Menu
Search results
305 plaques found that match your criteria
-
Bois Blanc Island Blockhouses
Following the evacuation of the British military post at Detroit in 1796, a new establishment was begun on the Canadian side of the river at the site of Amherstburg, and two blockhouses were built on this island to serve as outposts. Following the armed attacks on Amherstburg by supporters of William Lyon Mackenzie during the Rebellion of 1837-38, the original defences on Bois Blanc (Bob-Lo) were replaced in 1839 by three new blockhouses and a... -
Brant County Court House
In July, 1852, the Six Nations Indians sold to Brant County the land upon which this court-house now stands. Designed by John Turner and William Sinon and errected by the Provisional County of Brant, the stone and brick building was largely completed in l852. The original structure containted court rooms, county offices, a law library and a gaol. Additions were made in 1861 and 1886, but the building remains predominantly Greek Revival in style. The... -
Burlington Glass Works 1874, The
The Burlington Glass Works, formerly situated here, was one of the most important 19th-century glass houses in Canada in terms of the variety and quality of its production. From 1874 to about 1897, skilled artisans produced lamps, tablewares and containers. Glass-production techniques included free-blowing, mould-blowing and pressing in a mould. Pot furnaces produced several different types of glass in a wide range of colours. Glasswares were decorated by cutting, painting, sand-blasting, acid-etching and wheel-engraving. Archaeological... -
Cathedral of St. Peter-in-Chains, The
The parish of St. Peter-in-Chains was established in 1826 to serve the large Irish Catholic population of the surrounding Robinson Settlement. This building, erected in 1837-38 of stone from nearby Jackson's Creek, is one of the oldest remaining Catholic churches in Ontario. Reportedly designed by the Toronto architect James Chevette, it follows the modified gothic Revival style popular in Upper Canada during the period. In 1882, when the Diocese of Peterborough was erected St. Peter's... -
Christ Church 1819
This church was built in 1818-19 on land donated by Col. William Caldwell. One of the earliest Anglican places of worship in western Upper Canada, it was constructed through the efforts of the Reverend Richard Pollard, an itinerant missionary stationed at Sandwich. The first incumbent was the Reverend Romaine Rolph who served from 1819-1836. The church and burial ground were consecrated in 1833 by the Right Reverend C.J. Stewart, Bishop of Quebec. Christ Church served the garrison of Fort Malden for many years and is one of the oldest remaining church edifices in the province. -
Church of St. John the Evangelist, The
One of the province's oldest Anglican churches, St. John's was begun in 1825, during the pastorate of the Reverend William Leeming, and consecrated three years later. It was erected under the auspices of Lieutenant-Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland, who had a summer residence nearby, with additional financial support and gifts of land and furnishings donated by Robert Henry Dee, a retired officer of the Commissariat Department, John Beverley Robinson, Attorney-General of Upper Canada, and other civic... -
Church of the Holy Trinity 1847, The
This church was made possible by a gift from Mary Lambert Swale of Yorkshire, England, who stipulated that "the seats be free and unappropriated forever". At that time most other Anglican churches charged pew rentals. John Simcoe Macaulay donated the land, then on the outskirts of Toronto. Bishop John Strachan consecrated the church and Henry Scadding was first rector. Henry Bower Lane, architect, designed the modified Gothic church in the ancient cruciform plan. Bricks were... -
Sacré-Cœur Parish
In 1887, Sacré-Cœur Parish was founded as the first Roman Catholic parish to serve the French-Canadian community in Toronto. Father Philippe Lamarche came from Montreal to found the church and served as priest until his death in 1924. The Parish's first church building, located on King Street near Sackville Street, was purchased from a Presbyterian congregation in 1888. Since that time, francophones have been able to worship in their own language at Sacré-Cœur Church. This... -
Church of the Holy Trinity, The
A frame church was built here following the arrival in 1820 of an Anglican missionary, the Reverend William Leeming. It was burned on the night of September 12-13, 1839, by supporters of William Lyon Mackenzie who crossed the Niagara River from New York State. The present church was designed by John Howard and built with the aid of private subscriptions and government assistance. The corner-stone was laid in 1841 by Bishop John Strachan. Among the... -
Claremont Lodge and Auchmar 1855
This gate lodge was built for the Hon. Isaac Buchanan (1810-1883) who was born in Glasglow. He emigrated to Toronto in 1830, became a successful wholesale merchant, represented Toronto in the first Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, 1841-44, and moved to Hamilton about 1850. He bought property here, named it the Claremont Estate in 1852, and in 1855 built the lodge and the main house, now located at 88 Fennell West. Buchanan subdivided... -
In 1830 aboriginals of the surrounding region were gathered on a reserve along a newly opened road connecting The narrows (Orillia) and Coldwater. The superintendent, Capt. Thomas Gummersal Anderson, and a band of Ojibwa under chief Aisance, settled in Coldwater. Land-hungry settlers influenced the government to move the aboriginals to Rama and Beausoleil Island in 1838-39. This grist-mill, financed with aboriginal funds, was constructed by Stephen Chapman, Jacob Gill and others in 1833. The mill was sold to George Copeland in 1849 and been in operation for over 125 years.
