Before its present name, this town had many other names: Ouinagarah, Ongiara, Loyal Village, Butlersburg, West Niagara, Newark, Niagara, before finally becoming Niagara-on-the-Lake. In fact, in the early records, the name "Niagara" referred to the area around Fort Niagara, now in the United States.

Originally, the area belonged to the Neutrals, a peace-loving people who remained neutral in the war between the Huron and the Iroquois nations. For their temerity, the Neutrals were next to be destroyed after the Iroquois won the war and massacred the Hurons. Their place was taken by the Mississaugas, a branch of the Chippewa or Ojibway nation, who as a result claimed ownership of the west bank of the Niagara River. The Seneca nation of the Iroquois confederacy claimed the eastern bank. In 1764, Sir William Johnson, the legendary Indian Agent, arranged for the Senecas to cede their claim to the land. Later that year a treaty with the Mississaugas confirmed that the Crown now owned the land.

In 1779, as a result of the Revolutionary War, Sir Frederick Haldimand proposed that the land on the west side of the river be settled to provide food and support for Fort Niagara, which then still belonged to the British. By 1781, Colonel Butler was able to report that four or five families had settled, and Peter and James Secord were about to build saw and grist mills. The next year, sixteen families had settled, most headed by former Butler's Rangers. In addition to the Secords, there were Isaac Dolson, Philip Bender, Adam Young, and others, including the unforgettable Harmonious House. The Secords settled in St David's, Dolson settled in Queenston (but not for long), Bender in Niagara Falls, Young in his tract of the Six Nations Reserve.

When the War of 1812 started, the town of Niagara, as it was known from 1800, had grown to be a well-developed town. Among its notable citizens were lawyer William Dickson, surveyor DW Smith, farmer and store owner James Crooks, merchant and general wheeler-dealer Robert Hamilton, coroner Henry Nelles, and store owner John Young. Most had their property destroyed during the American occupation of the town in 1813.

After the war, Crooks relocated to West Flamborough but still kept his property in Niagara. His former home, Crookston, was located on One Mile Creek near the present Chatauqua Amphitheatre, and he owned the property that is now the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club. When the military wanted to build Fort Mississauga after the war, he swapped this property for land to the east of King Street, which is why the street names east of King Street are different from those west of King Street.

Most of the old buildings in the village date from just after the war. Particularly fine examples are: the Kirby and Old Bank Houses on Front Street; the Promenade, Kerr, and Hiscott Houses on Prideaux Street; and the Rogers-Harrison and MacDougal Houses on Queen Street.

Places to see in Niagara-on-the-Lake:

• Butler's Barracks,  John St

  Butler's Barracks

  The original barracks were log buildings constructed by Lt. Col. John Butler in 1778-9 to house members of Butler's Rangers. They were closer to Fort George than the present buildings. The log barracks were burned in 1813 along with the rest of Niagara but were reconstructed, starting in 1814, on the present site so that they would be further away from possible bombardment from Fort Niagara. Open in the summer. The buildings consist of the Soldiers' Barracks built in 1817, the Ordnance Gunshed (1821), the Commissiarat Stores Building (1839), and the Junior Commissiarat Officers Quarters (1816). The last building is a little apart from the other buildings and is surrounded by a wooden fence.

• Fort George, Queen's Parade

  Fort George

  Built to replace Fort Niagara after it was surrendered to the Americans in 1796. Fort George was intended to command the entrance to the Niagara River, much like Fort Niagara, but it was too small and in the wrong place. So it was never more than a deterrent, surrendering without much of a fight when attacked in the War of 1812. It has been restored to that period and is open from April through October.

• Navy Hall, 305 Ricardo St

  Navy Hall

  In 1765, Fort Niagara was suffering from overcrowding, so, to ease the pressure, some naval barracks were constructed on the west bank of the Niagara River. These were reconstructed about 1778 to house naval supplies and, combined, had the name Navy Hall. In 1792, these buildings were spruced up for the arrival of Lt. Gov. Simcoe but were not ready, so Simcoe had to stay in a tent. This building was used for the assembly of the first Upper Canada Parliament in 1792. The present version of this building was rebuilt about 1930, when the original wooden construction was hidden under a stone facing.

• St Mark's Church, 41 Byron St

  St Mark's Church

  Founded in 1791, the church was built in the early 1790s. It was burned down by the Americans in 1813, but the walls remained standing and were used when the church was rebuilt after the war. It is the oldest Anglican church building in continuous use in Ontario.

