Before retiring almost 20 years ago, Richard “Rick” Meloen says he knew relatively little about the history of Niagara-on-the-Lake, which he’s lived in all his life.
Today, however, he has plenty of irons in the fire in an effort to keep the town’s storied past alive.
He’s director of the Friends of Fort George, chair of the Upper Canada Heritage Trail committee and a guide for the NOTL Museum’s historical walking tours.
For his commitment to the community and enthusiasm for sharing its history, the Niagara Foundation has named Meloen this year’s Living Landmark.
Each year, the NOTL-based organization gives the title to a person or institution that has made “an outstanding contribution to the quality of life in Niagara,” in keeping with its focus on preserving culture and heritage.
Meloen said he was initially puzzled to learn he had been chosen.
“In the past, there’s been some pretty big names,” he said. “Now I’m on that list, so I feel humbled.”
Past recipients include the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum (2025), Tony Chisholm, president of the Friends of Fort George (2024), and Ward Simpson, founder of Simpson’s Pharmacy (2023).
Despite his many community roles, Meloen takes them on with enthusiasm and a can-do attitude.
“A lot of the stuff I just enjoy doing. I enjoy volunteering with the museum. I enjoy being part of the Friends of Fort George. As for some of the other stuff, I thought, ‘Well, somebody’s got to do it, so I’ll step up,'” he said.
Meloen began volunteering after retiring in 2009. The Chautauqua native had spent more than 30 years in the Town of NOTL’s public works department, starting in 1976 and retiring as roads department supervisor.
When preparations began for the War of 1812 bicentennial, he decided to join the committee organizing commemorative events. The work sparked an interest in history, and he began reading extensively about the town’s past.
“It’s almost like a light went on. I have lived here all my life and I didn’t know this stuff, or I didn’t realize the significance of it,” he said. “Here I was, living in this historic town, and I was ignorant. But I’ve since made up for that.”
Through the events, which ran from 2011 to 2014, Meloen became involved with the NOTL Museum and began leading walking tours, sometimes in costume.
“I got a period costume and I took on the persona of different characters,” he said.
His involvement with other history groups grew from there. He joined the Friends of Fort George in 2013 and eventually became its director. In 2016, he co-chaired the town committee organizing Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations. Two years later, he created the Upper Canada Heritage Trail committee.
The committee is overseeing the restoration of 10 kilometres of recreational path between Old Town and St. Davids, along the former Erie and Ontario railway line, which operated from 1854 to the mid-1950s.
Four kilometres have been restored so far. The project has required fundraising, grant applications and phased restoration work. Meloen said progress has been slowed by the pandemic and an archaeological study required after the discovery of an old artifact, a railroad whistle stop.
Work has paused in recent months as town staff, who are responsible for the physical restoration, respond to the effects of this summer’s floods.
“Everybody on the committee knew it was going to take a numbers of years to come to fruition, but we didn’t really think it would take this long,” he said. “Still, we’re not giving up. We have a vision and we want to stick to it.”
Asked what local history enthusiasts like him hope to achieve, Meloen said they want to uncover the full story of the community.
“Every community has a story to tell,” he said. “I’ve learned over the years that every person has an interesting story. And you just have to tease it out of them. And if you dig, no matter where you live, if you do enough research, do enough digging, you’ll find interesting stuff.”
