64-621: Park House is a historic house museum, located in Amherstburg , Ontario , Canada . It was built in 1796 in Detroit , but moved to Amherstburg in 1799. It has had many owners, the best-known being the Park family who owned it 102 years. In 1972 it was purchased by the Rotary Club of Amherstburg, becoming a local history museum and being renovated to portray life in the 1850s. Park House
128-617: A 240-acre private residential community, also has white sand beaches, full-service marina, nature trails, the BobLo Island Beach House Restaurant, Captain Bob‘s Island Ice Cream and Coffee Cabin and South Beach Water Sports. BobLo is accessible via a 10-minute private ferry ride, which runs every 20 minutes, 365 days per year. Amherstburg is a town of trade and services to support regional agriculture. It has also become known for several wineries in
192-611: A coke storage site near the river. The production at the Honeywell plant of hydrofluoric acid (HF) was suspended in October 2013 in favour of a plant in Geismar, Louisiana . The Honeywell plant is used in the production of fuels, refrigerants, and other materials. HF is a precursor to numerous pharmaceuticals, as well as being used to produce Teflon , fluoropolymers and fluorocarbons . Because of its highly corrosive nature, HF
256-503: A committee of the Amherstburg Rotary Club suggested buying Park House and preserving it so it would need not be moved or demolished. The club approved this and the house was moved to Waterworks Park (presently Amherstburg Navy Yard) where Park House Museum still stands. In July 1973, Amherstburg Historical Sites Association was created to furnish and maintain the museum. After more than a year of restoring and furnishing
320-750: A detachment of the Windsor Police Service . The local public high school in Amherstburg is North Star High School. Up until 2022 the high school was General Amherst High School , named after Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst. Although North Star High School is located in the town, some youth residents choose to attend St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Secondary School , located near the neighbourhood of River Canard. French-speaking students in Amherstburg may also attend École Secondaire E.J. Lajeunesse, located in Windsor, Ontario . Amherstburg
384-520: A draw. Lot 17 was first given to a mercantile firm, Leith, Shepherd and Duff. The Commanding officer of Fort Malden , Captain Hector McLean , decided to give it to the schooner Nancy instead. Thus it was held by her owners: her Captain, William Mills, and the Montreal firm Forsyth, Richardson and Company. Alexander Mackintosh bought the property in 1817. However, Mackintosh only held
448-571: A federal plaque of the same style, but the markers do not indicate which designation a subject has been given. For example, the Rideau Canal is a National Historic Site, while the Welland Canal is a National Historic Event. Emerging Canadian nationalist sentiment in the late 19th century and early 20th century led to an increased interest in preserving Canada's historic sites. There were galvanizing precedents in other countries. With
512-506: A more ambitious program with more attention paid to architectural preservation. In 1955, the Historic Sites and Monuments Act was amended to allow the designation of buildings due to their age or design, resulting in a new focus on the designation of Canada's built heritage. The 1950s also marked the beginning of the "big project" era, which reached its apogee in the 1960s, in which the federal government invested significant funds in
576-718: A noted authority on the War of 1812 and the history of Ontario , was chosen as the Board's first chairman, a post he held for twenty years. The first place designated and plaqued under the new program was the "Cliff Site" in Port Dover, Ontario , where two priests claimed sovereignty over the Lake Erie region for Louis XIV of France in 1670. Due to a lack of resources, the HSMBC limited itself to recommending sites for designation, and
640-733: A park. Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia was also designated in 1917. In 1919, William James Roche , the Minister of the Interior, was concerned over the fate of old fur trade posts in Western Canada, and he was also being lobbied by historical associations across Canada for federal funds to assist with the preservation and commemoration of local landmarks. At the same time, the Department of Militia and Defence
704-493: A population of 2,500. When the fort was no longer needed for military purposes, the government adapted it for use as a provincial "lunatic asylum". Its main building was later used as a Port of Entry, Money Order office, Post Office & savings bank. Amherstburg was incorporated as a town in 1878. The town is named after Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst , commander of the British forces and first British Governor General of
