Temperance Poster - "Teen-Age Turn-Out" Cornwall, Ontario

A poster produced by "A Provincial Educational Project of the Ontario Temperance Federation" for an event called "Teen-Age Turn-Out". The event is to take place at Cornwall Armouries.

Province of Upper Canada Grant (vellum) to Christian Myers of the Township of Cornwall

Province of Upper Canada Grant (vellum) to Christian Myers of the Township of Cornwall, son of Michael Myers, United Empire Loyalist. He is granted 200 acres on Lot no. 18 in the 9th Concession in the Township of Mountain in the County of Dundas. This document is faded and part of the paper are missing or stained. Some of the text is affected. A small piece is missing from the crown land seal which is also faded. This was registered in Feb. 1803, Dec. 1, 1802

Education, sport and myth in the community of Glengarry, Ontario : the athletic career of Roderick R. McLennan. 260 St. Catharines, Ont. : Faculty of Education, Brock University ;

This study examined how the athletic career of Roderick R. McLennan contributed to the popularization and subsequent development of Caledonian games in Ontario during the latter nineteenth century. Initially, the development of Caledonian games during the 1800s was examined to provide a contextual framework for McLennan's career. This investigation revealed that the games emerged from rural athletic events at pioneer working bees in the first quarter of the nineteenth century to regional sporting events by the mid-1800s, and finally into annual federated Caledonian games in 1870. Noteworthy primary source material for this chapter included the John MacGillivray Papers at the National Archives of Canada, the Scottish American Journal (NY) and the files retained by the Glengarry Sport Hall of Fame in Maxville, Ontario. Following the investigation of Caledonian games, McLennan's early athletic career was studied. Analysis of the Roderick and Farquhar McLennan Papers at the Archives of Ontario and the newspapers from the period revealed that McLennan rose to popularity in 1865 through a "Championship of the World" hammer throwing match in Cornwall and two "Starring Tours". The next chapter examined the height of McLennan's career through an investigation of the Roderick McLennan versus Donald Dinnie rivalry of the early .. n 1870s. It was detennined that the rivalry between McLennan and Dinnie, the champion athlete of Highland games in Scotland, was a popular attraction and had an impact on the Toronto and Montreal games of 1870 and the Toronto games of 1872. Finally, the athletic records established by McLennan during the 1860s and 1870s were investigated. These records were examined through the context of a media controversy over McLennan's feats that developed in the early 1880s between two newspapers. This controversy erupted between the Toronto Mail and the Spirit of the Times. Caledonian games in Canada have only been briefly examined and a thorough examination of prominent Canadian figures in this context has yet to be undertaken. This study unearths a prominent Canadian athlete of Scottish decent and details his involvement in the Caledonian games of nineteenth century Ontario.

The Welland Canals Foundation, Honourable William Hamilton Merritt and the St. Catharines Historical Society and Museum, 1971-1990, n.d.

‘The Father of Canadian Transportation’ is a term commonly associated with William Hamilton Merritt. Although he is most known for being one of the driving forces behind the building of the first Welland Canal, he was many things throughout his life; a soldier, merchant, promoter, entrepreneur and politician to name a few. Born on July 3, 1793 at Bedford, Westchester County, N.Y. to Thomas Merritt and Mary Hamilton, Merritt’s family relocated to Canada shortly after in 1796. The move came after Merritt’s father petitioned John Graves Simcoe for land in Upper Canada after serving under him in the Queen’s Rangers during the American Revolution. The family quickly settled into their life at Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines. Merritt’s father became sheriff of Lincoln County in 1803 while Merritt began his education in mathematics and surveying. After some brief travel and further education Merritt returned to Lincoln County, in 1809 to help farm his father’s land and open a general store. While a farmer and merchant, Merritt turned his attention to military endeavours. A short time after being commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Lincoln militia, the War of 1812 broke out. Fulfilling his duty, Merritt fought in the Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812, and numerous small battles until the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in July 1814. It was here that Merritt was captured and held in Cheshire, Massachusetts until the war ended. Arriving back in the St. Catharines area upon his release, Merritt returned to being a merchant, as well as becoming a surveyor and mill owner. Some historians hypothesize that the need to draw water to his mill was how the idea of the Welland Canals was born. Beginning with a plan to connect the Welland River with the Twelve mile creek quickly developed into a connection between the Lakes Erie and Ontario. Its main purpose was to improve the St. Lawrence transportation system and provide a convenient way to transport goods without having to go through the Niagara Falls portage. The plan was set in motion in 1818, but most living in Queenston and Niagara were not happy with it as it would drive business away from them. Along with the opposition came financial and political restraints. Despite these factors Merritt pushed on and the Welland Canal Company was chartered by the Upper Canadian Assembly on January 19, 1824. The first sod was turned on November 30, 1824 almost a year after the initial chartering. Many difficulties arose during the building of the canal including financial, physical, and geographic restrictions. Despite the difficulties two schooners passed through the canal on November 30, 1829. Throughout the next four years continual work was done on the canal as it expended and was modified to better accommodate large ships. After his canal was underway Merritt took a more active role in the political arena, where he served in various positions throughout Upper Canada. In 1851, Merritt withdrew from the Executive Council for numerous reasons, one of which being that pubic interest had diverted from the canals to railways. Merritt tried his hand at other public works outside transportation and trade. He looked into building a lunatic asylum, worked on behalf of War of 1812 veterans, aided in building Brock’s monument, established schools, aided refugee slaves from the U.S. and tried to establish a National Archives among many other feats. He was described by some as having “policy too liberal – conceptions too vast – views too comprehensive to be comprehensible by all”, but he still made a great difference in the society in which he lived. After his great contributions, Merritt died aboard a ship in the Cornwall canal on July 5, 1862. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=38719 retrieved October 2006 Today numerous groups carry on the legacy of Merritt and the canals both in the past and present. One such group is the Welland Canals Foundation. They describe themselves as: “. . . a volunteer organization which strives to promote the importance of the present and past Welland Canals, and to preserve their history and heritage. The Foundation began in 1980 and carries on events like William Hamilton Merritt Day. The group has strongly supported the Welland Canals Parkway initiative and numerous other activities”. The Welland Canals Foundation does not work alone. They have help from other local groups such as the St. Catharines Historical Society. The Society’s main objective is to increase knowledge and appreciation of the historical aspects of St. Catharines and vicinity, such as the Welland Canals. http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/dec2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006 http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/feb2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006

