The Community of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Come to the many special events held throughout the year! Take a carriage ride through the Old Town, or a jet boat up the Niagara River. A short drive along the scenic Niagara Parkway leads to Queenston Heights and Niagara Falls.
The Niagara-on-the-Lake Area
Niagara-on-the-Lake, often called the loveliest town in Ontario, has a long and distinguished history. Site of the old Neutral Indian village of Onghiara, it was settled at the close of the American Revolution by Loyalists coming to Upper Canada, many of whom had been members of the much feared Butler's Rangers based during the American Revolution at Fort Niagara, then under British control.
TODAY, over two hundred years after its founding, Niagara-on-the-Lake hums with a different kind of traffic. Its many attractions include historic sites - Fort George and the Historical Society Museum, the Shaw Festival with its three theatres, the marina, our heritage business district for shopping, golf courses, parks and beautiful farmland, agricultural markets and our world famous Niagara wineries. Come to the many special events held throughout the year! Take a carriage ride through the Old Town, or a jet boat up the Niagara River. A short drive along the scenic Niagara Parkway leads to Queenston Heights and Niagara Falls. Check out the Butterfly Conservatory at the Niagara Parks Commission site. Our town attracts thousands of visitors who stroll the old streets, enjoy the comforts of fine hotels or our charming bed and breakfast homes, dine in our many varied restaurants, and, if even for a little while, journey back in time to a more leisurely time - the age of Niagara-on-the-Lake!
Source: Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce and Visitor & Convention Bureau
St. David's
St David's was once the transient capital of Upper Canada. On 1814-07-18, during the final American campaign on the Niagara frontier, Major-General Peter B. Porter sent a detachment of militia from the United States encampment at Queenston, Ontario to attack St. David's. This force, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac W. Stone, was joined later by a small group of American regulars. Despite opposition from the 1st Lincoln Militia, the enemy captured the village, looted it and burned most of the buildings. Stone was severely censured for this destruction of private property and summarily dismissed from the United States army.
Source: in Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:04, December 4, 2008
Niagara-on-the-Lake History
The original site was a Neutral Nation village known as Onghiara. In 1781 the British government established Butlersburg which later became known as West Niagara. Many of the first inhabitants were Loyalist refugees who fled the United States during and immediately after the American Revolution wanting to remain loyal to Britain.
In 1792 the village was incorporated as the Town of Newark and was named the capital of the Province of Upper Canada. The town lost that distinction to York (now Toronto) in 1797, as Newark's proximity to the United States presented a danger. The town was renamed Niagara in 1798. During the War of 1812, American forces invaded Canada, and captured (and later destroyed) the town before they withdrew following their abandonment of captured Fort George. The British rebuilt, however, and today it has retained much of its historical charm. The present name was adopted around 1880 as a Postal Address to distinguish the town from Niagara Falls. The name was not officially adopted until 1970, when the Town of Niagara and the Township of Niagara were merged.
Source: Niagara-on-the-Lake. (2008, November 18). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:04, December 4, 2008
