Book description
For 250 years a large tract of oak savannah at the mouth of the Niagara
River designated as a Military Reserve has witnessed a rich military and
political history: the site of the first parliament of Upper Canada; a
battleground during the War of 1812; and annual summer militia camps and
the training camp for tens of thousands of men and women during the
First and Second World Wars. In the midst of the Reserve stood the
symbolic Indian Council House where thousands of Native allies received
their annual presents and participated in treaty negotiations.
From its inception, this territory was regarded by the local
citizenry as common lands, their "Commons." Although
portions of the perimeter have been severed for various purposes,
including the Shaw Festival Theatre, today this historic place
includes three National Historic Sites, playing fields, walking
trails, and remnants of first-growth forest in Paradise Grove.
On Common Groundchronicles the extraordinary lives and events
that have made this place very special indeed.
Richard D. Merritt was co-editor and contributing author of
The
Capital Years: Niagara-on-the-Lake 1792-1796
. Although an ophthalmologist by profession, he has had a lifelong
interest in Niagara's history. In 2009 he was named
Niagara-on-the-Lake's Citizen of the Year for his contributions to
heritage preservation.
