William Hamilton Merritt (1793-1862) - St. Catharines, ONT
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 43° 09.367 W 079° 11.647
17T E 646822 N 4779734
A historical plaque and photo cutout for everyone to learn about this gentleman who helped lead the construction of the Welland Canal.
Waymark Code: WM46K6
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 07/15/2008
Views: 48
This plaque (dedicated in 1974) is located at the Welland Canal Lock 3 Museum in St. Catharines, Ontario and it states (in English):
Born of a Loyalist family in the state of New York, Merritt became a pioneer merchant and industrialist on Upper Canada's Niagara frontier. In 1818 he began to promote construction of the Welland Canal, of which, he became the first general manager (1824-41). Active in provincial politics from 1832 to 1862 as MLA, President of the Executive Council (1848-50) and Commissioner of Public Works (1850-51), he devoted his considerable energies to the economic development of the province through advocacy of such measures and the improvments of the St. Lawrence navigation and limited reciprocal free trade with the United States.
The plaque also states the above in French, as well.
Next to the plaque is a life-size cutout of William Merritt, but with the face removed so a visitor can become William Merritt themselves. However, I don't think Mr. Merritt would have smiled with such a cheesy grin.
Visit Instructions:
Take a photo of yourself or someone in your group posing in place with the cut-out. *If you are traveling alone, use the timer function or find a friendly passerby to help you out*
Also note any changes that may have occurred since the original waymark was created, including physical condition of cutouts, accessibility, etc.