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305 plaques found that match your criteria
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Timiskaming Mission, The
In 1836, a Catholic mission was established directly across the lake at Fort Timiskaming, a Hudson's Bay Company post where, by 1842, a chapel had been completed. The mission was moved to this site in 1836 and a presbytery was constructed by the Oblates who had commenced missionary work in the region in 1844. A second presbytery was built here in 1867.The Grey Sisters of Ottawa, who had arrived the previous year, then established the... -
L'École Guigues and Regulation 17
Erected as a school in 1904-05, this building became a centre for minority rights agitation in Ontario early in the twentieth century. In 1912, when the provincial government issued a directive restricting French-language education to the primary grades, heated controversy resulted. Opposition to this directive, commonly called Regulation 17, was widespread and particularly intense in Ottawa. Funds were withheld from the city's separate school board and in 1915, after it had closed the schools under... -
Long Island Mill, The
An outstanding example of mill architecture in Ontario, this grist-mill was constructed by Thomas Langrell, an Ottawa contractor, for Moss K. Dickinson (1822-97) and Joseph M. Currier (1820-84), the owners of a nearby mill. The Long Island Mill began operation in 1860 with four sets of mill-stones driven by water-powered turbines manufactured in Ottawa. By the autumn of 1862, a woollen-mill had been added to this industrial complex, around which the community of Manotick developed... -
University of Ottawa, The
This institution was established in 1848 by Bishop Joseph-Eugène Guigues and placed under the direction of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Incorporated by Act of Parliament on May 30, 1849 as the College of Bytown, it occupied a three-storey frame building in the garden of the Episcopal Palace. Renamed "College of Ottawa" in 1861, it received university status five years later, and was decreed a pontifical university by Pope Leo XIII in 1889. The college... -
Mohawk Institute, The
The Mohawk Institute was established in 1831 for children of the Six Nations Iroquois living on the Grand River. Pupils from other native communities in Ontario attended the school as well. Like all Canadian residential schools, the Mohawk Institute tried to assimilate its students into the rapidly growing Euro-Canadian society. To that end, it disregarded native cultural traditions and stressed instead Christian teachings, English-language instruction, and manual labour skills. This building was constructed in 1904... -
Chatham Blockhouse 1794, The
On this site a blockhouse was constructed in 1794 by order of Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe. He planned to establish here a small naval arsenal which would form a link in the defences of Upper Canada's western frontier and also draw the Indian trade from Detroit. The post was garrisoned by a detachment of the Queen's Rangers, and two gunboats were built; but by 1797 it was abandoned. In 1798 the province's Administrator, Peter Russell, had the blockhouse moved to Sandwich to serve as the Western District's court house and gaol. -
Kent County Court House
In 1847, the Kent District was established and authority was given for the erection of a court house and jail at Chatham. One year later construction began according to plans submitted by the prominent Canadian architect William Thomas. Designed in the Neo-classical style common to many contemporary public buildings, this well-proportioned white limestone structure features a balustraded balcony above the entrance, a prominent pediment and a crowning cupola. The building was completed in 1850 and... -
New Fairfield 1815
In 1792 Fairfield, a Moravian missionary settlement of Delaware Indians was established by David Zeisberger just north of here across the Thames. It was destroyed by invading American forces following their victory at the Battle of the Thames, October 5, 1813. Christian Frederick Denke, who guided the homeless Fairfield Indians during the war years, re-established the mission here at New Fairfield in 1815. A small log church was then built which was replaced by a... -
Gull River and the Clergy House
This site was an early Indian camping ground, the Gull River watershed being the hunting territory of bands living around Lake Simcoe who came by way of the Balsam Lake portage and Gull River waters. Before the days of the settlers, lumbering companies moved large quantities of white pine from the area and it is probable that they erected this building about 1870. In 1899, it was acquired by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto and during the early years of this century, served as headquarters for itinerant missionaries who travelled extensively throughout the surrounding district. -
Victoria Hall
One of the finest public buildings in Canada, this imposing structure was built as an expression of civic pride and confidence in the future. It was begun in 1856 and opened by the Prince of Wales four years later. Designed by the renowned architect Kivas Tully, Victoria Hall is classical in form and is distinguished by elaborately carved ornamentation, an elegant pediment supported by four Corinthian columns and a massive, column-ringed cupola. The building's interior... -
Wasdell Falls Hydro-Electric Development 1914
Completed in 1914 after several municipalities on the eastern shore of Lake Simcoe had requested a supply of electric power, this was the first generating station constructed by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. The natural formation of solid granite provided an excellent foundation for the development. The Wasdell plant operated as a separate unit serving the northern portion of Ontario County and the western portion of Victoria until 1924, when it became part of... -
Willow Creek Depot
During the War of 1812, the Nine Mile Portage from Kempenfel(d)t Bay to Willow Creek formed part of the vital route, via Yonge Street, Lake Simcoe, the Nottawasaga River and Georgian Bay, which linked Upper Canada with the British posts on the upper Great Lakes. Here, beside the Minesing Swamp and one mile from the landing on Willow Creek, were stored the hundreds of tons of military supplies and trade goods that maintained the western... -
