The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canal Centre will kick off its community walks spring series on Saturday.
The public is invited to join a museum staff-guided walk down the Merritt Trail and learn about early canal and industrial history.
The museum’s spring series of staff-guided walks in various historical neighbourhoods, parks, trails, and Victoria Lawn Cemetery show participants the hidden history around the city’s urban landscape. The list of walks includes:
April 13th: The Merritt Trail: Welland Vale and the Early Welland Canals
Explore the early history of the Welland Canal with a guided walk from Welland Vale to downtown and learn the foundations of milling, industrial growth, hydro-electric generation, and the urban character of the city.
April 20th: Victoria Lawn Cemetery: Transportation in the Garden City
Hear the stories of the people who were in the business of moving people; from the early days of stagecoaches to the Welland Canal and ship building to the modern automobiles St. Catharines is famous for building.
April 27th: Merritt Trail: Canal Valley and the Early Welland Canals
Explore the history of the Second Welland Canal along the Merritt Trail. See lock remnants and hear the stories of the people who built the locks and our city.
May 4th: Downtown: The Downtown Pop-Culture Tour
Visit the sites around downtown to hear stories of the city’s robust contributions to popular music, film, theatre, broadcasting, and sports.
May 11th: Port Dalhousie: Port Dalhousie and the Early Welland Canals
Explore the rich built heritage of Port Dalhousie. Trace the routes of the early Welland canals through their northern terminus and hear the stories of the people who worked and lived in this little town with a big personality.
May 18th: Victoria Lawn Cemetery: Law and Order
It’s the community walk for all the true-crime fans. Hear the true and fascinating historical stories of crime and justice from our city in this walk-through of Victoria Lawn Cemetery, including court records and newspaper reports.
May 25th: Downtown: Snacks and Historical Facts – Downtown West Tour, co-presented with the St. Catharines Downtown Association.
The full list of spring walks is available on the city’s website. You can register here, or by calling the museum.
Further information is sent to participants upon registration.
(Written by: Chuck Lafleur)
