What started as a trip to see the
Tall Ships, has turned into a Summer of learning about the War of 1812 and visiting some of the famous sites in and around our area. After a trip to see
Old Fort Erie a couple weeks ago, my boys asked if there were any other Forts in the area. I looked into it and sure enough there were a couple more on the Canadian side (Fort George and Ft Mississauga) and a few on the American side.
With history dating back to the mid 1600s,
Old Fort Niagara was used as a defence base since the 1700s. In fact the French ‘Castle’ that sits at the far edge of the property was built in 1726 by the French. It was designed to resemble a trading post, but housed a garrison of solders who were on duty 24 hours a day to guard the area.
Today, the whole site has been restored to reflect how the fort would have been used around 1755, when it was occupied by the French.
When you arrive at Old Fort Niagara, you will actually have to drive through a bit of a maze of round abouts to get to the back of the property where the Fort is situated. There is also $8 fee to park when you first enter the park, but don’t worry that money can be applied towards your admission so remember to bring your ticket inside with you.
There is a small museum set up inside that houses the Garrison Flag(15 stars and 15 stripes) that would have flown over the fort during the War of 1812. It was captured in 1813 by British Forces and wasn’t returned until 1994.
Inside the museum many exhibits show the evolution of the site from the 1600s to now and some of the artillery used by the forces to defend the area against opponents.
Outside, a path takes you to a bridge at the entrance of the fort. Visitors are able to wander around all over the property and don’t have to stay in a specific area. The kids from the family beside us loved the lush grounds and were having a blast rolling down the large hills that were built around the fort.
The Gate of Five Nations was originally built in 1756 out of wood. The structure that sits today was rebuilt in 1931. Inside it features two large wooden wheels that allowed the soldiers to pull the draw bridge up if they were under attack.
Visitors then pass through the South Reboudt, which was constructed before the American Revolution as a guard house. This building was three floors high and house troops on the second floor and cannons on the third.
A museum(and an admin office) is housed inside the Provisions Storehouse to the left of the S. Redoubt. Just past that, the Powder Magazine, which was originally built in 1757, was used to store the garrison’s ammunition.
Before you enter the castle there is a bakery out front that would have been used to make bread for the soldiers.
This building was rebuilt in 1762 after it burned down in 1761. Its sole purpose was to bake bread for the soldiers. We also learned that they would eat a loaf of bread every 3 days and that their diet consisted mostly of a soup that was made from salt water and a handful of beans that was flavoured by a hunk of meat that hung from the top of the pot.
The French Castle is without doubt the center piece of Old Fort Niagara. It is also the oldest building the North America’s Great Lakes region.
It was restored between 1926 and 1933 to its pre- 1755 appearance and includes furnishings that would have been used in the mid 1800s.
Inside there are 2 guard rooms (one of the first and second floors), a store room for traded goods and another bakery.
The second floor housed the chapel, Sacristy, the officers apartments and the commandant’s quarters.
The third floor, which is empty has a story board that tells the story of Betsy Doyle.
Shortly after her husband was captured at the Battle of Queenston, Betsy remained at Fort Niagara assisting in the war efforts by carrying cannon balls that were heated in the oven(Hot Shots) up to the roof of the castle to be shot at Fort George across the river. She also wore a uniform and stood guard at the Fort during a rainy night on December 18, 1813. The next day when the fort was captured by British and Native forces she managed to escape with her 4 children and traveled more than 300 miles to safety. Her husband was released the following year but was never re-united with his wife. Instead she passed away in poverty in 1819, never being paid for her time spend defending her country.
After we visited the castle, we made our way to the other side of the property where the North Redoubdt stands. Originally designed with a powder magazine inside it, this three floor guardhouse, housed soldiers and also cannons on the third floor.
The view from the third floor is pretty nice.
The outer walls of the fort are not all solid. Some areas were cut out to allows cannons to jut out for additional protection. Underneath, you can tour the Casemates that housed four 24-pounder cannons. Just down the hall there are also firing slits for rifleman and another powder magazine so they didn’t have far to go to re-fill.
History was never my strong suit in school because I couldn’t visualize the information I was being given. Visiting these sites this Summer has given my kids an opportunity to learn first hand how life was for these families during these times and also to see how different they lived from how we do today.
For this reason, I highly recommend a visit to
Old Fort Niagara is you are in the area!
Admission is $12.00 for adults and $8 for Children (6 to 12 years old)
What started as a boiler and steam engine company, turned into an amusement empire after Allan Herchell spotted a carousel in New York City that was powered by a steam engine. Over the years the Allan Herschell company produced over 3,000 hand-carved wooden carousels.
Situated in the original Herschell factory, visitors to the museum can view how the master carvers created the horses and carriages, where they painted them, and how they were assembled.
You can also see how the Wurlitzer roll was made and how it worked when placed inside an organ. My oldest son loves music of all genres of music and it was very kind of one of the museum staffers to sit with both of my children and show them exactly how the 1895 parlor organ they have on display worked. It was one of the highlights of their tour.
Between the area that houses the carousels, there is a room that showcases a variety of animals from some of Herschell’s famous rides. Here you can see some of their vintage livestock and learn a little more about the evolution of their design.
This 1912 ride-on-horse on display was donated by the Flick family. The horse, which was likely destined to be placed on a carrousel, was involved in a train wreck and was sold by the Herschell company in the community shortly after. A cousin made the stand for the horse and turned it into a ride for the Flick children. It was a family treasure for years before being gifted to the museum in 1990.
Early carrousels were not created for children. The children’s carrousel on display at the museum was built in the late 1930s. The horses are tiny, which would allow little ones to be able to ride on their own. Its popularity spurred the company to create more rides for younger riders.
Under the ownership of John Wendler and his family, the Allan Herschell company also made some amusement rides in the 1930’s. The Little Dipper was one of the rides at Crystal Beach Park in Erie Canada. When the park closed down in 1990 the Herschell company bought back the tiny coaster and reconditioned it for display.
The #1 Special Carousel was built in 1916 and was originally located in London, Ontario at Springbank Amusement Park, before being moved to Hamilton’s Burlington Beach in the 1940s. It was found in storage in the 80s and purchased for display at the museum. This carousel has a 3-row design with 36 Jumping Horses, 1 chariot, 1 Tub.
My youngest son rode one of the beautiful horses, while my oldest opted to ride in the spinning tub. He was a little dizzy after his ride and told me he would just rather go up and down next time.
My kids thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the Carousel Museum. It is very interesting to see how the Allan Herschell Company influenced the early design of how amusement rides are created today. Seventy years ago they were integral in pioneering ‘such concepts as “Kiddieland,” a specialized group of rides designed for small children’. They also introduced adult thrill rides such as the Twister, the Hurricane, and the Sky Wheel, a double Ferris wheel nearly 90 feet tall.
Outside we could see people working on what appears to be an area with 5 or 6 new rides. The Pamphlet we received says that Kiddieland will be opening up in 2013 so look for that in the future!
A couple of cool facts about Herschell’s Design:
