Discovery Centres Upper Village and Fort Henry

Megan Knott Sales and New Business Development Consultant Tel: 613.542.7388 Cell: 613.561.5305 [email protected]

Parks.on.ca Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Executive Summary Eastern ’s most exciting new tourism product development has taken the form of a $23 million dollar investment in two, state-of-the-art Discovery Centres, located at Fort Henry in Kingston and Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg. A total of $100,000 has been invested in direct marketing campaigns to create awareness of these two new Centres and it is anticipated that over 125,000+ guests will visit the Discovery Centres annually. The St. Lawrence Parks Commission’s marketing campaign includes TV, radio, print, outdoor and digital. You have the opportunity to place your company’s signage in one of the various exhibits and create brand awareness and optimum exposure to our many educational programs, tour groups and national and international individual travelers to our sites. Having visibility in the Discovery Centre(s) is a powerful way to position your business. This will give your company an opportunity to present itself as an industry leader and will leave a strong impression of your brand in the visitors mind. Your investment will also send a message to your employees and clients that you support the best in our community on preserving its historical significance.

Objective To attract new and returning visitors and engage them with our important heritage stories through modern day technology.

Target Market Primary Demo Target: Adults 25 - 54 Secondary Target: School Groups, Grades 5 through 8 Geographic Target: Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Eastern Ontario Fort Henry was built from 1832 to 1837 to replace an existing fortification from the era. Situated atop Point Henry, the Fort protected the naval dockyard at Point Frederick, the entrance of the Rideau Canal and the town of Kingston, Ontario. Upper Canada Village is a heritage park in the village of Riverside near Morrisburg, Ontario, which depicts a 19th-century village in Upper Canada. Both Fort Henry and Upper Canada Village are located in Eastern Ontario. Therefore, targeted visitors will mainly be found within Ontario, predominately Eastern Ontario. Southern Ontario and are also two strong geographic areas targeted. Word of the Discovery Centre is spread to these farther locations through various media: Internet, television, social media sites, print and radio. Within surrounding towns and cities, many posters, billboards and banners can also be found. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Upper Canada Village Discovery Centre Exhibit Gallery #1: A Strategic Location The mighty St. Lawrence River is among the longer rivers in North America, reaching inland from the Atlantic Ocean 750 miles (nearly 1200 km). During the mid 19th century its width varied from just over a mile to 80 miles, and its depth ranged from practically nothing to over 60 feet, averaging a depth of 10-20 feet. The bottom is still mostly rocks, though sandy in some areas as well. The current was also varied; with the water rushing over the Long Sault Rapids at great speed and force, while in other areas, the current had little to no pull at all. During the American Revolution, many Loyalist settlers sought refuge on this side of the St. Lawrence, in what was then called Upper Canada and Lower Canada (Quebec). Having access to water was imperative for food and agriculture, as well as for travel and trade, making this area a popular destination for settlers and travellers alike. By the mid 19th century, the upper St. Lawrence River was used for travel, industry, business, entertainment and adventure. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Exhibit Gallery #2: Defending the Less than thirty years after the American Revolution, the United States and Britain fought again, fighting a very significant battle nearby as part of the War of 1812. There were three main “fronts” within North America: Detroit, Niagara and the upper St. Lawrence (see wall map). Neither the British nor the Americans won the war when it ended with the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814; however, Upper and Lower Canada remained British territories. The images and video shown in this section represent the British soldiers (infantry and artillery) and a battle such as those which were fought during these times of war along the St. Lawrence River. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Exhibit Gallery #3: The Battle of Crysler’s Farm The War of 1812 began when the United States of America declared war on the British. On November 11, 1813, American troops were defeated at the site of Crysler’s Farm by a small, miscellaneous force of British regulars, Voltigeurs, militia and , under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Wanton Morrison. Morrison chose his timing well, as the battle site (just a few kilometres west of here, now buried under the river) was situated right between the river and the woods, and well suited to British fighting formation and strategies of the time. Though the British were outnumbered by the American army approximately three to one, the American commanders, Major-Generals Wade Hampton and James Wilkinson, were at odds with each other, creating an open window for the British army to outmanoeuvre them and win the battle, preventing the American army from reaching Montreal. This gallery represents not only the Battle, but shows also the impact the battle had on civilian life. More can be learned about the Battle of Crysler’s Farm from the exhibits in the Battle Memorial Building (BMB) at the base of the mound and memorial in Crysler Park. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Exhibit Gallery #4: Early Settlement in Upper Canada

