Queenston is a compact rural community and unincorporated place north of

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

in the Town of

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is bordered by

Highway 405 Route 405 or Highway 405 may refer to: Canada * Manitoba Provincial Road 405 * Newfoundland and Labrador Route 405 * Ontario Highway 405 Costa Rica * National Route 405 (Costa Rica), National Route 405 Japan * Japan National Route 405 United Ki ...

to the south and the

Niagara River The Niagara River () is a river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada (on the west) and the state of New York (state), New York in the United States (on the east) ...

to the east; its location at the eponymous Queenston Heights (heights) on the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...

led to the establishment of the Queenston Quarry in the area. Across the river and the Canada–US border is the village of

Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

. The Lewiston-Queenston Bridge links the two communities. This village is at the point where the

began eroding the Niagara Escarpment. During the ensuing 12,000 years the Falls cut an long gorge in the Escarpment southward to its present-day position. In the early 19th century, the community's name was spelled as Queenstown. Queenston marks the southern terminus of the

Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than long and there are over of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the Nia ...

. The cairn marking the trail's terminus is in a parking lot, about 160 metres (520 ft) from General Brock's Monument on the easterly side of the monument's park grounds.

History

Queenston was first settled in the 1770s by

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

refugees and immigrants from the United States. By 1807, the village had 100 homes and a population of 300. A new portage around Niagara Falls was developed in the 1780s with Queenston at its north end. Wharves, storehouses and a block-house were built. Initially called Lower Landing, it was named Queenston by Lieut.-Governor Simcoe. A great deal of fighting occurred here during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, in the settlement and at nearby Fort George. In that era,

Laura Secord Laura Secord ( Ingersoll; 13 September 1775 – 17 October 1868) was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known for having walked out of American-occupied territory in 1813 to warn British forces of an impending American atta ...

lived in this area. Rebel

William Lyon Mackenzie William Lyon Mackenzie (March12, 1795 August28, 1861) was a Scottish Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify elite members of Upper Canada. He represented Yor ...

lived in Queenston in the 1820s and operated his publishing operation here.http://www.waynecook.com/aniagara.html, Plaque 13 On 13 October 1812, American troops took possession of

Queenston Heights The Queenston Heights is a geographical feature of the Niagara Escarpment immediately above the village of Queenston, Ontario, Canada. Its geography is a promontory formed where the escarpment is divided by the Niagara River. The promontory fo ...

. Major-General Sir

Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he c ...

arrived from

Fort George, Ontario Fort George was a military fortification in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. The fort was used by the British Army, the Canadian militia, and the United States Armed Forces for a brief period. The fort was mostly destroyed during the War of ...

with a small force and was killed while trying to regain the heights. The British,

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...

and militia troops under Major-General Roger Hale Sheaffe, with reinforcements from Chippawa, Ontario were able to take the hill and captured nearly 1000 prisoners. The victory and Brock's death are commemorated by

Brock's Monument Brock's Monument is a 56-metre (185 ft) column atop Queenston Heights in Queenston, Ontario, Canada, dedicated to Major General Sir Isaac Brock, one of Canada's heroes of the War of 1812. Brock, a British Army officer in charge of defen ...

atop the Niagara Escarpment with a large stone statue of Brock overlooking the village below. Nearby is a smaller monument to Brock's gray horse, Alfred, which may, or may not, have been at Queenston during the battle. Queenston Heights is one of the

National Historic Sites of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

, so recognized in June 1968. The settlement of Queenston was destroyed on 10 December 1813. British Captain

William Hamilton Merritt William Hamilton Merritt (July 3, 1793July 5, 1862) was a businessman and politician in the Niagara Peninsula of Upper Canada in the early 19th century. Although he was born in the United States, his family was Loyalist and eventually settled ...

later said that he saw "nothing but heaps of coals, and the streets full of furniture". In the 1830s, Queenston was terminus for a first horse-drawn railway, the Erie and Ontario. The subsequent steam railroad that started in around 1854 bypassed Queenston. In nearby St. David's, the Queenston Quarry was founded in 1837, and for 150 years stone was shipped here to help build many of Ontario's cities. Toronto buildings that benefitted from the supply of stone included Queen's Park, the

Royal Ontario Museum The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a museum of art, world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the largest museums in North America and the largest in Canada. It attracts more than one million visitors every year ...

, Union Station and the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse.http://ossga.com/multimedia/50/avenues_queenston_oct_13.pdf By the mid-1800s, the Welland Canal became the primary method of shipping goods and the village of Queenston received little trade. Queenston became part of the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake in 1970. RiverBrink Art Museum is located in Queenston. It is home to a unique collection of over 1,400 artworks and artefacts by Canadian and international artists, assembled by Samuel E. Weir. Completed in 1970, the building features Georgian-style architecture, including a mansard roof and gabled windows. It served as Weir's country residence, and was converted into an art museum following his death in 1981.

Gallery

File:Edward Walsh - Queenstown, Upper Canada on the Niagara (a.k.a. Queenston, Ontario).jpg, ''"Queenstown, Upper Canada on the Niagara'', by Edward Walsh, circa 1803-1807 File:Queenston, Ontario.jpg, Queenston, 1812 File:Laura Secord Homestead, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.jpg, Laura Secord Homestead, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, c. 1803 File:Mckenzie Printery.jpg, Mckenzie Printery, c. 1824 File:Willowbank 02.JPG, Willowbank, finished in 1836 File:Queenston Heights Park (10156897585).jpg, Queenston Heights Park (10156897585)

References

Other map sources

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External links

Location of Queenston with photos and links to web sites related to the areaImages of Queenston
Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
Images of Queenston Dock
Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)
Images of Queenston Heights
Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.) {{Authority control Neighbourhoods in Niagara-on-the-Lake Quarries in Canada Surface mines in Canada Populated places established in the 1770s

History

See also

Gallery

References

Other map sources

External links