This grand, two-storey estate that overlooked the Niagara River was an important and rare example of a Classic (Greek) Revival house in a picturesque setting in Ontario. Built in 1832, it was only seven years shy of hitting its 200-year-old anniversary.
In celebration of Easter, many residents of Niagara-on-the-Lake would send homemade greeting cards to their friends and family.
In the 1930s, there were a series of photographs taken of Queen Street for insurance purposes. The buildings in this photo still exist today, save for the original firehall, which burned down in November 2009.
During elections for the first parliament of the province of Canada, Edward C. Campbell won by one vote against Henry J. Boulton — Boulton appealed the election results, and the seat was turned over to him after a year.
It was around this time that the Niagara Parks Commission pushed tourists to visit Queenston Heights for the picturesque views rather than the site’s history. This “attraction” likely came about to encourage people to take home a souvenir as a reminder of their visit.
It wasn’t until 1964 that a “boom” was placed in the upper part of the river, near Lake Erie, to limit the flow of ice sheets that, when pushed by the wind, can create ice accumulation up to 12 feet thick.
Niagara-on-the-Lake has an interesting history in connection with Ireland. In fact, we had a whole section known as “Irish Town.” Many Irish immigrants settled here following their arrival in 1847 during the Irish Famine.
This one-and-a-half-storey clapboard house was built by John Wilson in 1816. It was part of the rebuilding that took place here following the burning of Niagara in December 1813.
Over 20,000 Polish Americans were trained here to support the work of the Allies. The Polish saw the war as an opportunity to reclaim Poland, which had been partitioned by several Axis powers beginning in 1795.
The Coloured Corps fought in several battles during the War of 1812. In the early months of 1814, they were assigned to serve as a company of artificers — soldiers who performed engineering and construction duties, including on Fort Mississauga.
This week’s image shows a classic Valentine from the 1900s. Unfortunately, finding Valentines from the 1820s can be tricky. We have included the image to help showcase a beautiful poem by Eliza Henry,
The month of February is for celebrating Black history! This week we learn about local businessman Lewis Ross, who had a barbershop on Queen Street.
In this week’s edition of Exploring History, the NOTL Museum highlights an undated pencil sketch shows a couple taking a sleigh ride in the winter weather.
The future King George V and Queen Mary made their royal visit to Canada in 1901, arriving in Niagara-on-the-Lake the evening of Oct. 12 and spending the night at the Queen’s Royal Hotel.
The Niagara Township Credit Union was created in 1945 with 18 members and total assets of $24, to fill the need for banking services in the growing community.
This local department store was founded in 1867. The family-run business was such a success that they eventually opened another location in Virgil.
This detailed work shows a celebration within the camp with bright lights and soldiers in formation. The painting was created by Sir Edmund Wyly Grier.
This week’s Exploring History is a photograph of the interior of the post office that was located in the Rowley Block at 27 Queen St. in the Old Town area of Niagara-on-the-Lake, featuring Joseph Healey, the postmaster from 1904 to 1930.
This week’s image of Queenston originally had very little information attached to it. From our local sleuth, this photo was determined to be taken from the corner of Kent and Queenston streets, looking towards Queenston Heights.
“Today, Canadians spend the Christmas season elaborately decorating their homes to the delight of many of us. However, historically decorations have not been as grand as they are today.”
On July 26, 1953, the local fire hose tower burned down. It is not clear what started the fire.
This watercolour, by John Freeling Hunt, shows the back of the Queen Street Court House. The tower in front was used by the fire department to dry its hoses and stood 65 feet tall.
Many celebrated across the country on Nov. 11, 1918 as the First World War came to an end. However, many soldiers on the front lines were almost stunned with the anti-climatic silence that ensued.
This week’s photo shows some of the summer cottages on River Beach Drive from the Niagara River perspective.
“It is amazing to think that for some 13,000 years, my ancestors have been living within the beautiful environs of the Niagara Peninsula,” says co-editor Rick Hill, who will be at the Oct. 26 book launch.
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