| William Hamilton Merritt |
1793-1862 |
Captain of the Dragoons in the War of 1812, Merritt was
captured in the battle of Lundy´s Lane, and imprisoned for 8
months. When released, he began to build the Welland Canal to serve
the needs of his own company, but he soon realized he could make
money by allowing access to other companies. The current canal,
which is the fourth canal, opened on November 27, 1929. St.
Catharines became a ship building centre and bustling commercial
area largely because of the canal´s activity. |
| Jack Haney |
1889-1935 |
In 1923, Jack Haney, a 23 year-old mechanic from St.
Catharines, set out with a companion, Thomas W. Wilby, to drive
from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Vancouver, British Columbia, a
distance of approximately 7,000 km. (4,176 miles). They drove a
1912 Reo Special Touring Car. There was only 12 miles of paved road
during the journey, which took 52 days to complete. This trip had a
large impact on Canadians, occuring at a time when people knew
little about their country beyond their own city limits. The
purpose of the voyage was to inspire automobile associations, as
well as the government, to continue building roads across Canada.
There is still one vintage Reo automobile on display at the St.
Catharines Historical Museum, at Lock 3. |
| Dr. Gwendolyn Mulock |
1904-1950 |
Dr. Mulock was the first female doctor to practice in St.
Catharines, graduating with a medical degree from the University of
Toronto in 1927. She was a charter member of the Y.W.C.A. in St.
Catharines, and was a member of its first Board of Directors in
1929. She later served as medical consultant for the Toronto
Children´s Aid Society, and was Director of Women´s Heath Services
at the Unversity of Toronto. |
| Rev. Anthony Burns |
1834-1862 |
Reverend Anthony Burns was one of the most famous escaped
slaves from the United States, who later gained freedom in Canada.
Burns escaped from a Virginia plantation, and was captured in
Boston in 1854. Under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, he was sent
back to his "owner", setting off angry mobs; the beginning of the
Boston Riots. His freedom was later purchased by the Twelfth
Baptist Church, of Boston. After attending Oberlin College in Ohio,
he later moved to St. Catharines, and became minister of the Zion
Baptist Church, which still stands today on Clark Street in St.
Catharines. Due to its geographic location, St. Catharines became a
gateway to freedom for American slaves. Other former slaves may be
interred in Sections G and Q of the Old Cemetery. |
| Neshan Krikorian |
1890-1978 |
On April 14 and 15, 1912, the Titanic sank, and more than 1,500
people died. Of the over 700 survivors, 82 were bound for Canada.
Neshan Krekorian, at the age of 22, was on this way from war-torn
Turkey to establish a more peaceful life in Brantford. He was one
of the lucky steerage passengers who made it through locked lower
decks to Life Boat #10. In 1918, he relocated to St. Catharines,
where spent the rest of his days. He was a founding member of the
Armenian Street Gregory Church, and leaves behind, a legacy of
surviving war on land and death at sea, to start over again in
Niagara. |
| Louis Shickluna |
1808-1880 |
Louis Shickluna was born in Seglea on the Island of Malta. He
arrived in St. Catharines in 1838, and leased a former shipyard
from William Hamilton Merritt. The shipyard was operated by his
son, Joseph Shickluna until 1892. |
| Isabella Frampton Hawken |
1876-1948 |
Isabella Frampton, at 22 years old, was listed in the St.
Catharines Directory, as forelady of the Lamp Department of the
Packard Electric Company; an unusual position for a woman at that
time. She further established herself as a successful businesswoman
as head of the Dominion Electric Company, which she purchased with
James Hawken in 1907, and Hawk Electric Company in Lockport, New
York, which she opened in 1925. She was recognized as a pioneer
inventor, and an astute businesswoman. |
The cache is an Altoids container with a log and pencil
only.
The cache is not near any graves but if you should come across any
please be respectful.