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#1732782805142768-490: A sign in the centre of the square thus uncovered." In the early years of the program, National Historic Sites were chosen to commemorate battles, important men, the fur trade and political events; the focus was on the "great men and events" credited with establishing the nation. Of the 285 National Historic Sites designated by 1943, 105 represented military history , 52 represented the fur trade and exploration, and 43 represented famous individuals (almost entirely men). There
832-513: A survey of historic sites in Canada, with the objective of creating new recreational areas rather than preserving historic places. Fort Howe in Saint John, New Brunswick was designated a national historic park in 1914, named the "Fort Howe National Park". The fort was not a site of significant national historic importance, but its designation provided a rationale for the acquisition of land for
896-403: Is also used to dissolve glass, in glass etching and frosting, and is used in quartz purification, chemical milling, steel pickling and cleaning silicon wafers. It is produced by treating the mineral fluorite with sulfuric acid, which produces hydrogen fluoride and calcium sulfate. The plant, which is located at 395 Front Rd, North, had previously suspended its operations between 1992 and 1996. There
960-418: Is composed of three separate parcels connected through rights of way and easements. In 1999, Allied Signal merged with the much smaller Honeywell Inc. but chose to carry on the newly expanded corporation under the Honeywell name. In September 2022, Transit Windsor began a providing service between Amherstburg and Windsor (the nearest local metropolis), on a two-year pilot project. Commercial rail service
1024-590: Is home to several tourist attractions, including Fort Malden and the Amherstburg Freedom Museum (formerly the North American Black Historical Museum). This explores the history of African-American refugees in western Ontario, who sought freedom from slavery and made their homes here. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected in Amherstburg by the province to commemorate Bellevue House. Built c. 1816-19, it
1088-519: Is hope locally that production will resume at some future time. The plant's gypsum pond was identified in 2008 as the source of high levels of arsenic pollution in the area, which have been a provincial Ministry of the Environment concern since 2006. Honeywell now owns the adjacent Brunner Mond chemical plant and soda ash settling basins site, whose former owners, General Chemical Industrial Products, declared bankruptcy in 2005. This site
1152-529: Is provided through Essex Terminal Railway , which operates a 35 km line to Windsor. The former Michigan Central Railway / CASO railway linking Amherstburg to Essex was converted into the Cypher Systems Group Greenway rail trail in stages beginning in 2007, with the two stream bridges being rehabilitated for public use again in 2017. Small boats are welcome to call at any one of three local marinas that serve Lake Erie and
1216-574: The 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Amherstburg had a population of 23,524 living in 9,193 of its 9,548 total private dwellings, a change of 7.2% from its 2016 population of 21,936 . With a land area of 183.76 km (70.95 sq mi), it had a population density of 128.0/km (331.6/sq mi) in 2021. Population trend for former municipalities: National Historic Sites of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada ( French : Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada ) are places that have been designated by
1280-781: The Detroit River . Amherstburg Ferry Company operates private ferry service to Bob-Lo Island community. The ferry service once operated MS Windmill Point , a car ferry acquired in 1960s after the Ogdensburg–Prescott Ferry service closed following the opening of the Ogdensburg–Prescott International Bridge . In July 2020, the Amherstburg Ferry Company acquired the Daldean Ferry which had been operating on
1344-493: The North-West Rebellion has gone through at least three phases to date. In the 1920s, plaques erected at these sites trumpeted the expansion of Canada and western civilization across North America. Due to local pressures, changes at the HSMBC and evolving historiography , texts introduced in the 1950s avoided the previous triumphalist version of events, but also avoided any analysis of the causes or consequences of
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#17327828051421408-568: The St. Lawrence ", and in Niagara, promoting a loyalist doctrine of imperial unity with Britain, while commemorating resistance to "Americanism". Proposals to designate sites related to the immigration of Jews , Blacks and Ukrainians to Canada were rejected, as were attempts to recognize patriots of the Rebellions of 1837 . Such was the view of Canadian history by the Board in the first half of
