Government House (King's Head Inn) - Hamilton Ontario - War of 1812 on Waymarking.com

This plaque, located along on the shore of Lake Ontario and adjacent to the Lake Ontario Trail, describes the construction, and subsequent destruction, of the first government building to be constructed in this area. The area here today is drastically different from how it would have looked 200 years ago. There are no remnants of any kind of the building mentioned in this plaque. Today the area is a local gathering place of a different sort – famous for the food from the nearby establishment, or for gathering in the parking lots to display hot-rod cars. The trail which once lead from here to the Red Hill Creek has been buried beneath highway lanes and off-ramps.

The text on the plaque reads:

CITY OF HAMILTON GOVERNMENT HOUSE (KING'S HEAD INN) In 1794, with Europe caught in the turmoil of the French Revolution and the talk of war with the United States widespread, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe found the frontiers of Upper Canada seriously isolated and threatened by the young American republic to the south. In response, he immediately set out to link the far-reaching corners of the colony of Upper Canada. Here, at the head of Lake Ontario where trails converged from York (Toronto), Niagara, and the Thames Valley in the west, Simcoe built a government house, later called the King's Head Inn. The Inn's strategic site was located at the "Carrying Place" or Indian portage between Lake Ontario and the mouth of the Red Hill Creek within fifty meters of this plaque. Described as a large two-storey, eight room, wooden structure with two low wings at the rear joined by a colonnade, the Inn was the first government building in this area, It also served as a public house and way station. Because of its military importance, an American naval raiding party from the schooners, Governor Tomkins and Conquest, destroyed the supply depot on May 10, 1813. This action was part of the preparation for the invasion of the Niagara Peninsula, repulsed at Stoney Creek on June 6, 1813.

According to local historians, this is the location to where Isaac Corman was brought on June 6, 1813. Corman had been arrested by American soldiers for his refusal to provide details of where local Indian camps were located. Upon arrival at the Inn, Corman informed the sergeant that he was American by birth and also claimed that he was a relative of American Governor William Henry Harrison. Corman was immediately released and told to return to his home. Because the road leading from the Inn to his home in Stoney Creek would be patrolled by American sentries, a password was provided to Corman. Legend has it that Corman encountered his brother-in-law, Billy Green, along the way, and that Corman provided the password to Green. Green immediately set off for Burlington Height, where he provided the password to British commanders there. There is some dispute as to whether the password was ever provided to Corman, or whether Billy Green subsequently provided the password to the British camped at the heights. Either way, that same evening a few hundred British soldiers, local militiamen, and native warriors marched from the Heights to Stoney Creek, taking the American troops by surprise. The Americans retreated to 40 Mile Creek, and within a short while retreated from the Niagara Peninsula altogether.

This plaque is easily accessed from the parking area for Van Wagners beach / Hutches restaraunt. It is freely accessible anytime.

Who put it there? Private/Government?: Goverment (City of Hamilton) Location/Address: 280 Van Wagners Beach Rd Hamilton, ON Canada L8E 3L8 County/Province: Ontario Rate the Site: Photos Will Be Uploaded: yes Date Erected/Dedicated: Not listed Website (related) if available: Not listed Hours or Restrictions if Appropiate: Not listed

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