Muskoka District Court House 1900
Bracebridge has been a centre for the administration of justice in Muskoka since it held the first court sessions in the region in 1868. The province built this court house after Bracebridge became the District Town of the new District of Muskoka in 1898. It is an early example of a style of court house built by Frank R. Heakes, who became chief architect in Ontario's Department of Public Works in 1896. Its classical form... -
Woodchester Villa
One of the finest octagonal houses in Ontario, this impressive building was erected in 1882 by Henry James Bird, a prosperous local woollen manufacturer. In its unusual design, it illustrates the architectural theories of Orson Squire Fowler, an American author and lecturer who claimed that many-sided structures provided healthier, more efficient environments for their inhabitants than rectangular buildings. In keeping with Fowler's views, the house was solidly constructed of fieldstone and poured concrete and contained... -
Fort Henry
Built between 1832 and 1836 as part of a large-scale system of defence to protect the naval dockyards at Kingston and the Rideau Canal, the present fortifications replaced an earlier fort dating from the War of 1812. -
Kingston Observatory, The
The first optical astronomical observatory in the province, the Kingston Observatory was established in 1855 after a solar eclipse aroused public interest in astronomical studies. Under the auspices of a committee of British military officers and "gentlemen amateurs" a frame observatory was built here. It was transferred to the control of Queen's College in 1861 and within a year a new brick structure had been erected on the site. Staffed by Nathan Fellowes Dupuis, an... -
Royal Military College of Canada, The
Following the withdrawal of British forces from Canada in 1870-71, the federal government recognized the need for an officer training college in Canada. In 1874, during the administration of the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, enabling legislation was passed. Located on Point Frederick, the site of the former Royal Naval Dockyard, the new college opened on June 1, 1876, with 18 cadets under Lt.-Col. Edward O. Hewett, R.E. Named the Royal Military College of Canada in 1878... -
Stone Frigate, The
Once part of a large and active naval dockyard, this substantial stone building was erected as a warehouse for naval stores. Although initially planned in 1816, it was not completed until four years later when the need for storage facilities to hold gear and rigging from British warships dismantled in compliance with the Rush-Bagot Agreement had become acute. After the Rebellion of 1837, the building briefly functioned as a barracks for the naval detachment charged... -
Summerhill 1839
This house, built in 1839 by Archdeacon George Okill Stuart, was known as "Okill's Folly." When the Province of Canada's first parliament met in the nearby hospital, the members were housed in Summerhill. Leased for government offices in 1842-44, it was later occupied by a school. In 1853, it was purchased by Queens College and served for several years as the university's only building. During most of its history, it has been used as the principal's residence. -
McMartin House c. 1831, The
The son of Loyalists from the Morrisburg area, Daniel McMartin (1798-1869) established a law practice in Perth in 1823. Well-educated and well-connected, he acquired prominent clients like timber baron Philemon Wright of Hull. McMartin chose a neo-classical design for his residence, then embellished it with unique stylistic features such as recessed arches and a cupola with flanking side lanterns. These are hallmarks of the Federal style of architecture that flourished in the eastern United States... -
Bon Echo Inn
In the early twentieth century many well-known Canadian artists painted and sketched in this area. They were drawn here by the striking landscape and the ideals of the owners of the Bon Echo Inn. Flora MacDonald Denison, a Toronto feminist, bought the inn in 1910. Inspired by the philosophy of American poet Walt Whitman, she set out to create a wilderness retreat for the avant-garde. Guests were offered painting lessons, amateur theatre, and poetry readings... -
Johnstown District Court House and Gaol
In 1808, the provincial government authorized the erection of a court house and gaol at Elizabethtown (Brockville) to serve the District of Johnstown created ten years earlier. By 1811, a brick structure had been built here on land donated by William Buell, the founder of Brockville. It was replaced in 1824 by a larger building which remained the judicial and administrative centre of the region until the present court house was completed in 1843. Prominently... -
Lyndhurst Bridge, The
Reputedly the oldest bridge in existence in Ontario, this structure was built in 1856-57. It was designed by John Roddick, then an employee of a prominent local mill owner, and erected by contractors Miles Fulford and Simon Ransom. A fine example of masonry arch construction, the picturesque three-span bridge was built of local field stone, laid in random courses, and is unadorned except for the sandstone wall caps and arch surrounds. It is distinguished by... -
Hawkesbury Mills
In 1805, Thomas Mears and David Patee leased islands in the Ottawa where they built a sawmill and a grist-mill. They constructed a dam across the channel to Hawkesbury West and there purchased 1,000 acres of land. In 1810, half of these properties were mortgaged to William and George Hamilton who later obtained full ownership. The Hamiltons enlarged the sawmill and made it one of the most productive in the province, exporting large quantities of... -
Martintown Grist Mill, The
This mill was built in 1846 to replace part of a milling complex developed by Malcolm McMartin early in the century. Like similar operations throughout the province, the McMartin mills provided essential local services in an era of poor transportation. They served area residents by sawing timber, carding wool, fulling cloth and grinding grain. The mills and their associated tavern and store attracted tradesmen and residents, creating the village of Martintown. Malcolm McMartin's son Alexander...