On the morning of September 28, 1813, a powerfully-armed United States fleet comprising ten ships under the command of Commodore Isaac Chauncey appeared off York (Toronto). The smaller British fleet of six vessels, commanded by Commodore Sir James . . . — — Map (db m56759) HM
[English Text]:
Here in June, 1813, General John Vincent assembled troops that made the successful night attack on the invaders at Stoney Creek. From this point of vantage, in December, 1813, the force which retook Fort George and . . . — — Map (db m56725) HM
This villa was completed in 1835 for Allan Napier MacNab. Incorporating an existing farmhouse, it was designed by the local architect, Robert Wetherell, as a statement of its owner's place in Hamilton society. The house features an eclectic blend . . . — — Map (db m66126) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m66129) HM
These ramparts were
erected by the British troops
during the War of 1812-15.
From this place on the night
of June 5th 1813,
700 men under the command
of Lieut. Colonel Harvey,
marched to Stoney Creek
where they surprised . . . — — Map (db m56756) HM
Politician, businessman, land speculator and soldier, Allan MacNab enjoyed a very public life. He was a successful lawyer and was appointed Upper Canada's first Queen's Counsel. In 1838 he was knighted for his role in suppressing the rebellion in . . . — — Map (db m66130) HM
From these heights, Lieutenant-Colonel John Harvey set out with about 700 men on the night of June 5, 1813, to launch a surprise attack on an invading United States force of some 3,000 men camped at Stoney Creek. His rout of the troops commanded by . . . — — Map (db m56743) HM
In Lasting Memory
of the
United Empire
Loyalists
Who preferred to remain loyal British
subjects and came to canada
in large numbers immediately
following the American Revolution
of 1776 and the . . . — — Map (db m66131) HM
Our city's aviation history began in East Hamilton on July 27, 1911 when Canada's first aviator, J. D. McCurdy, participated in Canada's first aviation meet in a field beside Burlington Bay at the head of Strathearne Avenue. It was sponsored by . . . — — Map (db m221443) HM
[English] The former Customs House (1858-1860) is a fine example of the Italianate style of architecture which was popular in Canada from the 1840s through the 1870s. Inspired by Renaissance palazzi of Rome and Florence, Italianate buildings . . . — — Map (db m196259) HM
During the War of 1812 marauding bands of renegade settlers, many of whom had defected to the United States from the Niagara and London Districts, were active in southwestern Upper Canada. A number were captured and in May, 1814, nineteen . . . — — Map (db m220198) HM
In 1791 James Wilson in partnership with Richard Beasley built a sawmill and a grist-mill on the site of this community. The mills were sold to Jean Baptiste Rousseaux (known as St. John) in 1794 and developed into a thriving pioneer enterprise. . . . — — Map (db m220193) HM
The first Family Planning Clinic in Canada, located in Hamilton, began in 1931 as The Advocates of Birth Control. Led by Mary (Chambers) Hawkins, the American wife of a prominent city executive, and aided by
some of Hamilton society's leading . . . — — Map (db m220765) HM
CHRIST'S CHURCH CATHEDRAL
An important ecclesiastical centre for the Niagara Peninsula, Christ's Church was erected in stages, its form altered as the size and prominence of the congregation increased. Begun in 1835 as a parish church, . . . — — Map (db m218769) HM
Born at Queenston, George Hamilton was the son of a prosperous merchant, the Hon. Robert Hamilton. He followed his father's career as a merchant in the Niagara District until the War of 1812, in which he served as a Captain of Light Dragoons. . . . — — Map (db m218241) HM
[English] This building recalls the importance of the railway to the development of Canada's industrial cities. Completed in 1931, it combines a strong classical design with a fluid circulation plan, making it one of the best urban stations . . . — — Map (db m196260) HM
JOHN WEIR FOOTE ARMOURY
The north section of this building
(1887-1888) is a rare surviving example
of the second wave of armoury
construction in Canada. Designed
by Henry James, it exemplifies the
replacement of earlier wooden . . . — — Map (db m218780) HM
The Lieutenant-Colonel
John Weir Foote, VC, CD Armoury
This armoury is dedicated to the memory of
Lieutenant-Colonel john Weir Foote. VC. CD.
