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Here at the NOTL Museum, nestled between Memorial Hall and the Link Gallery, is our lovely community courtyard and garden, a peaceful place to dwell amidst the NOTL sights, surrounded by flowers and foliage. Throughout the courtyard you can find many unique artifacts from our town's rich history. Currently there are eleven artifacts in the museum courtyard. Here are some staff favourites!

Stepstones

These large slabs were found along York Road and are believed to be from the old railway or carriage route. It's believed they were used as steppingstones off trains or carriages. We have two stones in front of our picket fence, one marked “No.7 ½” and one marked “No.9.”

     

Millstone, c.1780

This millstone is from an early grist mill in St. Davids (likely one of the Secord Mills). While the stone itself dates to the 1780s, the iron band that encircles it dates to a later period.

Tannery Stone

This tannery stone was likely used in a vertical position. While today little is known of tannery stones or vertical crushing stones in general, the practice is still used in industrial applications. This stone was likely positioned over dry tan bark to break it down into fine pieces for use in tanning vats. Crushing stones would have also been used worldwide to crush apples, lead paint, and olives. Crushing stones would often be used in tandem with horses.

An 1851 Canada Directory lists a tanner living or operating in Queenston.

Hydrant, c.1891

This was an early model of hydrant used in Niagara-on-the-Lake, made by Ludlow Value Co. The hydrant was located on Queen Street.

 

In addition to the artifacts in the courtyard, there is an array of lush foliage and flowers.

Doublefile Viburnum

Viburnum Plicatum Tomentosum ‘Mariesii’

Native to the forests of China and Japan, this deciduous shrub blooms white in the early spring and gives way to small black and red berries as the summer progresses. The flowers attract important pollinators like bees and butterflies, and the berries are well liked by birds and other small creatures. There are two forms of the Viburnum Plicatum plant, the Doublefile, and the Japanese Snowball. This shrub, while easily mistakable for a Dogwood plant, is unrelated to the species. Viburnums are actually part of the Honeysuckle family!

Venus Dogwood

Cornus Venus

The Venus Dogwood (KN30-8) is a hybrid species that took 30 years to develop! The hybrid was developed at Rutgers University as part of their breeding program. Venus Dogwood was developed to be resistant to anthracnose and powdery mildew infections, both major threats to dogwood populations in North America. The tree is a hybrid of Cornus kousa x Cornus nuttallii and is the largest dogwood variant, both in tree size and flower size.

Black Locust

Robinia Pseudoacacia L.

While not native to Ontario, this picturesque tree has been naturalised to the province and can be found close to the U.S. border. Brought here in the 1600s for infrastructural purposes, the tree has served many purposes. Its inner bark is toxic to humans, and there is some record of the poisonous wood being used in the creation of arrows and weaponry. The tree can reach heights of 9-22 meters and boasts pendulous clusters of flowers during the early summer.

American Sycamore

Platanus occidentalis L. 

The American Sycamore, native to southern Ontario is one of the largest trees found in eastern North American forests. Its unique bark and massive size make it an ideal tree for timber and shade cover. As the tree ages, the bark begins to exfoliate, exposing creamy white bark under its silvery brown exterior, giving it an unmistakable appearance. American Sycamores produce large fruiting balls called Achenes that begin to fall and spread seeds during the autumn months. The tree has historically been used in furniture and ornamental creation, and many Indigenous Peoples across North America would use its wood for dugout canoes.