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Solomon Moseby Affair 1837, The
The second courthouse and jail of the Niagara District was erected at this site in 1817. Several high-profile cases were tried here, including that of African-American freedom seeker Solomon Moseby. In the spring of 1837, Moseby stole his enslaver's horse and escaped, settling in Niagara. A few weeks later, his new-found freedom was threatened when his enslaver arrived with an arrest warrant and extradition papers. Moseby was detained at this jail while awaiting an extradition... -
Destruction of the Caroline 1837, The
On the night of December 29-30, 1837, some 60 volunteers acting on the orders of Col. Allan Napier McNab, and commanded by Capt. Andrew Drew, R.N., set out from Chippawa in small boats to capture the American steamer "Caroline". That vessel, which had been supplying William Lyon MacKenzie's rebel forces on Navy Island, was moored at Fort Schlosser, N.Y. There she was boarded by Drew's men, her crew killed or driven ashore, and after an... -
Field House, The
One of the oldest brick houses in Ontario, this handsome Georgian structure was built about 1800. Originally a farm house, it was the home of Gilbert Field (1765-1815), a United Empire Loyalist who was in possession of the land by 1790. During the War of 1812 the house was used by British forces and was subject to a brief bombardment from an American battery. Though damaged, it was one of the few homes in the... -
French Community in Welland
The neighbourhood that became commonly known as "French Town" was established in this area in 1918, when approximately 20 French-Canadian families arrived from Quebec to work at the Empire Cotton Mills plant. The Roman Catholic Parish of Sacré-Cœur was established in 1920 and became the cultural centre of the francophone community that developed around Empire Street. Additional French-Canadian families arrived from Quebec, New Brunswick and northern Ontario throughout the 1920s. Another wave of francophones moved... -
Fort Chippawa 1791
The fortifications that stood on this site were built in 1791 to protect the southern terminus of the Niagara portage road and serve as a forwarding depot for government supplies. Known also as Fort Welland, the main structure consisted of a log blockhouse surrounded by a stockade. During the War of 1812, several bloody engagements were fought in this vicinity, including the bitterly contested Battle of Chippawa, July 5, 1814, and possession of the fort... -
Queenston Baptist Church, The
By 1808, the Rev. Elkanah Holmes, a missionary from the United States, had organized the first Baptist congregation in Queenston. Following the War of 1812, the congregation declined, was reorganized in 1831 and, between 1842 and 1845, erected this rough-cut limestone structure as its church. It is an early and interesting example of the Gothic revival style in this province. The church had closed by 1918 and in 1928 was sold to the Women's Institute... -
Raid on Fort Schlosser 1813, The
At daybreak on July 5, 1813, a British and Canadian force, consisting of some 35 militia and a small detachment of the 49th Regiment, embarked in this vicinity to attack Fort Schlosser. The American depot (now within Niagara Falls, New York) was situated at the southern terminus of the Lewiston Portage, and was an important military trans-shipment point. The attacking force, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Thomas Clark of the 2nd Regiment, Lincoln Militia, surprised the U.S... -
Reverend Anthony Burns 1834-1862, The
Born a slave in Virginia, Burns escaped from servitude in 1854 and fled to Boston, where he was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Abolitionists came to his defence and serious riots ensued. This was the last trial of a fugitive slave in Massachusetts. Four months after his return to his owner in Virginia, he was sold to a North Carolina planter. However, in 1855, Burns was ransomed with money raised by the... -
Richard Pierpoint c. 1744 - c. 1838
One of the first Black settlers in this region, Pierpoint was born in Senegal. At the age of about 16, he was imprisoned and shipped to America where he became the slave of a British officer. During the American Revolution, he enlisted in the British forces, thereby gaining his freedom, and served with Butler's Rangers. Disbanded at Niagara, "Captain Dick" settled near here. At the outbreak of the War of 1812, he joined the Coloured... -
Sir Casimir S. Gzowski 1813-1898
First chairman of the Niagara Parks Commission (1885-93), Gzowski was born in Russia of Polish parents. Forced to emigrate, following participation in the Polish Rising of 1830, he came to Canada in 1841. An exceptionally able engineer, he first served as a government construction superintendent. He later organized a company that built the Grand Trunk Railway from Toronto to Sarnia, 1853-7, and the International Bridge across the Niagara River at Fort Erie in 1873. He... -
Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe 1763-1851
On October 13, 1812, following Isaac Brock's death in a preceding assault, Major-General Sheaffe assumed command and led a successful attack, which dislodged an invading American force from Queenston Heights. Born in Boston, Mass., Sheaffe was commissioned in the British army in 1778 and fought in the American Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Arriving in Upper Canada in 1812, he served as Administrator of the province 1812-1813, and returned to England in the latter year. He was created a baronet in 1813, attained the rank of general in 1838 and died in Edinburgh, Scotland. -
Sir Edward Wentworth Beatty 1877-1943
Born in Thorold, Beatty attended the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall. In 1898, he joined the legal department of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in Montreal and became the company's first Canadian-born president at the age of 41. He led the CPR in head-to-head competition with Canadian National Railways and was responsible for building the Royal York Hotel in Toronto and the "Empress of Britain" luxury liner. He was knighted in 1935. During the Second... -
St. Andrew's
