Ontario

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN BUTLER 1725-1796

Born in New London, Connecticut, Butler served in the Mohawk
Valley, New York, in 1742. Commissioned in the British Indian
Department in 1755, he served in the Seven Years’ War. At the
outbreak of the American Revolution, he was compelled to leave
his estates, and was ordered to Fort Niagara. In 1777 he or-
ganized the Loyalist corps known as Butler’s Rangers. By the
end of the war, this unit, with British regulars and Indian
allies, had effectively contributed to the establishment of British
control south of the Great Lakes. The Rangers were disbanded
in 1784, and led by their former commander, many settled
in the Niagara peninsula. Butler remained active in Indian
affairs until his death at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake).

Erected by the Ontario Heritage Foundation
Ministry of Culture and Recreation

THE FIELD HOUSE

One of the oldest brick houses in Ontario, this handsome
Georgian structure was built about 1800. Originally a farm
house, it was the home of Gilbert Field (1765-1815), a
United Empire Loyalist who was in possession of the land
by 1790. During the War of 1812 the house was used by
British forces and was subject to a brief bombardment
from an American battery. Though damaged, it was one of
the few homes in the area to survive the hostilities. It
remained in the Field Family until about 1925, after which
it passed through various hands. In 1968 the Ontario
Heritage Foundation acquired the property to ensure its con-
tinued preservation and twelve years later the Field House
was returned to private ownership with a protective covenant.

Erected by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture and Communications

LA MAISON FIELD

Une des plus vieilles maisons en briques de l’Ontario, cette élégante structure de style géorgien est construite vers 1800. Tout d’abord une maison de ferme, elle est la résidence de Gilbert Field (1765-1815), un loyaliste à qui le gouvernement a octroyé le terrain en 1790. Durant la guerre de 1812, les forces britanniques utilisent la maison qui est brièvement bombardée par une batterie américaine. Endommagée certes, elle est cependant une des rares résidences de la région à survivre aux hostilités. Elle demeure dans la famille Field jusque vers 1925, après quoi elle change de mains à plusieurs reprises. En 1968, la Fondation du patrimoine ontarien en fait l’acquisition pour assurer sa préservation. Douze années plus tard, la maison Field redevient une propriété privée. Des dispositions assurent sa protection.

CAPTURE
OF
FORT NIAGARA 1813

In the early morning of December 19, 1813, a
force under Colonel John Murray, consisting
of detachments of the 100th and 41st Regiments,
Royal Scots, Royal Artillery and Canadian
Militia, embarked in bateaux at the foot of this
ravine. Crossing silently to a point above
Youngstown, N.Y., they attacked Fort Niagara,
killing or capturing its American garrison.

Erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board

MCFARLAND HOUSE 1800

This house was built in 1800 by James McFarland on
land purchased about 1795 by his father, John McFarland
(1757-1814), who was described as “His Majesty’s boat
builder”. One of the Niagara District’s finest residences,
it was used during the War of 1812 as a hospital by
both British and United States forces. A British battery
was emplaced behind the house to command the river.
In 1813 John McFarland was taken prisoner by the
Americans following their capture of Fort George. When
he returned in 1814, much of his property had been
destroyed and the house badly damaged.

Erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board

FORT CHIPPAWA, 1791

The fortifications which stood on this site were built in
1791 to protect the southern terminus of the Niagara portage
road, and serve as a forwarding depot for government
supplies. Known also as Fort Welland, the main structure
consisted of a log blockhouse surrounded by a stockade.
During the War of 1812 several bloody engagements were
fought in this vicinity including the bitterly contested
Battle of Chippawa, July 5, 1814, and possession of the fort
frequently changed hands. A barracks, storehouse, officers'
quarters and earthworks were added in 1814-15, but shortly
thereafter Fort Chippawa was abandoned and fell into decay.
Erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board.

THE "COLORED CORPS" 1812-1815

When the War of 1812 began, people of African descent in
the Niagara peninsular feared an American invasion. They
were anxious to preserve their freedom and prove their
loyalty to Britain. Many joined the militia; others offered
to raise their own militia company. Authorities responded
by forming a "Colored Corps" of about thirty men commanded
by white officers. Based in the Niagara region throughout
the war, it fought at Queenston Heights in October 1812
and at the siege of Fort George in May 1813. The corps
was disbanded soon after the peace, but had nonetheless
set a precedent. Black units were a feature of the Canadian
military until the First World War.

Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation

SIR ROGER HALE SHEAFFE 1763-1851

On October 13, 1812, following Isaac Brock’s death in a
preceding assault, Major-General Sheaffe assumed command
and led a successful attack which dislodged an invading
American force from Queenston Heights. Born in Boston,
Mass., Sheaffe was commissioned in the British army in 1778
and fought in the American Revolution and the Napoleonic
Wars. Arriving in Upper Canada in 1812, he served as
Administrator of the province 1812-1813, and returned to
England in the latter year. He was created a baronet in
1813, attained the rank of general in 1838 and died in
Edinburgh, Scotland.

Erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board.

RAID ON FORT SCHLOSSER 1813

At daybreak on July 5, 1813, a British and Canadian force, consisting of some 35 militia and a small detachment of the 49th Regiment, embarked in this vicinity to attack Fort Schlosser. The American depot (now within Niagara Falls, New York) was situated at the southern terminus of the Lewiston Portage, and was an important military trans-shipment point. The attacking force, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Thomas Clark of the 2nd Regiment, Lincoln Militia, surprised the U.S. garrison and encountered little resistance. They captured a gunboat, two bateaux, a brass cannon and a substantial quantity of small arms and supplies. While re-embarking, they were attacked by local American militia, but suffered no casualties.
Archaeological and Historic Sites Board of Ontario

LAURA INGERSOLL SECORD 1775-1868

Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Laura Ingersoll
came to Upper Canada with her father in 1795, and settled in
this area. About two years later she married James Secord,
a United Empire Loyalist, and within seven years they had
moved to this site from nearby St. Davids. From here, during
the war of 1812, Laura Secord set out on an arduous 19-
mile journey to warn the local British commander, Lieutenant
James Fitzgibbon, of an impending American attack. The
courage and tenacity displayed on this occasion in June
1813 places her in the forefront of the province's heroines.
Mrs. Secord's house, a simple frame building, was restored
(1971-72), and remains as a memorial to the exceptional
act of patriotism.

Erected by the Archaeological and Heritage Sites Board, Archives of Ontario

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CAROLINE, 1837

On the night of December 29-30, 1837, some 60 volunteers
acting on the orders of Col. Allan Napier McNab, and
commanded by Capt. Andrew Drew, R.N., set out from
Chippawa in small boats to capture the American steamer
“Caroline”. That vessel, which had been supplying William
Lyon MacKenzie’s rebel forces on Navy Island, was moored at
Fort Schlosser, N.Y. There she was boarded by Drew’s men,
her crew killed or driven ashore, and after an unsuccessful
attempt to start the engine, her captors set the ship afire
and left her to sink in the Niagara River. This action almost
precipitated war between Britain and the United States.

Erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board.