A provincial plaque in Philipsville beside Highway 42 commemorates James Philips, an early store and tavern owner in the community. He became active in local politics, rose to prominence as a Reformer in the 1830s and became embroiled in the violence and rebellion of Upper Canada in 1837. James Philips was killed in the Battle of the Windmill in 1838.

Plaque Text
Born about 1800, Philips settled here in 1825 and soon opened a store and tavern. He became active in politics and, as a Reformer, rose to local prominence during the elections in Leeds between 1834 and 1836. These contests were marked by clashes between Ogle R. Gowan's Orangemen and the Reformers and by a level of violence and intimidation unsurpassed in Upper Canada's electoral history. Philips served on the Reformers' committee of Vigilance and Management and as Vice-President of the Johnstown District Reformers' Society. After the collapse of the Rebellion of 1837, Philips and other Reformers went to the United States. On November 11, 1838, he returned with an invading force and was killed on November 13 in the Battle of the Windmill near Prescott.