Letter - Wilfrid Laurier to A. Munro Grier, 18 September 1901

A letter from Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier to A. Munro Grier regarding an invitation to His Royal Highness. This is possibly referencing the Royal visit of the Duke of Cornwall in the year 1901. The Royals were due to tour Canada September and October of that year, with a stop in the Niagara area October 13th.

Persia steamboat poster, no date

The “Persia” was built in St. Catharines in 1873. From 1877 to 1894 the ship was owned by James Norris of St. Catharines. The Toronto and Montreal Steamboat Co. acquired the ship in 1894, followed by the Quebec Navigation Co. in 1907. A fire severely damaged the ship in 1911, and the following year the “Persia” was rebuilt as a barge.

Johns-Manville (Canada) records, 1949-1977 (non-inclusive).

The Johns-Manville Company was founded in 1901with the merging of the H.W. Johns Manufacturing Company and the Manville Covering Company. Both companies made building materials using asbestos. The new company was based in New York, New York, and made products such as insulation and roofing materials, automotive sheet packing for cylinders, asbestos/cement, acoustical and magnesia products. Significant restructuring has occurred over the years as the company shifted from production of asbestos products to other types of building materials, such as fibre glass and forest products. Since 2001, the Johns-Manville Company has been owned by Berkshire Hathaway. The company began operations in Canada in 1918 in Asbestos, Quebec, where the Jeffrey Asbestos Mine was located. A Canadian plant opened in Port Union, Scarborough Township, in 1956, and another in North Bay, Ontario, in 1957. Both of these plants have since closed. The company currently has two plants in Canada, in Innisfail, Alberta, and Cornwall, Ontario.

Drawing, St. Catharines House on February 26, 1849

A drawing done on paper 50cm x 45cm and mounted in a frame under glass. This is a drawing of a meeting held at the St. Catharines House on February 26, 1849. The drawing was done from memory by W. Osborn who has signed the picture on one of the pillars on the right hand side of the picture. The caption under the picture reads "Act 1st Scene 1st". There is some dialogue, "Woodruff - 'He says gentlemen, my son holds an office under Government, of 400 pounds per year - he forgot to tell you, he sold his constituents at Cornwall' - Macdonald 'You're a liar'". The artist portrays a fight breaking out and lists the characters as Boyd , Rykert, Hobdon, Foley, The Sheriff, Woodruff, J.W.O. Clarke, McDonald, Lamb, Hamilton and Hathaway. There are some very slight wrinkles and tears in the drawing. They do not affect the drawing. [Rolland MacDonald (1810-1881) represented Cornwall in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1844-1846. He was called to the bar in 1832 and set up practice in St. Catharines. The quote on the drawing concerns the constituents at Cornwall. This meeting was covered in reports in the St. Catharines Journal on: March 1, March 8, march 15 and march 22, 1849. There is also an excerpt in William Hamilton Merritt's diary noting the riot and the sketch by Osborn].

Broadside Reporting the Fenian Invasion, June 3 1866

The collection consists of 6 broadsides reporting the events of the Fenian invasion of Canada on June 2 and 3, 1866. Three of the broadsides are titled Leader Extra, two are titled Globe Extra, and the last is titled News Extra. This one is titled "Globe Extra!" and headings include "Colonel Peacock's Force", "Col. Lowry Joins Col. Peacock with Reinforcements", "Colonel Dennis' Skirmish", "Colonel Booker's Skirmish!", "Fenian Movements at Ogdensburg", "Tereatened Raid at St. Albans", "Preparations at Cornwall!", "Latest! Bad News! The Fenians Escaped! The Whole Horde Fled Across the River."