padre of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.
padre Foote was awarded the Victoria . . . — — Map (db m222052) HM
Born in Ireland, Kerr came to Canada in 1887 with his parents who settled in Hamilton two years later. He earned civic recognition at the 1902 Coronation Games where he won sprint and middle distance races. His exceptionally quick start placed . . . — — Map (db m223839) HM
[text on left side]
BLOODY ASSIZE
In the spring of 1814, a court of assize (travelling circuit court) in Ancaster convicted fifteen men of high treason for aiding American forces during the War of 1812. In June 1814, the harshest of sentences . . . — — Map (db m222062) HM
ST. MARY'S PRO-CATHEDRAL
One of the few Roman Catholic churches in Ontario retaining its pre-Confederation character, St. Mary's was erected in 1859-60 during the episcopate of Bishop John Farrell to replace a building destroyed by . . . — — Map (db m218828) HM
On This Spot On November 3, 1869
On the night of November 3, 1869, a meeting was held in a room above George Lee's fruit store, at this exact location, to form the Hamilton Foot Ball Club - the ancestor of today's Hamilton Tiger-Cats . . . — — Map (db m218968) HM
THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT
Hamilton Mountain is part of the Niagara
Escarpment, a height of land extending 725
km across Ontario from Niagara Falls to
Manitoulin Island. Over 450 million years
ago, a tropical sea covered most of . . . — — Map (db m219256) HM
We honour here fifty-three sailors who lost their lives when their ships, HAMILTON and SCOURGE, capsized during a storm in the early morning hours of Sunday, 8th August 1813. These two armed merchant schooners lie in 90 metres of water, 30 . . . — — Map (db m56928) HM
The Niagara Escarpment is an important part of Ontario's natural heritage system. It hosts a myriad of flora and fauna, some of which are endangered or rare. In 1973, Premier Davis and the Government of Ontario took the remarkable step of . . . — — Map (db m219264) HM
Hamilton's second major rail carrier, the Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway, was conceived in response to the merger of the Great Western and Grand Trunk Railways, thus providing Hamilton with an alternative shipping system. Linking the . . . — — Map (db m218262) HM
By 1799 the Morden family had a sawmill near this site
on Spencer Creek north of Dundas Street. They sold this
property in 1800 to Edward Peer who built a grist-mill
about 300 yards south-east, close to Dundas Street, and
adopted the name . . . — — Map (db m220819) HM
This plaque is to commemorate the men and the units of the 102nd Wentworth Field Battery Royal Canadian Artillery. Formed in Dundas December 15th 1936 stood down March 31st 1970.
The 102nd Wentworth Field Battery was mobilized for active service . . . — — Map (db m196244) HM WM
1921
This monument is erected by
the citizens of Dundas in loving and
grateful memory of our brave boys who
gave their lives for freedom in the
Great War of 1914-18, and for the Empire
in the South African War of 1900-1
Great War 1914 . . . — — Map (db m196251) WM
DUNDAS STREET
Dundas Street, named for Henry Dundas, Secretary of State for the British Home Department (1791-1794), was built on Lieutenant Governor Simcoe's orders in 1793-1794. The road, cut by a party of Queen's Rangers from . . . — — Map (db m220871) HM
[text of metal inset plaque]
1849 Sir William Osler 1949
Erected by the Hamilton Academy of Medicine
to commemorate the hundredth anniversary
of the birth of
Sir William Osler
Bart.
[text of main plaque]
Sir . . . — — Map (db m220911) HM
In pioneer days waterways provided the essential means
of transportation. Dundas, located at the head of navigation on Lake Ontario and the eastern terminus of the Governor's Road", was thus in a favoured position. However, in 1823 the . . . — — Map (db m219998) HM
Dundas was incorporated as a town in 1847 by a special Act of the legislature of the Province of Canada. The following year the town council accepted a tender from a local builder, James Scott, to erect a stone town hall and voted £2000 to cover the . . . — — Map (db m196237) HM
THE FOUNDING OF DUNDAS
In 1793 Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe authorized a townplot in this vicinity at the then eastern terminus of Dundas Street. Its original name, "Coote's Paradise", was derived from that of the adjoining marsh, a haunt of . . . — — Map (db m219992) HM
The province's first paper mill began operations in 1826.
