Eight decades later, Windsor City Council could correct a mistake on street signs on Matchette Road.
A report to councillors next Monday recommends dropping the "e" from Matchette.
The fight to change the spelling of the road that borders Windsor and LaSalle began over a decade ago when the descendant of Alfred Matchett, the man the road was named after, approached the City of Windsor and the Town of LaSalle.
When Al Matchett first requested the change in 2011 but was told it wasn't logistically or financially feasible.
He didn't give up and approached the city and town again in January 2021, and both Mayor Drew Dilkens and Mayor Marc Bondy agreed to investigate the possibility.
In all, nine municipal signs would need to be changed, along with three Ontario Ministry of Transportation signs along the Ojibway Parkway, decorative signs at the Ojibway Nature Centre, the rear entrance sign at Malden Park, and two address signs on private property.
The change could cost $6,580. The money would come out of the city's budget stabilization reserve.
There are 140 property owners and tenants that live along Matchette who would need to get their municipal address changed. However, Canada Post does not anticipate any impact since it has the new spelling already in its database.
If councillors approve it, the new signs could go up in a few months.
Alfred Matchett was an early pioneer and farmer in Essex County who owned several properties on Matchette Road in the mid-1800s. The area later became part of the former Town of Ojibway. The report to councillors suggests the extra "e" was added in the 1940s.