-
Commanda General Store, The
An outstanding example of a High Victorian commercial structure, the Commanda General Store was built and occupied by James Arthurs (1866-1937) about 1885. It was strategically located on the Rosseau-Nipissing Colonization Road and during the more than two decades that Arthurs, who later served in the house of commons and the Senate, was the proprietor it played a vital service role in the development of Commanda and the surrounding area. A multi-purpose structure that functioned... -
Commissariat Building 1827, The
This structure, the oldest existing stone building in Ottawa, was used as a storehouse, office and treasury during the construction of the Rideau Canal (1826-32) under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel John By, R.E. Its superb masonry and solid construction are typical of the stonework done by Scottish masons along the Rideau Canal and, at a later date, on private homes in eastern Ontario. In 1864, the building was turned over to the Canadian government and, until 1951, was used successively by various departments concerned with the maintenance of the canal. -
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... -
District Court House and Gaol
When the British withdrew from Detroit in 1796, they transferred the courts of the Western District to Sandwich (Windsor). An abandoned blockhouse, relocated from Chatham, served briefly as the court house and gaol until fire destroyed it in 1797. Its replacement, built soon afterwards, was burned by American soldiers during the War of 1812. A brick court house and gaol, completed by 1820, served until 1856 when the present building was constructed. Designed in the... -
District Court House and Gaol 1825
In 1816, the Ottawa District was established and the Courts of Quarter Session, which at that time possessed local administrative as well as judicial authority, were held in the Township of Longueuil. In 1824, Jacob Marston donated a plot of land in this vicinity for the use of a court. By September 1825, the central portion of the present building, constructed by Donald McDonald and Walter Beckworth, contractors, was completed. Designed in the Loyalist Neo-Classic style, this is the oldest remaining court house in the province. Extensive additions were made in 1861-62. -
District Court House and Gaol 1833
The central portion of this building was completed in 1833 and served as the court-house and gaol of the Eastern District. First named Luneburgh, this district was established in 1788 by proclamation. In 1794 an Act of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada authorized the magistrates of the District Court of Quarter Sessions to erect a court-house and gaol at Cornwall. A two-storey frame structure was completed on this site about 1802 and, until destroyed... -
Dixie Union Chapel
Constructed of stone from the nearby Etobicoke River, this building also known as the Stone Chapel, is a rare surviving example of a "union" chapel from the settlement period of Upper Canada. It was erected in 1837 through the efforts of John Silverthorn, Allen Robinet and Daniel Harris, prominent early settlers of Toronto Township. It replaced a previous log structure in which Anglicans, Methodists and Presbyterians worshipped as early as 1816. The erection of such... -
Dundurn Castle 1832
This mansion was built 1832-35 by Allan Napier MacNab (1798-1862) and named after the family ancestral seat in Scotland. Enlisting at fifteen, MacNab distinguished himself by his bravery in the War of 1812. He subsequently entered politics and was noted for this support of the Family Compact. During the Rebellion of 1837 he was one of the government's most active military supporters and was knighted for his services. Leader of the Tory-Conservatives, MacNab was speaker of the Legislative Assembly on several occasions and Prime Minister of Canada 1854-56. -
Eldon House
Built in 1834 by Capt. John Harris, R.N., treasurer of the London District, this is London's oldest remaining house. With his wife, Amelia, daughter of Samuel Ryerse, Harris came to London after the District Offices were moved here from Vittoria. For many years, Eldon House was a centre of London's cultural and social life, and four generations of the Harris family dwelt in it during more than 125 years. In 1960, the family gave the house with most of its furnishings and eleven acres of land, to the City of London for a museum and park. -
Eldorado Refinery, The
A pioneering operation in the development of nuclear energy, the Eldorado refinery was established in 1933 by Gilbert LaBine, a veteran prospector, and his brother Charles. It extracted radium, used in the early treatment of cancer, from ore mined in the Northwest Territories. In 1942, soon after the uranium atom was split for the first time, the Canadian government acquired Eldorado to refine uranium oxide, a waste product in the radium extraction process. The only... -
Fairfield House, The
A superb example of an 18th-century dwelling, the Fairfield House was completed, according to tradition, in 1793. It was built by William Fairfield, Sr., a Loyalist who had settled here with his family nine years earlier. In form and mode of construction this large, handsome farmhouse reflects the New England background of the Fairfields. A timber-framed, clapboard structure, it is distinguished by a steeply pitched roof, balanced proportions and fine interior detailing. Later additions ... -
Fergus Curling Club, The
The oldest continuously operating curling club in Ontario, the Fergus Curling Club was formed in 1834 by Scottish immigrants. At the organization's first formal meeting two years later Adam Fergusson, a founder of Fergus, was chosen president and the rules of play were established. Curling matches between local players and against rival clubs were held out of doors until 1879 when a covered rink was opened. No longer the exclusive preserve of Scots, curling became... -
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... -
First Baptist Church, Puce
The origins of First Baptist Church go back to the 1840s, when black settlers from the United States began to form a farming community in this area. Their numbers increased during the 1850s when the Refugee Home Society purchased lands along the Puce River to sell to freedom-seekers from the American South. Religion played an important role in community life. At first Baptists and Methodists worshipped in the same building, but by the early 1860s...