Lieutenant-Colonel John Butler Plaque

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Type
Other

The Lieutenant-Colonel John Butler plaque was erected in 1961. 

Butler was a towering figure in the refugee community of Niagara. He served as Justice of the Peace, member of the Land Board of Niagara, commander of the Nassau and Lincoln county militia, leader of the Church of England, and a member of the local Masonic Lodge. He was so prominent and highly regarded that the young village of Niagara-on-the-Lake was originally named Butlersburg in his honour.

Butler died on May 12, 1796, after a long illness. He was buried on a family cemetery on the corner of his farm, known today as Butler’s Burial Ground, alongside family and at least four other Rangers.

Butler played a major role in local history and was among 14 other national war heroes who were honoured in 2006 at the Valiants Memorial in Ottawa. 

Inscription

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL JOHN BUTLER 1725-1796

Born in New London, Connecticut, Butler served in the Mohawk
Valley, New York, in 1742. Commissioned in the British Indian
Department in 1755, he served in the Seven Years’ War. At the
outbreak of the American Revolution, he was compelled to leave
his estates, and was ordered to Fort Niagara. In 1777 he or-
ganized the Loyalist corps known as Butler’s Rangers. By the
end of the war, this unit, with British regulars and Indian
allies, had effectively contributed to the establishment of British
control south of the Great Lakes. The Rangers were disbanded
in 1784, and led by their former commander, many settled
in the Niagara peninsula. Butler remained active in Indian
affairs until his death at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake).

Erected by the Ontario Heritage Foundation
Ministry of Culture and Recreation

Visitor information

Location
Lieutenant-Colonel John Butler Plaque

551 Butler Street
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Ontario
GPS Coordinates
Lat. 43.2512436
Long. -79.0899989
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