Clifton House Ladies’ and Gentlemens’ Ordinary menu, 1865

The menu, with wine list from the Ladies’ and Gentlemens’ Ordinary of the Clifton House hotel in Niagara Falls, Ont. Also includes handwritten additions or alterations to the printed menu. The proprietors of the hotel were D.H. Bromley & Co. The Clifton House hotel was built in 1833 and destroyed by fire in 1896. It was known as the finest hotel on the Canadian side of the falls. Oakes Garden Theatre marks its location today.

Custom House Niagara forms, 1833

In 1833 William Clarke, the collector of customs at Niagara, completed and signed four forms for the movement of goods between Niagara and York, and Niagara and Brantford. The forms were issued to the firm of Lewis & Gray, James Armstrong, J.A. Wilks, and William Blackely. The goods being transported included scythes, corn brooms, hide whips, sacks, snuff, shovels, spades and two apple trees.

David William Smith House correspondence, 1798 [transcription]

The correspondence from D.W. [David William] Smith to President Peter Russell regarding Smith’s desire to sell a certain piece of property in Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.) to be used as a location for a common grammar school. The notice gives a description of the building situated on the property as being adaptable for the use of a school. The Board of Survey convened in December 1798 to examine Smith’s property and gave an appropriate valuation of the properties and buildings Smith was offering for sale. Smith was the deputy surveyor general of lands for Upper Canada.

Gilbert Field House research collection, 1823, 1966, 1968, n.d.

In 1968 the National Historic Sites, Dept. of Indian Affairs and Northern Development undertook to learn more about its recent acquisition, the Gilbert Field House. The house is located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. along the Niagara Parkway, on what was part of the original land grant to Gilbert Field, a United Empire Loyalist. The house and contents were severely damaged during the War of 1812. After the war Gilbert’s widow, Eleanor, submitted claims for war losses.

Second Welland Canal - Book 2, Survey Map 14 - Lock 26 and Allanburgh

Survey map of the Second Welland Canal created by the Welland Canal Company showing the canal as it passes through the Village of Allanburgh. Identified structures and features associated with the Canal include Lock 26, a Guard Lock, Lock Tender's House, the New Cut, waste wear, and the towing path. Parts of the old canal are indentified and include Old Lock 36 and 37, and the Old Cut. The surveyors' measurements and notes can be seen in red and black ink and pencil. Local area landmarks are also identified and include streets and roads (ex. Holland Road, Centre Street, Falls Street, Canal Street, and Clifton Street), Allanburgh Hotel, Rannies Store, Wright and Duncan Grist Mill, A. Vanderburgh Saw Mill, W. Pennock Shingle Factory, John Harper Tavern, a very delapitated Grist and Saw Mill, store house, a shanty, and a number of other structures - some of which are identified by their owners: A. Vanderburgh, W. Wright, C. Brent, and H. Mussen. Properties and property owners of note are: Lots 118 and 119, Captain Creighton, and William H. Merritt Jr. A number of small properties labeled 1 through 39 are present and of these 6 - 15 are reserved for a Mill Site and are outlined in red. Several other pieces of land are outlined in blue and belong to: W. B. Hendershot, P. Finlay, W. Wright, and L. Leslie. There is also a piece of land reserved for hydraulic purposes.

Welland Canal Survey of Lands Estate of Hall Davis and Jeremiah Adley 1834

Survey map and description of the Estate of Hall Davis and Jeremiah Adley's land created by The Welland Canal Company. Included is a written description of the land along with a drawing of the land. Noteable features include; Holland road, Adley's house, waste weir. The total land for the Estate of Hall Davis is 27 acres and 2 perches. The total land for Adley is 3 acres. The deed for the Estate of Hall Davis is dated August 16th 1834 and contains Samuel Swayze's name. Swayze's name is also written under Hall Davis' name. The deed for Adley's land is dated December 1st 1827. Surveyor notes are seen in pencil on the map.

William Still's Boarding House advertisement [n.d.]

Original advertisement for William Still's Boarding House, No. 832 South Street, below 9th, south side Philad'a [sic]. Not dated. The advertisement includes handwritten marginalia, possibly by William Still, on the left-hand side referring to St. Catharines. There is a small embossed stamp on the upper left-hand corner of the advertisement. This item was in the possession of the Rick Bell Family of St. Catharines.Handwritten marginalia (original spelling and punctuation): "Do remember me very kindly to all my enquiring friends _ I but seldom hear of late from St. Catherines" The street number printed in the original advertisement (374) has been crossed out in black ink and a handwritten "832" has been inserted. William Still was an African-American abolitionist from Philadelphia and clerk of the Anti-Slavery Society who by his own account assisted 649 slaves receive freedom. He kept records on fugitive slaves so their relatives could find them later. In 1872, he published his records in a book entitled, The Underground Railroad. Source: William Still Underground Railroad Foundation: http://www.undergroundrr.com/foundation/about.htm

A sermon, delivered at the meeting house of the second parish in Portland, August 20, 1812 : on the occasion of the national fast

Published at the particular request of the congregation.

Battlefield House flyer, n.d.

Battlefield House was originally the home of Mary Gage, a widow who arrived in Canada with 2 children after her husband was killed in action in the American Revolution in 1777. The original house was a log cabin which was replaced by a storey and a half frame house. Col. Nelson was the next owner of the house, and in the middle of the 19th century he raised the roof to make it a 2 storey house and added a large west wing. Successive owners: the Glover, Williams and Fisher families made a few changes to the house. The last owner was D.A. Fletcher who tore down the newer, western half of the building in 1895. In 1899, Mrs. John Calder, a granddaughter of James Gage formed the Women’s Wentworth Historical Society and raised enough money to buy the Gage Farmhouse and the land around it on which the Battle of Stoney Creek was fought. In 1910 this group purchased another 13 acres of the original Crown Grant and made 17 ½ acres of parkland open to the public. The women of the Society renovated and furnished the house. They maintained the building for 63 years. It was due to them that a monument was erected above the house by the Dominion Government. The monument was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of the Battle, June 6, 1913. The house was turned over by the Historical Society to The Niagara Parks Commission on January 19th, 1962. Source: Battlefield House Flyer, information provided by Mrs. E.B. Thompson, past president of the Women’s Wentworth Historical Society.

Court House Niagara - Vignette

A vignette of the Niagara Court House.

Court House Welland - Vignette

A vignette of the Welland Court House.

Residence of James W. House, Esq. - Vignette

A vignette of the residence of James W. House, Esq., Lot 123 Stamford.

Mansion House, Grimsby - Vignette

A vignette of the Mansion House in Grimsby, Andrew Randall, Proprietor.

Lake View House, Ontario Methodist Camp Ground : the Chautauqua of Canada, Grimsby, Ont. (1885)

Contains information about the campground, the hotel, church services and includes advertisements.