1472-786: The 19th century from Quebec, who became known as Canadian French. St. Jean was their Catholic church. During the days of the Underground Railroad before the American Civil War , refugee African-American slaves often crossed the Detroit river to escape to freedom in Canada, after the Crown abolished slavery. Although Michigan was a free state, slavecatchers went to Detroit trying to capture slaves and take them to owners for bounty. Detroit abolitionists William Lambert and especially George DeBaptiste were key to helping
1536-586: The 2010 and 2011 OMHA playdowns and winners of the town's first-ever OHF title. In the first week of every August, Amherstburg holds a heritage festival, consisting of activities at several locations around town. At Fort Malden, re-enactors depict eras ranging from the Roman Empire to the Second World War, establishing camps and performing battle demonstrations. Since 2006, Amherstburg has held an annual Shores of Erie Wine Festival. As of 2017,
1600-504: The 20th century. The HSMBC at the time has been described by historian Yves Yvon Pelletier as a "Victorian gentlemen's club", made up of self-taught historical scholars, whose decisions were made without public consultation and without the benefit of a secretariat to further investigate the recommendations of Board members. The following have served as members of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada: As time passed and
1664-618: The American Revolutionary War, the British established Fort Malden as a military fort overlooking the river's mouth at Lake Erie. It was occupied as a garrison. This stimulated development in the area, as did the Crown granting land in Upper Canada to Loyalists (now known as United Empire Loyalists ) in compensation for losses in the Thirteen Colonies, or as payment for service in the military during
1728-537: The Branch's park improvements were incompatible with the heritage attributes of Fort Anne, the second historic park. On Harkin's recommendation, the government created the Advisory Board for Historic Site Preservation (later called the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada) in 1919 in order to advise the Minister on a new program of National Historic Sites. Brigadier General Ernest Alexander Cruikshank ,
1792-596: The Land, Governing Canada, Developing Economies, Building Social and Community Life, and Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life. To be commemorated, a site must meet at least one of the following criteria: Designation as a National Historic Site provides no legal protection for the historic elements of a site. However, historic sites may be designated at more than one level (national, provincial and municipal), and designations at other levels may carry with them some legal protections. Most National Historic Sites are marked by
1856-705: The Museum. On February 19, 2006 a $ 46,000 grant given by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, resulted in a grand re-opening. The museum now educates the public, including school children from Ontario , Michigan , Ohio , and Illinois using such resources as a hand press donated by the Amherstburg Echo , used to print its first edition in 1874. It displays an early French framed, log-styled home with an original 1850s fireplace. The museum currently features displays of 1850s daily life, while
1920-483: The Province of Quebec (1760). In 1998, The Town of Amherstburg absorbed the neighbouring Township of Anderdon (to its northeast) and Township of Malden (to its southeast) to form a larger Town of Amherstburg. At 20:01 Eastern Daylight Time on April 19, 2018, a magnitude 3.6 earthquake (with a depth of 7.8 kilometres (4.8 mi)) occurred in Amherstburg, between the main portion of town and McGregor . No damage
1984-568: The St. Clair River between since 1951. Amherstburg is home to the following competitive sports teams: The Amherstburg North Stars Midget "B" hockey team were winners of the 1976 OMHA playdowns and winners of the town's first-ever OMHA All-Ontario title for any age group. The Amherstburg North Stars Juvenile "BB" hockey team were the winners of the 1977 OMHA playdowns and winners of the town's first-ever OMHA All-Ontario title for that age group. The Amherstburg Stars Midget "A" hockey team were winners of
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2048-618: The area. Amherstburg Farmers' Market is open every Saturday, from 8:30am to 3:30pm. The Farmer's Market is located at the end of Howard Avenue near County Rd 20. Amherstburg also has a high proportion of retirement residences and second homes. Local industry includes Diageo , a whiskey bottling plant for the Crown Royal Canadian whiskey, Windsor Mold's Precision Plastics, one of Ontario's largest full-service suppliers of industrial plastics and thermoplastic, and Honeywell Performance Materials and Technology. Marathon Oil has
