On Saturday, April 5 th the NOTL Museum is offering a full day workshop open to the public, with
representatives from the Brown Homestead in St. Catharines on how to use the online Ontario Land
Registry. Participants will receive hands-on teaching on how to research property histories.
Property research is one of the most popular activities for homeowners here in Niagara-on-the-Lake,
especially considering the amount of heritage homes within the municipality. Questions range from the
age and ‘ancestry’ of a home, to whether it was burned during the War of 1812, or seen in any movies.
However, all information regarding a home’s heritage makes for fascinating knowledge, and the
Museum loves those stories as much as homeowners. Prospective buyers, sellers and realtors can also
make use of multi layers of background information on a home. Plus, this kind of research is conducted
frequently at the Museum to assist Town Staff with historical designations and heritage permits.
“We are trilled to be partnering with the Brown Homestead on this program”, said Amy Klassen, the
Museum’s Director of Finance & Marketing. “We receive many queries about this topic. This is a really
practical, user-friendly workshop, offering excellent learning opportunities to both staff and the public.”
Brian Narhi, Jessica Linzel and Sara Nixon will walk participants through the process of using OnLand, an
online portal of property records for Ontario. The workshop will give an overview of Ontario’s land
registry system and structure, best practices for using the OnLand database, as well as how to trace the
history of any given parcel of land from its Crown patent, all the way to the present time.
Participants are welcome to bring their own devices (laptops, tablets, etc.), or simply watch the experts
and take notes.
The Brown Homestead was founded in 2015 to preserve and maintain significant heritage buildings and
sites. Brian Narhi is a local historian from St. Catharines who sits on the Board of Directors. Jessica Linzel
is the homestead’s Director of Community Engagement, a historical researcher dedicated to
understanding, preserving, and sharing stories of the past. Sara Nixon is the Community Engagement
Manager for the Brown Homestead, using local history to build community connections and amplify new
voices.
When: Saturday April 5 th , 2025, 9 am - 3:30 pm.
Where: NOTL Museum, 43 Castlereagh Street.
Participants should bring a lunch for the break.
Cost: $60, or $50 for Museum members. Registration is required as space is limited.
Register at www.notlmuseum/whats-on
For more information call the NOTL Museum at 905 468 3912.