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 city of Chatham-Kent 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.
Facilities
The town once was home to both a high school and elementary school. However, after enrollment fell below 100 students, Merlin District High School, located on William Street, closed around 1980 and was subsequently torn down. Merlin Area Public School still operates at the northern edge of town on Erie Street. The school opened in the 1960s and has a present enrollment of somewhere in the neighbourhood of 250 students. The Merlin Library is located on Aberdeen Street, and has books and internet access. Merlin Fire Hall is a volunteer fire station located southeast of the town centre at Sullivan Street and Blake Street. 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 still owned by the police and has remained vacant since. A park exists in the town known as Merlin Kinsmen Park, which has a playground, shelters and two baseball diamonds located in the Northeastern area of the town. 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.