2112-574: The best fall birding sites in North America for viewing migratory birds. The 546-acre (2.21 km ) nature reserve contains over 2,000 feet (610 m) of beaches, picnic areas, a 2-kilometre (6,600 ft) trail along the edge of Big Creek Marsh. Holiday Beach is considered a premiere spot to view the fall migration of raptors (birds of prey). A 'Festival of Hawks' event takes place in September. BobLo Island , which has been developed into
2176-548: The class of larger National Historic Sites operated by Parks Canada and deemed to be of "extraordinary value to Canadian history", was phased out. Changes were not limited to new designations, as the interpretation of many existing National Historic Sites did not remain static and evolved over time. For example, the commemoration of National Historic Sites on the Prairies related to the Red River Rebellion and
2240-495: The designations accordingly. Saoyú-ʔehdacho in the Northwest Territories was designated in 1997, becoming the first National Historic Site both designated and acquired on the basis of consultation with Aboriginal peoples, and the largest National Historic Site in land area (approximately the size of Prince Edward Island ). It was at this time that the use of the term "National Historic Park", then still used for
2304-498: The event has been cancelled indefinitely after a liquor breach fine and the death of a teenager in 2014. Amherstburg also celebrates Canada Day with a yearly fireworks display and a day of family activities. Art by the River (established in 1967), is an annual two-day arts and craft festival that takes place the weekend before Labour Day weekend on the grounds of Fort Malden National Historic Site. Other festivities include: In
2368-418: The events. Commencing in the 1970s, a changing approach to heritage conservation at Parks Canada , coupled with growing regionalism and a more assertive Aboriginal rights movement, led to the next generation of interpretative documents, one that included a focus on the societies which Canada's 19th-century expansion had displaced. National Historic Sites are organized according to five broad themes: Peopling
2432-1019: The federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks Canada , a federal agency, manages the National Historic Sites program. As of November 2023, there were 1,005 National Historic Sites, 171 of which are administered by Parks Canada; the remainder are administered or owned by other levels of government or private entities. The sites are located across all ten provinces and three territories , with two sites located in France (the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial and Canadian National Vimy Memorial ). There are related federal designations for National Historic Events and National Historic Persons . Sites, Events and Persons are each typically marked by
2496-461: The federal level. Although the HSMBC took little interest in these efforts, limiting itself to a commemorative role, the Parks Branch made wide use of government relief funds to hire workers to assist with the restoration of old forts. In 1943, the interim chairman of the HSMBC, Frederic William Howay , urged his fellow Board members to consider a broader range of designations, and to correct
2560-505: The focus of the program was on commemoration rather than on preservation. Benjamin Sulte , a member of the HSMBC, wrote to Harkin in 1919 about the significant ruins at the Forges du Saint-Maurice , demonstrating his preference for the installation of a plaque over restoration: "All that can be done in our days is to clear away the heap of stones, in order to reach the foundation walls and plant
2624-577: The geographic and thematic imbalance in the designations. In particular, Howay encouraged the HSMBC to pay more attention to economic, social and cultural history, and he urged a moratorium on additional designations related to the War of 1812. In 1951, the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences highlighted the imbalances of the National Historic Sites program, urging
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2688-446: The house in 1866, two years after his brother Thomas died. Theodore's son, Dr. Theodore James Park, owned the house next. In 1880 he used the house as the town’s medical office. His sister Lizzie Park gained the house after his death. Having no relatives, she gave the property to Helen Donovan, Spinster of New York State upon her death in 1941. Donovan gave the land to Geraldine S. Sterns from Detroit that same year. Sterns then sold