Presbyterians formed a congregation at Niagara in 1794 with John Dun as resident minister. Within a year, they had built a church and, by 1802, a schoolhouse. American troops burned the church during the War of 1812, claiming that British soldiers had used the steeple as an observation post. The congregation held services in the schoolhouse until 1831 when, under the leadership of the Reverend Robert McGill, they built this church. Restored but little altered... -
St. Johns
A sawmill built in 1792 on nearby Twelve Mile Creek by Benjamin Canby, an early entrepreneur, formed the nucleus of a settlement, which, by 1799, was called St. Johns. Other enterprising businessmen, notably John Darling and John Street, developed several mill sites and the flourishing community soon became the Niagara District's leading mill centre. A post-office was established in 1831, by which time the village contained numerous operations, including a woollen factory, foundry, tannery and... -
Janet Carnochan 1839-1926
For more than 30 years Janet Carnochan, a native of Stamford, Ontario, taught elementary and secondary school at Niagara-on-the-Lake, but she made her greatest contribution to the community as an historian rather than as an educator. A distinguished historical preservationist, Carnochan founded and was first president of the Niagara Historical Society, 1895-1925, and laboured tirelessly to safeguard and promote the rich heritage of Niagara. She wrote and edited numerous historical works including The History of Niagara and successfully campaigned for the construction... -
Joseph-Geneviève, Comte de Puisaye
Soldier, politician, diplomatist and colonizer, de Puisaye was born at Mortagne-en-Perche, France, about 1755, and enlisted in the French Army at 18. Elected to the States General in 1789, he supported reform but, alarmed by the course of the Revolution, later organized resistance on behalf of the Royalists. Outlawed, he sought refuge in England and in 1795, as Lieutenant-General, led an ill-fated expedition to Quiberon, Brittany. Three years later, with some forty other émigrés, he... -
Lance-Corporal Fred Fisher, V.C. 1894-1915
Born at St. Catharines, August 3, 1894, Fred Fisher was a student at McGill University when World War I broke out. He enlisted in the 13th Battalion, First Division, Canadian Expeditionary Force, September 23, 1914. Fisher was awarded the Victoria Cross for valour in operations near St. Julien, April 23, 1915, during the second battle of Ypres, the first major engagement in which Canadian troops were involved. While under very heavy fire, he led his... -
Laura Ingersoll Secord 1775-1868
Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Laura Ingersoll came to Upper Canada with her father in 1795 and settled in this area. About two years later she married James Secord, a United Empire Loyalist, and within seven years they had moved to this site from nearby St. Davids. From here, during the War of 1812, Laura Secord set out on an arduous 19-mile journey to warn the local British commander, Lieutenant James FitzGibbon, of an impending... -
Louis Hennepin 1626 - c. 1705
Born and educated in Belgium, Hennepin was ordained a Recollet (Franciscan) friar in France. He was an adventurer at heart and undertook priestly duties in several European countries before being sent to New France as a missionary in 1675. In 1679-80, he accompanied Cavelier de La Salle on his exploration of the Mississippi River. Back in France, Hennepin published a lively account of his travels, Description de la Louisiane (1683), which enjoyed widespread popularity in... -
McFarland House 1800
This Georgian style house was built in 1800 by John McFarland (1757-1815) and his sons, on land granted by the Crown. It is one of the oldest surviving structures in the Niagara district. During the War of 1812 it was used as a hospital by both British and American forces and a British battery, located behind the house, protected the river. In 1813, John McFarland was taken prisoner by the Americans following their capture of... -
Niagara Agricultural Society, The
The first organization devoted to the improvement of agriculture in Ontario was founded at Niagara. Its original name, the Agricultural Society of Upper Canada, reflected Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe's hope that it would become a province-wide organization. Its members, mostly merchants, politicians, clergymen and gentlemen farmers, met regularly for dinner and discussion. They imported new varieties of fruit trees to the Niagara peninsula in 1794 and sponsored the province's first agricultural fair in Queenston in... -
Niagara Escarpment, The
Queenston Heights is part of the Niagara Escarpment, a height of land which extends 725 kilometres across Ontario from Niagara Falls to Manitoulin Island. Over 430 million years ago, a shallow tropical sea covered most of central North America. Sediments and coral reef on the seabed were compressed into dolomite, a hard type of limestone which was more resistant to erosion then the bedrock of the adjacent lands after the water retreated. The cliffs of... -
St. Andrew's Anglican Church
On this land donated by Robert Nelles, United Empire Loyalist, the pioneers of this community built a log church in 1794. It was replaced by a frame structure which was completed by 1804. The present stone church was erected 1819-25, and consecrated by bishop C.J. Stewart in 1828. The first three incumbents were the Rev. W. Sampson 1817-22, the Rev. A.N. Bethune 1823-27, and the Rev. G.F.R. Grout 1827-49. In this churchyard are buried many members of the Loyalist families who founded The Forty (Grimsby). -
St. Mark's Church
One of the earliest Anglican churches in the province, St. Mark's was begun in 1804 to serve a congregation organized twelve years earlier. Its first rector, the Reverend Robert Addison, chaplain of Upper Canada's first Legislative Assembly, numbered among his parishioners Lieutenant-Governor John Simcoe, Lieutenant-Colonel John Butler and Major-General Isaac Brock. Completed in 1810, the church was used by the British as a hospital in 1812 and by the Americans as a barracks in 1813... -
Welland Mills, The
Believed to have been one of Upper Canada's largest flour mills, this substantial limestone structure was erected in 1846-47 by Jacob Keefer. It was constructed on the Second Welland Canal, a channel which has since been filled in, and used that waterway as a source of power as well as a means of transport. Solidly built and functional in design, the structure possesses the massive exterior walls and symmetrical façade which were distinctive features of...