Downtown in St. Catharines in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

1796 - 1935

Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025

1. 1796 - 1935 Marker

Inscription. 1796 - 1935
The hand of God unrolls the scroll of time. On this we read the story of a nation's birth of an old church in a new land of men and women living valiantly under the gracious symbol of our salvation.

This stone of remembrance is placed here by members of St. George's Church within the churchyard where their fathers in the faith erected the first Church of England in this community about the year 1796.

Dedicated by Wilmot, Lord Bishop of Niagara on Sunday November [...] 1935[, a] century after the laying of the [corner] stone of the present St. [George's Church] on July 20th 1835.

NOTE: Some letters are missing, denoted by [...] [sometimes with guessed letters]

Erected 1935 by Anglican Church of Canada.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1796.

Location. 43° 9.253′ N, 79° 14.76′ W. Marker is in St. Catharines, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It is in Downtown. It can be reached from the intersection of St. Paul Street West and McGuire Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is difficult to

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see. It is a boxy, blocky stone. It is tucked in within an evergreen push, up against the trunk, 4 metres from the roadside sidewalk. It is about 2 metres from an easily visible brown and gold plaque on a post, titled "Anglican Church, St. Catharines (1795-1836)". Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9 St Paul Street West, St Catharines ON L2R 3P7, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe

and in Niagara Canada.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Anglican Church, St. Catharines (here, next to this marker); William Hamilton Merritt 1793 - 1862 (here, next to this marker); This Statue of the Honorable William Hamilton Merritt (a few steps from this marker); The Battle of Vimy Ridge / The History of Vimy Oak Trees

1796 - 1935 - Marker in context image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025

2. 1796 - 1935 - Marker in context

Photo is from St. Paul Street, facing north-west. McGuire runs away behind the statue. This marker is tucked in the evergreen bush, right of the bicycle and just left of and "below" the left-hand plaque-on-a-stick.

(within shouting distance of this marker); The NS&T and Western Hill (within shouting distance of this marker); Crossing Twelve Mile Creek - The Burgoyne Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Catharines Cenotaph (within shouting distance of this marker); This Boulder Was Once The Half-way Mark Between Niagara-on-the-Lake And Queenston (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Catharines.

Regarding 1796 - 1935. The marker describes two churches at this site: the original, modest wooden church, built around 1796; and a replacement modest church, built around 1835.

Nearby, 1 km to the north, is the current St. George's Anglican Church.

Zoom-in detail from the context photo image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Kevin Westell, June 11, 2025

3. Zoom-in detail from the context photo

The marker (circled) is lurking under the juniper, invisible just 2 metres from the plaque-on-a-post and 4 metres from the sidewalk.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 12, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. This page has been viewed 105 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 12, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.