2752-492: The house to portray the time of the Park family and businesses, the Museum officially opened December 9, 1973 with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by Mayor H. Murray Smith. The Park House Tinsmiths, a volunteer association created in 1978, makes reproduction tinware to help finance the Museum. Although displayed as far as the United Kingdom and sold to places like Fort Malden and Fort George , it could not sustain
2816-487: The house until 1823, when Jean Baptiste Macon purchased it. Macon was a well-known merchant in Amherstburg when he bought the property, venturing into his own forwarding business. He hired as clerks the Park brothers, the later namesakes of the house. Thomas F. Park purchased the house on September 23, 1839. Thomas lent the property to his youngest brother Theodore Jones Park who ran a general merchandising and forwarding business with his brother John R. Park. Theodore bought
2880-555: The new designations, with the "Battle of..."-type commemorations being overtaken by sites associated with federal politics. The largest group of designations (43 percent) pertained to historic buildings. By the 1990s, three groups were identified as being underrepresented among National Historic Sites: Aboriginal peoples , women, and ethnic groups other than the French and the English . Efforts were subsequently made to further diversify
2944-524: The permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Windsor, travelling exhibits from Ontario museums and galleries, and student art/photography exhibits. A restored Essex Terminal railway caboose is operated as a railway museum. Gordon House was built in 1798 as a residence overlooking the Detroit River. Since being restored, it houses a Marine exhibit. The Holiday Beach Conservation Area is one of
3008-511: The property to the Lalondes in 1945. The Lalondes created an antique store named Park House Antiques. This store lasted 25 years before they sold the property to Zarko and Bessie Vucinic, the owners of Duffy's Tavern . The Vucinics wanted to expand their business to the riverfront. They approached Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan to preserve Park House. Hazen Price, the head of
3072-570: The restoration and reconstruction of high-profile National Historic Sites such as the Halifax Citadel , the Fortress of Louisbourg , the fortifications of Quebec City and the historic core of Dawson City . The 1970s marked the start of a new shift in the nature of the designations. Of the 473 National Historic Sites designated between 1971 and 1993, the formerly dominant category of political-military events represented only 12 percent of
3136-552: The same time, the federal government was looking for ways to extend the National Park system to Eastern Canada . The more populated east did not have the same large expanses of undeveloped Crown land that had become parks in the west , so the Dominion Parks Branch (the predecessor to Parks Canada) looked to historic features to act as focal points for new national parks. In 1914, the Parks Branch undertook
3200-506: The second floor houses exhibits of pioneer and recent artifacts. The Park House was named a National Historic Site by the federal government on October 4, 2018. [REDACTED] 42°06′13″N 83°06′48″W / 42.103682°N 83.113453°W / 42.103682; -83.113453 Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario , Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden
3264-595: The slaves escape. DeBaptiste owned a lake steamboat that he used to offload refugees in town while docked ostensibly to load lumber. They used Fort Malden as one of several entry points to Canada. The town is mentioned in Uncle Tom’s Cabin as the entry point of George and Eliza, after escaping from slavery in the United States. By 1869, the town of Amherstburg in the Township of Malden, County of Essex had
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#17327828051423328-544: The support of notables such as Victor Hugo and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , the Commission des monuments historique was created in France in 1837; it published its first list of designated sites , containing 934 entries, in 1840. In the United Kingdom , the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty was created in 1894 to protect that country's historic and natural heritage. While there
3392-675: The system grew, the scope of the program and the nature of the designations evolved. By the 1930s, the focus of the heritage movement in Canada had shifted from commemoration to preservation and development. The change was most marked in Ontario, where the Niagara Parks Commission was restoring Fort George and the Department of Highways was restoring Fort Henry . It took the Great Depression to create opportunities for significant heritage preservation projects at
