On June 8, 1800, the Niagara Library, the first circulating library in Upper Canada, was established "to diffuse knowledge" among area subscribers. Financed by this group, library services were begun in 1801 with some 80 works for circulation, many on religion and history. Under the management of Andrew Heron, a merchant, the collection was steadily enlarged, and in 1805 the books of the Niagara Agricultural Society were added. The library operated successfully until the occupation of Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) by American forces in 1813, when numerous volumes were lost. By 1818, financial support for the library had seriously declined and in 1820, the holdings were incorporated in a new subscription library, begun two years earlier by Heron, then a publisher and book-seller.

Location

At the old courthouse building, 26 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Education
• War and conflict