On Thursday, June 20th, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum welcome Dr. Richard Merritt to share the long and important history of the property that most locals know as “The Wilderness” at 407 King Street.
The Museum’s current exhibition, “The Prettiest Town: Beyond the Bricks & Mortar”, highlights the history of some of the community’s historic homes, and the stories of the people who have lived on these properties. As part of the 2024 lecture series, three of the monthly presentations will focus on important historical properties and houses in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Partially hidden behind its overgrown, deteriorating streetscapes, on both King and Regent Streets in Old Town Niagara, lies a remarkable nearly five-acre parcel of land known lovingly for over a century as “The Wilderness”.
Describing The Wilderness, Merritt says, “it was respectfully gifted by the Chiefs of the Six Nations or Haudenosaunne, to the settler Claus family in 1799. The property is unique for its natural, Indigenous, military, political, architectural and horticultural history.” Merritt will reveal the remarkable saga of this extraordinary remnant of our natural and built heritage including its various owners/residents over its 200+ years of occupation. The talk will conclude with an important update on the status of this extraordinary property.
Richard D. Merritt is a retired ophthalmologist with a life-long passion for Niagara’s rich history. He has authored several books on the subject and has been recognized by local organizations including being named a ‘Living Landmark’ by The Niagara Foundation for his documentation and preservation of Niagara’s heritage. Richard is a past president of the Niagara Historical Society, Friends of Fort George and the Niagara Foundation. He chaired the committee that obtained Designation of Old Town Niagara as a National Historic District, the first in Ontario. He served as co-chair of the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee and co-chair of the Working Group of the Landscape of Nations -- the public artwork on Queenston Heights which finally recognizes the significant sacrifices and critical contributions of the Six Nations and their Native Allies during the War of 1812.
The Wilderness: Worth Preserving: Thursday June 20th, 7:30 pm. NOTL Museum, 43 Castlereagh Street, NOTL.
Admission is $10.00, and free for members. For more information call 905 468 3912. Seating is limited, so call to reserve seating, or email: aklassen@nhsm.ca