Go To Niagara - Niagara-on-the-Lake Courthouse

Niagara-on-the-Lake Courthouse

The neo-classical three-storey building was constructed between 1846 and 1847 to designs by the Toronto architect William Thomas (and built by Garvie and Co.)[1] for the then Niagara District.[2] The building replaced an earlier court house removed for fear of it being in-range of cannon fire from Fort Niagara. Inside it had a courtroom, town hall chambers, offices and jail cells.

Located on the main street of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Niagara District Court House National Historic Site of Canada is a handsome stone building in a classical style. Its classicism is expressed through its symmetry and classical details, such as the central pediment, porch with columns, window surrounds, and stringcourses. The surviving interior spaces reflect the multiple uses for which this building was designed.

Jail Cell at 26 Queen Street

The Amazing Story of Solomon Moseby

Fugitive slave who reaches freedom in Canada in 1837 is ordered back to United States, but escapes with help from hundreds of supporters.

The Second Niagara Court House and Gaol – built in 1817 near Rye and Cottage Streets, the Georgian building was more grand than the first and far from cannon fire from the U.S. side of the Niagara River. It was replaced by the 1847 court house.[1] It was demolished after 1866; the site is now Rye Heritage Park, with a marker placed at the end of the driveway into the park.

Maria Rye, a social reformer from London, England arrived in Niagara in October, 1869 with a group of 75 girls. She had purchased the abandoned second courthouse and converted it into an institution called "Our Western Home". Her aim was to gather girls, usually aged 5-12, either from workhouses or those abandoned in the streets, transport them to Canada, teach them domestic skills, and then place them with families either as foster children or apprentices. It is believed that 4,000 girls passed through Our Western Home under the tutelage of Miss Rye. However, her program came under criticism as she did not continue to follow the girls after they left the home and some were found to have been placed in adverse situations. Following Miss Rye's retirement in 1896, the Home was taken over by the Church of England's Waifs and Strays Society; it continued to operate until 1913.

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