Work underway to preserve six 200-year-old stones

Work is about to get underway on six ordnance boundary stones, the markers used by the British in the early 1800s to distinguish the property of four military reserves in Niagara-on-the-Lake.   

A total of 37 stones once existed in what is now NOTL, and 19 of them have been discovered, while 18 have yet to be found. 

In June, the town’s municipal heritage committee endorsed a plan to preserve and protect the markers.

On Wednesday night, the heritage committee received an update on the plan, explaining that locates have been requested by surveyors for six of the stones so work to preserve them can begin.  

Those stones are at Simcoe Park, the Charles Inn, the corner of Queen and Dorchester streets, the corner of Queen and Nassau streets, the corner of Nassau and Johnson streets and Prideaux and Simcoe streets.  

Military reserve property included Simcoe Park, Queen’s Royal Park, the Parks Canada property leased to Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club, and the commons.  

The existence of the stones came to light shortly after local resident Ted Rumble moved to Niagara-on-the-Lake. He could see a stone across the road from his house, he told town council in 2019, and when curiosity got the better of him, and he crossed the street to have a closer look. He became interested in the history of the boundary markers made from Queenston Quarry stone, did some research at the NOTL Museum and began a quest to find as many as he could, asking the town to help preserve them.

Heritage committee member David Snelgrove was pleased with the report and presentation brought to the table Wednesday by heritage planner Sumra Zia.  

“The process, although slow, is proceeding quite nicely,” he said. He then asked about agreements with property owners whose lands some of the stones sit on.  

Zia said a final agreement has been drafted but not finalized as there are still a few details that need to be worked out. “There are some legal requirements around the agreements and that is one of the main reasons the formal agreements haven’t been signed,” she said.  

The town’s 2024 budget included $7,500 for the project.  

Heritage committee member John Morley said one part of the plan outlined in the report before the committee needed to be changed – that a plaque set to be placed at Simcoe Park not be temporary, as initially recommended. He said it should be bronze and of high quality. In 2023, $5,000 was set aside for this stone on its own.  

“Let’s not be cheap about this,” he said. “The installation of that plaque has to be carefully done.” 

The report says staff is currently in contact with multiple fence vendors to get a fair price on the fences being proposed to be installed around the stones. 

Staff are planning to place an order for the fences as well as the plaques being proposed as part of the project.  

It is expected the work will be carried out this month.  

The British Army Royal Engineers placed the 37 stones between 1823 and 1854 around the perimeter of the four military reserves in the town of Niagara.