siding with the British in the War of 1812) to more modern times where businesses such as the Labatt Brewing Company became very influential.
Today, Labatt Park is believed the world's oldest baseball grounds in continuous use in its original location. The park was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1994, with the by-law reasons for designation amended in 1996 to include the circa-1937 Roy McKay Clubhouse, home to the London Majors of the Intercounty Baseball League.
Read more about this topic: London Tecumsehs
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