Navy Hall

Address: Niagara River Parkway, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON.

In 1765 British forces constructed a naval barracks alongside the Niagara River. Several of the buildings making up the barracks, known collectively as Navy Hall, served as supply houses for the military vessels which were using the western part of Lake Ontario. In 1792 Lieutenant Governor Simcoe converted one of the buildings as his residence, after he declared the city of Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) as the capital of Upper Canada. It is believed that the first Parliament of Upper Canada was held at Navy Hall. During the War of 1812 American forces destroyed Navy Hall. Navy Hall was restored by the British in 1911, and was used as military camp during the First World War. A number of buildings were rebuilt at this time; however, only one still survives today. It has been further restored by the Niagara Parks Commission and now serves as a military museum. Be sure to visit the dock site which affords excellent views of Fort Niagara across the river in Youngstown.