In 1784, after the American Revolution, many American Loyalists had their land confiscated, and new laws prevented them from ever returning. Thousands fled to colonies that remained under British control, and a large number travelled overland, following the rivers north to Lower and Upper Canada. Some of these first Loyalist settlers from the American colonies met in Cornwall to draw for lots of land. These ethnically diverse families created new colonies, founded this area’s first towns, and created the first farms in Upper Canada’s wilderness. It was hard for many of them to make the transition from soldiers to farmers. Little did they know that in less than thirty years their new land would be used as a battlefield during the War of 1812. These first settlers faced the immense task of felling trees and clearing the brush from their new land in order to build houses and barns, and to have fields for growing crops. This work was almost all done by hand, with the help of only a few tools.

Exhibit Gallery #5: Aboriginal Nations Aboriginal people were living in North America long before Cartier arrived on the continent in the 1500s. In 1535, on his second voyage, Cartier met and described the people living near Hochelaga (Montreal). Archeologists who study artefacts from this period call these people the St. Lawrence Iroquois. The Mohawk people first lived and established a Confederacy on the south side of the . After many of them fought for the British cause during the Revolution and the War of 1812, they too lost their land to the new laws in the American colonies and moved to Upper Canada. Like the other settlers, by the early and mid 19th century, the Mohawk people living in this area lived primarily in log homes. They also incorporated many aspects of European culture (e.g. clothes, utensils and tools) into their way of life Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Exhibit Gallery #6: Emerging & Living along the St. Lawrence Emerging Canadian Identity Within three generations of the War of 1812, settlers living in the British colonies came to identify themselves as Canadian instead of British. This transition grew from a desire to remain loyal to Britain, yet independent from the United States, which in turn fostered a unique colonial and Canadian identity. By the 1860s, Upper and Lower Canada had transformed into the Province of Canada, and a further transformation was to take place. Seeing advantages in forming a union with the Maritime colonies, after much negotiation between the colonies and the British government, the British North American Act of 1867 was produced – a new confederation of provinces called Canada. Living Along the St. Lawrence This gallery focuses on the importance of immigration and the specific stories of people who came and settled in Upper Canada. Through these stories, visitors are introduced to many different aspects of what life was like for these new residents during the first half of the 19th century. Many small towns and villages sprang up along this section of the St. Lawrence River as people settled throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries. As new waves of emigrants arrived, they took the advice of those who preceded them by bringing items such as uncut cloth, good shoes, seeds and hand tools. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Exhibit Gallery #7: Dramatic Change This gallery focuses on the dramatic changes that had occurred by the 1860s related to technological advances, industrial development and other societal changes. These changes are subdivided into four themes: Agriculture, Medicine & Domestic Life, Transportation & Communication and Industry.

Exhibit Gallery #8: Changing Communities This gallery highlights the ways in which the St. Lawrence River continued to evolve and influence the people living nearby during the later 19th and 20th centuries. Originally holding approximately twenty buildings, the Village now has over fifty-five – some originals, and some reproductions. These buildings have been restored and organized to represent a river- side village in the 1860s, telling the story of Upper Canada’s unique past. Upper Canada Village has been open to the public since 1961. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Fort Henry Discovery Centre Exhibit Gallery #1: A System of Defence

This media piece is intended to convey how Fort Henry was a key component of a series of defensive structures, operating both to defend Kingston Harbour and the entrance to the Rideau Canal, and to form a link in a chain of defences stretching back along the St. Lawrence River to Halifax. Visitors encounter a large wall map, and from a distance can see that it shows the place of Fort Henry in the communication route running from Halifax to Toronto (York), including the Rideau Canal’s role as route to avoid the American border area in times of war. The map may include an animated element highlighting the route to the capital of this province in peace, and the planned route in wartime.

Exhibit Gallery #2: The View from London

This is one of four similar exhibit experiences that are intended to help the visitor consider Fort Henry from a variety of perspectives. In this case that of the British government officials and senior military officers who made the decision to invest large sums of money in building and operating Fort Henry. The media piece both serves to outline the perspective of this group, and to provide a context for associated exhibit elements that deal with this same relationship through objects and images. The visitor is “greeted” by a life-sized figure of the Duke of Wellington, seen within a context suggesting a boardroom in Whitehall, the seat of the British government. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Exhibit Gallery #3: The View from America This is one of four similar exhibit experiences that are intended to help the visitor consider Fort Henry from a variety of perspectives. In this case that of American military officers faced the challenge of understanding the military potential of this new defensive structure, and planning how to deal with it should war break out between Britain and the United States. The media piece both serves to outline the perspective of this group, and to provide a context for associated exhibit elements that deal with this same relationship through objects and images. The visitor is “greeted” by a life-sized figure of an American Army officer, who has just completed an intelligence mission to (among other things) spy out the defences of Fort Henry.