3456-461: The town proper of Amherstburg, the town of Amherstburg comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including the following communities: French colonists had settled along what became the Canadian side of the Detroit River during the colonial era, establishing small farms. The Petite Côte settlement was founded along the river to the north. In 1796, after losing the Thirteen Colonies following
3520-496: The war. The Crown also wanted to increase population and development in Upper Canada. The new settlers built many of their houses in the French style of a century before, giving the new town a historic character. French-speaking colonists also settled here, some of whom were descendants of soldiers and traders associated with Fort Detroit, or other early colonists. They were known as Fort Detroit French, in contrast to later migrants of
3584-448: Was also a strong bias in favour of commemorating sites in Ontario over other parts of the country. At one point, some members of the HSMBC concluded that there were no sites at all in Prince Edward Island worthy of designation. The then prominence of sites in Ontario related to the War of 1812 and the United Empire Loyalists has been attributed to the influence of Cruikshank, resulting in a "veritable palisade of historical markers along
3648-426: Was anxious to transfer old forts, and the associated expenses, to the Parks Branch. Roche asked James B. Harkin , the first Commissioner of Dominion Parks, to develop a departmental heritage policy. Harkin believed that the Parks Branch did not have the necessary expertise to manage historic resources; he was troubled by the relatively weak historic value of Fort Howe, the country's first historic park, and feared that
3712-509: Was constructed in Detroit near the Rouge River in 1796 by a British loyalist. After the American Revolution the owner moved to Malden , the new British fort across the river. Disassembled and moved by canoe in 1798, the house was rebuilt in Amherstburg on Lot 17, First Street (presently Dalhousie Street), where it stood for 173 years. The first image of Park House Museum is in the painting A View of Amherstburg, 1813 by Margaret Reynolds . The lots on First Street were awarded through
3776-401: Was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site . The town is approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of the U.S. city of Detroit , Michigan , facing Wyandotte , Grosse Ile Township , Brownstown Charter Township , Trenton , and Gibraltar, Michigan . It is part of the Windsor census metropolitan area . Besides
3840-470: Was instrumental in stopping the demolition of the fortifications of Quebec City , and he was the first public official to call for the creation of a park on the lands next to Niagara Falls . The 1908 tricentennial of the founding of Quebec City , and the establishment that same year of the National Battlefields Commission to preserve the Plains of Abraham , acted as a catalyst for federal efforts to designate and preserve historic sites across Canada. At
3904-467: Was no National Park Service in the United States until 1916, battlefields of the Civil War were designated and managed by the War Department : Chickamauga and Chattanooga (created 1890), Antietam (1890), Shiloh (1894), Gettysburg (1895), Vicksburg (1899), and Chalmette (1907). Domestically, Lord Dufferin , the Governor General from 1872 to 1878, initiated some of the earliest, high-profile efforts to preserve Canada's historic sites. He
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#17327828051423968-410: Was reported, but the 30-second shaking was felt in Windsor , Downtown Detroit , and the Downriver communities across the river, such as Grosse Ile, Michigan . Some minor shaking was felt as far away as Toledo, Ohio along Lake Erie and Ann Arbor in the interior of Michigan. The Amherstburg Police Service was dissolved at the end of 2018, with its officers and responsibilities transferred to
4032-430: Was the home of Catherine Reynolds, a landscape painter, and her brother Robert Reynolds. Additional tourist attractions include the Park House Museum and King's Navy Yard Park, both of which are located in the heart of old Amherstburg. The Gibson Gallery is located in a former Michigan Central Railroad Station (c. 1896), which has been fully restored. The gallery operates year-round, featuring exhibits by local artists,
4096-412: Was used since 1920 to manufacture calcium chloride and other chemicals, which were shipped from a deep water port on the Detroit River. The site has been since April 2012 the subject of remediation work, supervised by CH2M Hill . The plant was once part of Allied Chemical , which retained it when it sold the soda ash and calcium chloride operations and Amherst Quarries to General Chemical. The plant
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