William Lundy Homestead
Niagara Falls, Ontario
A plaque marking the homestead of William Lundy is located on the south side of Lundy’s Lane in Niagara Falls just west of the lights at Belmont, in front of the Canada One Outlet Mall.
As indicated in the plaque, the Lundy property was purchased and the old homestead demolished in 1997.
The Canada One Factory Outlet Mall opened on the site the following year. The City of Niagara Falls suggested to the mall owners that a plaque be placed on the site to honour the Lundy family. The city arranged for the plaque to be made while the mall owners paid for it and the installation.
William Lundy Homestead memorial (Click to enlarge)
The inscription reads as follows:
WILLIAM LUNDY HOMESTEAD
A NATIVE OF PENNSYLVANIA, WILLIAM LUNDY AND HIS WIFE NANCY
(SILVERTHORN) CAME TO CANADA IN 1786. THEY WERE AMONG THE FIRST
SETTLERS IN THE NIAGARA AREA. AS A UNITED EMPIRE LOYALIST,
WILLIAM RECEIVED FROM THE CROWN A LARGE LAND GRANT IN THIS
SECTION OF STAMFORD TOWNSHIP (NOW NIAGARA FALLS). HE
ESTABLISHED A FARM ON A PORTION OF THE LAND, BUILDING HIS HOME
AT THIS SITE. THE LANEWAY HE OPENED TO CONNECT HIS FARM WITH THE
PORTAGE ROAD, ABOUT A MILE AND A HALF TO THE EAST, BECAME A
PUBLIC ROAD CALLED LUNDY’S LANE IN 1803. THE BATTLE OF LUNDY’S
LANE, THE BLOODIEST CONFLICT DURING THE WAR OF 1812 TOOK PLACE
AROUND THE EASTERN END OF THIS ROAD ON JULY 25, 1814. MANY OF THE
WOUNDED SOLDIERS TOOK REFUGE HERE AND RECEIVED TREATMENT
FROM THE LUNDYS FOLLOWING THE BATTLE. WILLIAM LUNDY DIED IN
1829. THE ORIGINAL LAND GRANT AND FARM WAS DIVIDED AND
EVENTUALLY SOLD OVER TIME. THE LUNDY HOUSE WHICH WAS
ENLARGED OVER THE YEARS, REMAINED IN THE FAMILY’S OWNERSHIP
FOR MORE THAN 200 YEARS AND WAS USED BY SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS
OF WILLIAM’S DESCENDANTS UNTIL THE PROPERTY WAS REDEVELOPED IN
1997. THIS PLAQUE WAS INSTALLED BY CANADA ONE OUTLET MALL TO
COMMEMORATE WILLIAM LUNDY AND TO CELEBRATE AN EARLY
PIONEER WHO HELPED OPEN THE LAND FOR SETTLEMENT.
William Lundy Homestead plaque
(Click to enlarge)
(Researched and submitted by Dorothy and Tom Meyerhof, Sir Guy Carleton Branch UELAC)