Past unearthed at Old Fort
Old Fort Erie is considered by history experts as the bloodiest battleground to have ever been fought on in Canada but also a place today that is rich in artifacts waiting to be discovered.
That’s why Dr. John Triggs, associate professor and chair of the archaeology and heritage studies department at Wilfrid Laurier University has been bringing his students to the site for the last four years – through a partnership with the Niagara Parks Commission.
With about a dozen students set up on the site of the property, along Lakeshore Road and near Lake Erie, the evidence being uncovered during this year’s stay is from two separate events in history, Triggs explained.
Much of what has been found is tied to the first fort used by the British from 1764 until 1805 when the current fortified building was built. There were also officers’ quarters and a blacksmith in the area, early research determined – which the work at the site for the last three weeks has proven.
Scrap iron, horseshoes, buttons indicating various ranks, stemware that would be used by officers, as well as a fireplace have been located since Triggs and the students hit the field recently.
“The archaeology gives us new information that we can use with the history to get a better idea of what happened here — and what it looked like,” he said.
The buildings that used to exist there would have been torn down when the current fort was built because they were in the line of cannon fire toward Lake Erie, explained Triggs.
The same area of land being worked on was also an American camp during the Siege of the Old Fort during the War of 1812.
Rifle and musket balls, buttons and other status items with decipherable insignia, are all common pieces that have been overturned.
“There were two major occupations but mostly what we’re finding here is from the early occupation associated with the first fort,” he said.
The students will spend four weeks working at the site and another two weeks analyzing and processing the artifacts they’ve found, before many are relocated to the Old Fort. The findings are also presented to the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, accompanied by a report to be delivered by Triggs.