• Stewart House, 42 Prideaux St

  Stewart House

  Jemima Stewart, widow of lawyer Alexander Stewart, bought the lot from Augustus Jones in 1818. The house itself dates from about 1830.

• Promenade House, 55 Prideaux St

  Promenade House

  Built as a residence before 1822, this elegant brick building was used as a hotel called the Promenade Hotel by David Botsford in 1826 and later by Richard Howard, who had previously owned the Angel Inn.

• Demeath, Dr. Kerr's House, 69 Prideaux St

  Demeath

  Another elegant brick building, built after the War of 1812 to replace the original house built for Dr. Robert Kerr before 1792. Dr. Kerr, beside being a noted surgeon and judge, was married to Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of the great Indian Agent, Sir William Johnson, and Molly Brant. So he was related by marriage to Joseph Brant. His son, Capt. William Johnson Kerr, married a daughter of Joseph Brant and was one of the commanders of the Mohawks at the Battle of Beaver Dams.

• Hiscott House, 78 Prideaux St

  Hiscott House

  Although named for a later owner, Richard Hiscott, this house was probably built about 1817 for William McKean. After the War of 1812, many new houses, like this Georgian house, were built of brick to make them less susceptible to fire.

• Kirby House, 130 Front St

  Kirby House

  This house is dated 1818 but may have been built later by Thomas Courtney, who acquired the land in 1832. The house is named for a later owner, William Kirby, a well-known newspaper man and early historian. The frame house is covered in stucco to give the appearance of cut stone.

• Old Bank House, 10 Front St

  Old Bank House

  A town warden, Thomas Racey, had this house built about 1817. Its name comes from a later owner, Thomas McCormick, who was an agent for the Bank of Upper Canada.

• Angel Inn, 46 Market St

  Angel Inn

  This house was a tavern called the Sign of the Angel Inn when Richard Howard bought it in 1826. Howard ran it until 1845, when he bought the Promenade Hotel.

• Rogers-Harrison House, 157 Queen St

  Rogers-Harrison House

  James Rogers built this frame house in 1817. It later served as a hotel and tavern. The exterior is stuccoed to look like stone and is still much as it was when it was built.

• Wilson-Kent House, 177 Victoria St

  Wilson-Kent House

  Built about 1816 by Irish John Wilson (he used Irish as part of his name), this is a 1½-storey frame house built to avoid the extra taxes imposed on a 2-storey house.

• MacDougal House, 165 Queen St

  MacDougal House

  The former lieutenant in Butler's Rangers, Ralfe Clench, bought the property in 1811 and sold most of it to another former Ranger lieutenant, Adam Crysler, in 1820. Crysler most likely built this house shortly after. Charles Crysler sold the house to another old soldier, Col. Daniel MacDougal, in 1849. MacDougal was badly wounded at the Battle of Lundy's Lane but lived to age 84.

• Vanderlip House, 96 Johnson St

  Vanderlip House

  This 2-storey frame house was built about 1818 to replace the former house that was destroyed in the War of 1812.

• Clench House, 234 Johnson St

  Clench House

  This 2-storey frame house was built about 1816 by former Butler's Ranger Ralfe Clench to replace his former house that was destroyed not in the War of 1812 but in a fire just afterward. The house is built on the banks of the One Mile Creek, which crosses the property at the bottom of the garden. On the other side of the creek is the Butler House.

• Butler House, 285 Simcoe St

  Butler House

  The origins of this house are in dispute. One thing is certain: it was not built by Col. Butler because he died in 1796 and the house dates from about 1815. This bungalow was moved to this site from its original site on the Butler property near the Butler's Burying Ground. The house is set well back from the road and is across the One Mile Creek from the Clench House, perhaps symbolizing the close relationship between Ralfe Clench and John Butler.

• McMonigle House, 240 Gate St

  McMonigle House

  Although it looks like a 2-storey house, it is actually a 1½-storey house; the windows on the second storey were added later. The first house here was destroyed in the War of 1812 and this house was built about 1816.

• Fort Mississauga, Queen St

  Built in 1814 to replace Fort George, it was disarmed in 1856 and only the blockhouse remains. No admittance to the blockhouse but the grounds are open. Situated on a golf course.

• Butler's Burying Ground, Butler St

  Located at the end of Butler St, the little park contains the burial ground for the Butler family. Buried here are Col. John Butler, his wife Catherine, and some of his family.