Situated about 150 yards downstream from here, it was owned by James Crooks (1778-1860), one of Upper Canada's most successful entrepreneurs. On four hundred acres of land purchased here . . . — — Map (db m223079) HM
CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Erected to serve a thriving congregation established in
1841, Central Presbyterian Church was built in 1907-08
after an earlier building was destroyed by fire. It is
reputedly the only church designed by . . . — — Map (db m218565) HM
This school, built to accommodate 1,000 students, was the largest graded school in Upper Canada, and became the only public school in Hamilton, at the time of its opening in 1853. Among the earliest examples of an institution inspired by the . . . — — Map (db m220407) HM
This plaque marks the site where the residence of Dr. John Rae, MD, LL.D, FRS, FRCS used to stand.
Rae was born in the Orkney Islands on 30 September, 1813. Graduating in medicine from Edinburgh, he joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1833, . . . — — Map (db m220924) HM
Built about 1856, at a time of rapid growth in Hamilton, Sandyford Place is a fine example of the housing then being erected for the merchants of the period. It is a rare survivor in Canada of the few row
houses built for affluent . . . — — Map (db m218512) HM
Begun in 1854 and completed three years later, this Presbyterian church was designed in the Gothic Revival style by architect William Thomas. The elegant eighty-foot spire set atop a hundred-foot tower marks the building as an outstanding example . . . — — Map (db m221813) HM
Erected in 1854-1857, St. Paul's (formerly St. Andrew's) is an elegant example of the Gothic Revival style. The design of the church shows the influence of the Ecclesiological Movement which favoured plans based on English medieval . . . — — Map (db m218245) HM
Set in a rare walled garden and enriched by its interior decoration, Whitehern is a remarkably intact example of mid-19th century residential architecture. The lingering influence of the Palladian style combined with Neoclassical motifs . . . — — Map (db m218635) HM
This stately mansion is a finely crafted and well preserved
example of Hamilton's early stone architecture. Built no
later than 1850 for city clerk and attorney Richard Duggan, it was purchased in 1852 by Calvin McQuesten, M. D. (1801-85), a . . . — — Map (db m221805) HM
Robert Land settled near this site as early as 1784 as a refugee of the American Revolution. A Pennsylvania
magistrate and farmer, Land joined Joseph Brant's Volunteers as a courier, scout and Loyalist recruiter. Captured and sentenced to death . . . — — Map (db m220750) HM
This land was occupied by various indigenous groups, including the Chonnonton Nation, meaning people who tend deer'. They were known by their neighbours as the 'Attiuoindaron' and by the French as the Neutrals.
United Empire Loyalist Colonel . . . — — Map (db m220755) HM
BURLINGTON BAY CANAL
The first public work undertaken with the financial backing of the provincial government, Burlington Bay Canal was
proposed as one of a series of waterways to provide uninterrupted navigation from Lake Erie to the . . . — — Map (db m222843) HM
The Dieppe Veterans Memorial Park is dedicated by
the City of Hamilton to the young men of Hamilton
and surrounding communities who died on the stony
beaches of the Port of Dieppe, France, on
19 August 1942.
There were 197 . . . — — Map (db m222859) HM WM
The Burlington Canal was completed in 1832. In 1837, the canal's first lighthouse shone its beacon across the lake. The wooden structure guided many ships into the canal.
George Thompson was the lighthouse's first keeper. His journal captured . . . — — Map (db m222838) HM
The first public walkway along the lakefront was built in 1910. The Burlington Beach Commission planned the promenade. The Commission looked after the area's health, park development, policing, street lighting, and garbage
collection.
The . . . — — Map (db m222965) HM
The original 1874 plans for this six and one-half acre site, owned by the Hamilton Cricket Club, Included an eight-foot board fence, a dining room, dressing room and grandstand. In addition to cricket, lacrosse and rugby football were played . . . — — Map (db m220653) HM
In the 1790s, many of Hamilton's first United Empire Loyalist families settled around this site where the head of an extended inlet from Burlington Bay intersected a prehistoric trail from Niagara.
