Welland Canal/St. Lawrence Seaway Authority fonds, 1826-1880, 1905-1951

The Welland Canal Company was formed in 1824 by William Hamilton Merritt. Construction of the first Welland Canal began in 1829 and was completed in 1834. The canal ran south from Port Dalhousie along Twelve Mile Creek to St. Catharines. An extension was built in 1833 to Gravelly Bay, now Port Colborne. As ships became larger and the wooden locks deteriorated, the need for a new canal became apparent. In 1839, the government purchased the Welland Canal Company’s assets and began making plans for the construction of a second canal. Construction began in 1841 and was completed by 1845. In 1887, a third Welland Canal was completed, which operated until 1932, when a fourth canal was completed. This canal remains in operation today.

St. Catharines and District Labour Council fonds, 1957-1986

The St. Catharines and District Labour Council was founded in May 1957 by unionized workers from St. Catharines, Thorold, Merritton, Port Dalhousie and Grimsby. They sought to improve the social and economic welfare of workers; promote the organization of workers into unions for their mutual benefit, regardless of race, creed, colour, or national origin; encourage the sale of union-made goods and services; promote worker education; provide workers with a voice in politics; and safeguard the democratic nature of the labour movement. The Council, affiliated with both the Canadian Labour Congress and the Ontario Federation of Labour, was instrumental in assisting local workers with their labour disputes, including Canadian Pulp and Paper workers at Abitibi Provincial Paper in Thorold [1975-76], and Gallaher Paper [1999], workers at the St. Catharines Eaton’s store [1985], as well as smaller disputes such as that between the part-time secretarial staff and the Welland County Roman Catholic Separate School Board [1972] and workers of the Skyway Lumber Company [1972]. The Council also assisted the community at large by offering a Community Counseling Service [1971-1976] to help citizens with issues concerning various government agencies, social services and Acts, such as the Vacation Pay Act, Landlord and Tenant Act, Employment Standards Act, unemployment insurance claims and workman’s compensation claims. Other projects that the Council organized included an annual Education Institute [1958-1965] and the annual publication of Labour Review, a summary of the Council’s past year. The Labour Council continued to operate until 2010, when several local Labour Councils merged to form the Niagara Regional Labour Council.

Grand Lodge of Ontario Independent Order of Odd Fellows - William H. Cowan

A certificate from the Grand Lodge of Ontario Independent Order of Odd Fellows to brother William H. Cowan. He has been admitted as a member of Livingstone Lodge No. 130 at Merritton 19 October 1909. The certificate is signed and dated by W. Brooks (Secretary) and S.A. Poplestoise (Grand Master) December 7, 1911. Cowan received the Degree of Truth.

Travel themed scrapbook

The main focus of the articles is transportation in St. Catharines and Merritton, Ontario from 1903-1911.

Indenture between The St. Catharines and Niagara Central Railway Company and Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff

Indenture of deed of land situate between The St. Catharines and Niagara Central Railway Company and Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff of St. Catharines regarding parts of Lots no. 12 and 13 30 in the 8th Concession of the Township of Grantham. This was registered at Merritton on Feb. 2, 1891 – instrument no. 1021, Aug. 16, 1890.

Indenture between Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff and Alexander Pettigrew

Indenture regarding articles of agreement between Samuel DeVeaux Woodruff of St. Catharines and Alexander Pettigrew of Merritton for parts of building lots 17, 18 and 19 of the Clifford Tract in Merritton (2 copies), Oct. 21, 1899.

Various Cards

1. Invitation and program to the Merritton Hose Co. No. 1 Grand Masquerade Ball and Supper. The invitation is for Mrs. J. Wilson. Ladies are by invitation only. Ladies without masks are charged 10 cents. The supper was held at the Union Hall and the dance was held in the Merritton Town Hall. Phalen’s Full Orchestra was providing the music, Feb. 16, 1900. 2. Business card of Long’s Hotel of Niagara. Rooms were $1.50 per day and the proprietor was Wm. Long, n.d. 3. Business card of Niagara Tannery of Niagara, Ontario. Blake and Burk were the proprietors. They were wholesale manufacturers of oak tanned, hose, belting and harness leather, n.d. 4. Business card of James B. Secord of Niagara, Ontario. His office was in the town hall. He was a notary public, conveyancer, clerk of first division court and Commissioner. He also had money to loan, n.d.

Envelope Addressed to Noah Phelps, Lincoln Paper Mill Co.

Envelope addressed to Noah Phelps, Lincoln Paper Mill Co. with no postmarks, Merritton [In about 1877 Noah Phelps, Samuel Woodruff, Partrick Joseph Larkin and John Conlon were involved in the founding of a paper mill with Sylvester Neelon], n.d.

Interlake Tissue Mills Fire Slides

The Interlake Tissue Mills storage location was at the intersection of Glendale and Merritt Street in Merritton. In the 1850s, the Beaver Cotton Mills (later Merritton Cotton Mills) was built. It was a frame building that burned down in 1881. A sandstone structure replaced the previous building. In 1906, the cotton mill closed and in 1912, the Independent Rubber Company took over the building. The mill was doubled in size. The rubber company remained there for ten years and then the building remained vacant until 1935. Interlake Tissue Mills acquired the building for storage purposes. A fire razed the larger of the plant’s buildings on Memorial Day weekend in 1961. After the fire, Domtar used the smaller building for storage for a short time. This is currently the site of the Keg Restaurant.

Letter on Long Point Company letterhead addressed to W.D. Woodruff of Lincoln Paper Mills

Letter on Long Point Company letterhead addressed to W.D. Woodruff of Lincoln Paper Mills, Merritton, Ontario in which Frank Reid, secretary of Long Point Company encloses a copy of the by-laws and the dates of incorporation, as requested (1 page, typed) [by-laws are not included here], Jan. 18, 1916.