Exhibit Gallery #4: The View from Kingston This is one of four similar exhibit experiences that are intended to help the visitor consider Fort Henry from a variety of perspectives In this case that of the residents of Kingston who both relied on the soldiers of the Fort Henry garrison to protect them, and interacted with them in a variety of ways. The media piece both serves to outline the perspective of this group, and to provide a context for associated exhibit elements that deal with this same relationship through objects and images. The visitor is “greeted” by a life-sized figure of a female innkeeper/barmaid who is taking a brief break from serving customers to talk to the visitors.

Exhibit Gallery #5: The View from Parade Square This is one of four similar exhibit experiences that are intended to help the visitor consider Fort Henry from a variety of perspectives…in this case that of the British soldiers who lived and worked here during the time the Fort was an active military facility. The media piece both serves to outline the perspective of this group, and to provide a context for associated exhibit elements that deal with this same relationship through objects and images. The visitor, here having the role of a civilian visiting the Fort, is “greeted” by the life-sized figure of a private soldier from one of the line regiments that manned the Fort in the 1850s. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Exhibit Gallery #6: Food Interactive

The purpose of this interactive is to give the visitor an immersive experience that communicates the nature of the meals eaten by soldiers here at the Fort; what they ate, how they ate it, and the great differences between the meals of officers and those of enlisted men. This is intended to work both as an individual experience (each visitor sits at a specific place, and chooses particular aspects to explore) and as a group experience (the physical context puts visitors at a table in the same relationship to one another they would have had in the officers’ mess or in the soldiers’ quarters). Visitors choose a seat among the eight places…four are dressed to suggest the physical context of an officer’s meal, while the other four represent the circumstances of the private soldier’s meal. On sitting down, the participant has three buttons to choose from each initiates an A/V program which is presented on the square of table in front of the person.

Exhibit Gallery #7: Family Life Interactive Visitors are encouraged to consider the opportunities and limitations that army life presented to the children of enlisted men. The life choices required of young people and their parents were very far removed from those that confront young people today. This interactive attempts to get 21st-century visitors to imagine themselves in the shoes of 19th-century army families to understand how different this society was from our own. The visitor initiates the experience and interacts with the characters. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

Exhibit Gallery #8: Health and Sickness Interactive The medical knowledge and resources available to army doctors in the mid-19th century were very limited compared to today. This interactive is intended to help visitors understand what conditions army doctors could deal with successfully (for instance broken bones) and those conditions for which lack of knowledge limited treatment options. The visitor initiates the experience and interacts with the characters

Exhibit Gallery #9: Sir John A. Returns This exhibit is intended to present a compelling, memorable experience that links the life of Sir John A. Macdonald, father of Confederation and Kingston’s most famous son, to the story of Fort Henry. Sir John A.’s piece is linked conceptually to the “View from Kingston” introductory area, including a video host and a graphic/ artifact wall. Initially the visitor encounters an empty stage, on which sits a large Victorian writing desk bearing a whiskey decanter and glass. Visitors gather at each end of the “stage”, as a hologram of Sir John A. MacDonald, first introduces the experience to come, without giving it away. Upper Canada Village and Fort Henry DISCOVERY CENTRES

As an exhibit partner of the Fort Henry or Upper Canada Village Discovery Centre, you will receive the following benefits: • Signage at sponsored exhibit • 10 inches by 12 inches brass sign per exhibit • Logo engraved on sign • Or signage provided by the company and approved by SLPC • Sponsorship name inclusion during tours of the Discovery Centre • Company logo/brand on SLPC websites linked back to your company website • Logo/name inclusion on all media releases related to the Discovery Centres • Logo/name inclusion in all printed materials related to the Discovery Centres (maps, rack cards, etc.) v Official Plaque unveiling event opportunity to invite staff/partners v Admission tickets Sponsorship Investment: $10,000 per exhibit for a 3 year term.