Smith's Tavern, the first public house in . . . — — Map (db m224070) HM
The Honourable William McMaster (1811-1887), a
prominent banker and member of the first Senate of Canada, bequeathed funds which enabled Baptists of Ontario and Quebec to found this university. Incorporated in 1887, it was the culmination of . . . — — Map (db m219428) HM
HMCS Haida is the last of the Tribal class destroyers which saw heavy action with the Australian, British and Canadian navies during World War II. Built for the Royal Canadian Navy at Newcastle, England, , in 1942, this ship served on the frigid . . . — — Map (db m67343) WM
From the early 1800s to the 1920s, many of Hamilton's working families survived the harsh winter months by spearing fish through the ice-covered harbour.
European settlers learned to spear fish from the Iroquois and Mississauga peoples. By . . . — — Map (db m220538) HM
Hamiltonians first developed a passion for rowing in the 1870s. Sportsmen found the natural beauty and unpredictable waters of the bay irresistible and summertime regattas drew huge crowds.
Two of the earliest and most successful clubs were . . . — — Map (db m220533) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m220301) HM
This gate lodge was built for the Hon. Isaac Buchanan (1810-1883) who was born in Glasgow. He emigrated to Toronto in 1830, became a successful wholesale merchant, represented Toronto in the first Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, . . . — — Map (db m219592) HM
Sir Allan Napier MacNab, Provincial Grand Master under patent from Scotland, was also appointed Provincial Grand Master for Upper Canada under patent from England in 1844. Due to much dissatisfaction with the Grand Lodge of England, a protest . . . — — Map (db m219746) HM
In the mid-nineteenth century industrial workers laboured ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week. Inspired by British and American examples, Hamilton unionists launched a crusade for a shorter workday in January of 1872. The workingman, they . . . — — Map (db m220361) HM
John William Kerr emigrated from Ireland to Canada in the 1840s and settled a crown grant on the Hamilton Mountain in the 1850s. Kerr was made the first provincial fisheries overseer by royal warrant in 1864. From a telescope on the escarpment . . . — — Map (db m223692) HM
On June 5, 1813, an invading United States army of about 3,000 men, commanded by Brigadier - General John Chandler, camped in this vicinity. That evening some 700 British regulars of the 8th and 49th Regiments, under the command of Lieutenant - . . . — — Map (db m56720) HM
[English Text]: Battle of Stoney Creek
During 1813 the Americans planned to invade Upper Canada from Detroit and the Niagara Peninsula. In late May, an American force crossed the Niagara River, seized Fort George, and with about . . . — — Map (db m56762) HM
[Text on First Historic Marker]:
Battlefield House
and
Fifteen and one-half acres of
Parkland
Property of
The women's Wentworth Historical Society
1899-1962
Given by this society to the
Niagara Parks Commission
as a . . . — — Map (db m56805) HM
[Text on West Side of Monument]:
In Memory Of
Billy Green
"The Scout"
Who led British troops
in surprise night
attack winning decisive
Battle of Stoney Creek.
Born Feb. 4, 1794
Died Mar. 15, . . . — — Map (db m56822) HM
The Battlefield of Stoney Creek
6th June 1813
In memory of 20 good and true King's Men who,
in fighting in defence of their country, died
and were buried on this knoll.
This revised inscription and stone re-dedicated
June 6th . . . — — Map (db m56798) HM
Originally located at the north-east corner of king Street East and Nash Road in the city of Hamilton, the house known as the Nash=Jackson House was built in 1818. The property on which the house stood, part of William Gage's original land grant, . . . — — Map (db m56859) HM
Canada Remembers
Lieutenant Samuel Hooker,
Sergeant Joseph Hunt, Pri-
vates James Daig, Thomas
Fearnsides, Richard Hugill,
George Longley, Laurence
Meade, John Pegler, John Smith,
and John Wale of the First
Battalion of the . . . — — Map (db m56819) HM
