Queenston

 

The Village of Queenston has been of historic importance since well before European occupation which marked the beginning of an Aboriginal trail inland and straddled an established portage rout along the Niagara River’s western shore.

 

The Village was founded in 1782 by United Empire Loyalist Isaac Dolson.  Robert Hamilton established a successful merchant business here in 1788 and Governor Simcoe stationed the Queen’s Own Rangers here in 1792 perhaps giving rise to Queenston’s name.  By 1802 it had a ferry service to Lewiston as well as a customs house and a post office.

 

Queenston was the site of the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812-14 and it suffered severe damage.  It survived to become a key link in a regional transportation system on land and water, as a government way station on the Portage Road and as a shipping and industrial centre.

 

The village became the centre of steamboat construction in 1824.  By 1833 there were six steamers running weekly trips from the Niagara River to the end of Lake Ontario and one steamer daily to Toronto.  Queenston’s position as a transportation hub diminished in 1825 and 1829 with the construction of the Erie and Welland Canals respectively.  With the discontinuation of steamship service in the mid 20^th century, the village evolved into a quiet residential enclave along the Niagara Parkway.

 

The Village is associated with a number of important people including Robert Hamilton, Laura Secord, General Sir Isaac Brock and William Lyon Mackenzie.  It also contains a number of significant buildings including Willowbank, the Greek Revival mansion built for Alexander Hamilton, the Dee House, constructed c.1809, which survived the ravages of the War of 1812-14, the Laura Secord Homestead and the Mackenzie Printery both of which are owned and operated by the Niagara Parks Commission and open to the public.