William Hamilton Merritt Memorial

Article from newspaper: Saturday Night, February 23, 1929 Memorial to Hon. William Hamilton Merritt Few men played a more important role in the history of Canadian development than the famous financier and pioneer of transportation, Hon. William Hamilton Merritt, of St. Catharines, Ont. On Dec. 6th, a statue of him by the well known sculptor, Alfred Howell, was unveiled at that City with appropriate ceremonies. The unveiling was performed by Lady Pellatt, of Toronto, formerly miss Katherine Welland Merritt, and an historical address was delivered by Canon Cody of Toronto. Others on the platform were Mr. J.D. Wright, Mayor of St. Catharines, Charles A. Keefer, Ottawa, J.A. Cameron, Treasurer of the U.E. Loyalists Association, J.H. Ingersoll and Miss Emily Merritt, Toronto. Excerpts from The Standard, Saturday, December 5, 1987, Glimpses into our past, Recognition for Merritt It was 158 years ago last Friday that the Ann and Jane became the first ship to lock into what was then the new Welland Canal. But it took almost a century for St. Catharines to officially acknowledge William Hamilton Merritt's key role in building this now-famous statue as a tribute to "the father of the Seaway". (It was) a raw December day in 1925 during the official unveiling of the statue, located at what is now St. Paul Street West and McGuire Street, overlooking Twelve Mile Creek and the route of the first two Welland canals. The crowd included civic officials and members of the Merritt family. Upon Merritt's death in 1862, the St. Catharines Historical Society attempted to erect a monument in his honour. However, it was not until 1918 that enough money had been raised and a bronze statue was commissioned. Seven years later, this official dedication and unveiling took place.