Welland Industrial and Canal History

Welland Canal Memorial

 Merritt Park, King Street

The Welland Canal memorial monument commemorates the people from Canada and worldwide who came to the Niagara Peninsula to build the canal. It is a reminder of the importance of multiculturalism to Welland’s development. Industries, business professionals, and citizens have prospered in Welland and Niagara because of the efforts of those who built the canal. Some lost their lives digging with picks and shovels; many left their families to come to Canada in search of work.

Canal Terrace

 King Street

The canal terrace is a downtown Welland highlight with water features, gardens, benches, and interpretive historical panels. The terrace educates visitors with information about the canal and city’s shipping industry.

Welland Canal Second Aqueduct

 City Hall, 60 East Main Street

Get better acquainted with the canal history behind Welland City Hall. A wooden aqueduct was built between 1831 and 1833, and was the inspiration behind the village's name. In the 1840s, a stone aqueduct replaced the wooden structure. The purpose of the aqueduct is to allow the waters of the second Welland Canal to pass over the Welland River.

Welland Historical Museum

 140 King Street

Located across from Merritt Park, the museum offers visitors a fun, affordable experience while exploring Welland’s past.

Central Fire Hall

 Hellems Avenue and Division Street

The central fire hall was completed in 1920. The city grew during the industrial revolution and needed a modern fire station to serve its population.

Feeder Canal Junction Lock, 1845

 Prince Charles Drive and Ontario Road

The original canal is mostly buried, but fact plaques at the corner of Prince Charles Drive and Ontario Road inform visitors about the history of the feeder canal.