Digging Up the Fort – first-hand perspectives on the archaeological findings at Old Fort Erie
The Niagara Parks Commission is pleased to be hosting another of its popular Speaker Series events, on Wednesday, June 7 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at its Old Fort Erie Welcome Centre Theatre. Join us for an evening of fascinating insight into the archaeological findings of the famed 1987 excavation at Snake Hill, as well as the more recent findings uncovered by archaeological digs that have taken place in and around Old Fort Erie, over the past five years.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the excavation at Snake Hill, where the remains of 28 US soldiers who perished during the 1814 American siege were discovered on private property in Fort Erie. Dr. Robert MacDonald, who played a key role in the excavation, will speak to the significance of this discovery and the impacts it has had on our understanding of this major event in the War of 1812.
Dr. John Triggs, a professor at Wilfred Laurier University, will speak to the findings uncovered by his teams of students that have participated in archaeological excavations in Fort Erie, as part of their fieldwork, since 2012. Conducted this year from early May through to mid-June, Dr. Triggs has led another team of students in this historical pursuit, introducing them to modern archaeological techniques while searching for features relating to the 1814 siege of Fort Erie by American troops. As well, Dr. Triggs and his students have and will continue to search for remnants of the original British fort, which was constructed at this location. This fort is considered to have been the oldest British military fort built in Ontario, dating back to the 1760s.
Admission to the event is free to the public. Do not miss this unique opportunity to learn more about the physical discoveries, which have resulted in monumental breakthroughs in our interpretation of the past and understanding of the War of 1812 and its impacts on the development of the Niagara Region and this country. The cultural heritage stories that characterize the lands along the 56 kilometre Niagara River corridor, which Niagara Parks has been mandated to protect, represent a truly unique chapter of the broader Canadian narrative that we are all celebrating in 2017, the sesquicentennial anniversary of Confederation and the founding of Ontario.
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