Search Results

75 plaques found that match your criteria

Search again

• Niagara Library, The
  The first circulating library in Upper Canada, the Niagara Library was established in 1800 with a collection of some 80 books. The collection grew steadily and the library operated successfully until the War of 1812, when many volumes were lost. In 1820, the holdings were incorporated into a new subscription library that had opened two years previously.

• Niagara Escarpment, The
  A land formation of intriguing geological complexity, the escarpment stretches from central New York State to Manitoulin Island. It has had a significant influence on the pattern of settlement and the development of communications systems in Ontario.

• Niagara Agricultural Society, The
  Founded by 1792, the Niagara Agricultural Society was the first organization in the province devoted to the advancement of agriculture. As well as distributing information on breeding and planting technologies, the society introduced several varieties of fruit into the Niagara peninsula.

• The Niagara Parks Commission
  In 1885, the Province of Ontario established The Niagara Parks Commission as part of an international effort to preserve the natural scenery around Niagara Falls. Originally, the Commission included Colonel Casimir Gzowski, Chairman, John W. Langmuir and J. Grant Macdonald, and was responsible for making the park self-financing while keeping admission free to the public. The Commissioners acquired parkland along the river to create Queen Victoria Niagara Falls Park, which opened on May 24, 1888...

• Town of Niagara, The
  Settled by loyalist refugees including members of Butler's Rangers in the 1780s, Newark, as the community was then known, was the scene of the first sessions of the Upper Canadian legislature. Captured and burned by American forces in 1813, the town was soon rebuilt, and served as the judicial and administrative centre for the district until 1866.

• Niagara Harbour and Dock Company
  Local businessmen formed the Niagara Harbour and Dock Company in 1831 and began to develop a shipyard here at the river's edge. It quickly became one of the busiest shipbuilders and repair facilities in Upper Canada. The local economy prospered along with the dockyard, then fell into decline when financial troubles crippled the business in the 1850s.

• Capture of Fort Niagara 1813, The
  In the early hours of December 19, 1813, a combined British and Canadian force crossed the icy waters of the Niagara River in open bateaux and marched over frozen roads to storm Fort Niagara. A turning point in the War of 1812, the decisive attack was a model of British military strategy.

• William and Susannah Steward House
  William, an African American teamster, and Susannah Steward (also spelled Stewart) lived in Niagara from 1834 to 1847. The Steward home was part of Niagara's "coloured village", a vibrant community of former Canadian slaves, black Loyalists and African American refugees. Later, the Stewards divided their lot for sale to Robert Baxter, a local black resident. In 1837, William Steward was one of 17 local blacks who signed a petition asking Lieutenant Governor Sir Francis Bond...

• 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...

• Janet Carnochan 1839-1926
  A teacher in Niagara-on-the-Lake for many years, Janet Carnochan founded the Niagara Historical Society in 1895. The author and editor of numerous works on the history of the Niagara peninsula, Carnochan worked with great zeal to preserve and protect the region's cultural and heritage resources.

• Church of St. John the Evangelist, The
  Begun in 1825, this Anglican church was constructed largely through the efforts of Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland and remained in regular use until 1957. Although it has been altered over the years, St. John's retains many of its original architectural features.

• Canada Constellation 1799-1800, The
  The first independent newspaper in Upper Canada, the Canada Constellation was published at Newark by the Tiffany brothers, Gideon and Silvester. Lack of government aid and a paucity of subscribers doomed the enterprise in its first year of operation.

• Sir Casimir S. Gzowski 1813-1898
  Following the Polish uprising of 1830, Gzowski came to North America and in 1841 settled in Upper Canada. A highly skilled engineer, he organized the company that constructed the Grand Trunk Railway from Toronto to Sarnia between 1853 and 1857. From 1885 to 1893, he served as first chairman of the Niagara Falls Parks Commission.

• Destruction of the Caroline 1837, The
  Under cover of darkness on the night of December 29, 1837, a group of volunteers commanded by naval Captain Andrew Drew captured the American ship, the Caroline, that was supplying Mackenzie's rebel forces on Navy Island. The ship was set on fire and sank in the Niagara River.

• Law Society of Upper Canada 1797, The
  The Law Society of Upper Canada was founded in 1797 at a meeting held at Wilson's Hotel in Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) to regulate the activities and responsibilities of the legal profession. In 1832, it moved to new quarters in Osgoode Hall in York (Toronto), where it is still housed.

• 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...

• Field House, The
  One of the oldest brick houses in Ontario, the Field House was built about 1800. It was occupied by the British during the War of 1812 but managed to withstand American bombardment. In 1968, the Georgian-style house was acquired by the Ontario Heritage Trust to ensure its preservation; it has since been repaired and restored and is now in private ownership.

• Memorial Hall 1906
  The first building in Ontario to be constructed specifically for use as a historical museum, Memorial Hall was built for the Niagara Historical Society largely through the efforts of its founder and president, Janet Carnochan.

• First Provincial Parliament 1792, The
  John Graves Simcoe, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada, opened the first provincial parliament at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) in September 1792 introducting to the province of a form of representative government.

• First Newspaper 1793, The
  The first newspaper to be published in Ontario, the Upper Canada Gazette, was produced at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) for five years before being moved to York (Toronto). A semi-official and then official organ of the government, the paper continued in publication under various names until 1845.

• McFarland House 1800, The
  Built by James McFarland, this Georgian-style house was used as a hospital during the War of 1812 by both British and American forces. After 1814, the war-torn house was repaired, and remained in the possession of the McFarland family for several generations.

• William Kirby's Home
  Born in England, William Kirby (1817-1906) came to Canada in 1839. He was editor of the Niagara Mail for many years and in 1877 gained international renown with the publication of the historical romance The Golden Dog. From 1857 until his death, he lived in a simple stucco structure which had been built in 1818.

• Court House and Gaol 1817-1866
  When the court house and jail complex for the Niagara District was erected at Newark in 1817 it was considered to be the finest public building in the province. The scene of Robert Gourlay's imprisonment in 1819 and a slave riot in 1837, the old structure ended its days as an orphanage.

• Lieutenant-Colonel John Butler 1725-1796
  By the end of the American Revolution John Butler's loyalist corps, supported by British regulars and native allies, had effectively contributed to the establishment of British control in the Great Lakes region. After the disbanding of Butler's Rangers in 1784, many of the men, including Butler himself, settled in the Niagara peninsula.

• 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...

• Next Page