Burlington Heights · Photo: Laslovarga · CC BY-SA 3.0

18historic places on the registers

History of Hamilton · Canada’s heritage registers

Hamilton’s oldest designated place, Battlefield House, dates from 1796

Homes from before 1961 make up 33% of Hamilton’s stock, above the 18% of the typical town. The lists give 18 historic places here, 13 in the top tier. The record has 4 provincial or municipal listings and a heritage railway station. One more stands just outside, within 5 km of the town’s edge.

18photos 13highest designations 1796oldest building 1just outside

Historic places

Highest designations

National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings

Other federal designations

Recognized buildings, railway stations, lighthouses

Provincial and local listings

provincial and municipal listings with an encyclopedia article

Oldest building

1796

the first construction date on its record

Homes built before 1961

33%

typical town: 18%

In pictures

Every one of Hamilton’s 13 most honoured places, in photos

Up first are Battle of Stoney Creek and Burlington Heights. Photos show every place Hamilton’s registers name. The pictures are the work of 11 photographers.

Battle of Stoney Creek

Erland Lee (Museum) Home

Former Hamilton Customs House

Former Hamilton Railway Station (Canadian National)

Griffin House+13See all photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the place’s page. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.

Through time

Hamilton, 1859 to 1920

On one line by date: 10 old photographs of the town. Tap any picture to see it full screen.

Before ConfederationHamilton.County Wentworth.1859Photo: Drawn. by C. S. Rice. Published by Rice & Duncan · Public domain

Confederation to 1900Gore Park and King Street, East, Hamilton, Ont (NYPL b12647398-62286)Photo: Detroit Publishing Company · Public domain

Boom yearsG.T.R. Station, HamiltonPhoto: Local History & Archives Hamilton Public Library · Public domain

Boom yearsHamilton Ontario Plant c1907 LOC 6a23357uPublic domain

In this postcard, a Stephenson DEDT crosses over the Burlington Canal on the first canal bridge — Boom yearsIn this postcard, a Stephenson DEDT crosses over the Burlington Canal on the fi…Public domain

Boom yearsGrand Trunk Station in Hamilton OntarioPhoto: The International Stationery Co., Picton, Canada · Public domain

Boom yearsHighfield School (playing hockey) HamiltonPhoto: Art Series Post Cards, Hamilton Ontario (publisher) · Public domain

The first bridge over the Burlington Canal, looking south. From an old postcard circa 1905 — Boom yearsThe first bridge over the Burlington Canal, looking south. From an old postcard…Public domain

The wars and betweenOrdnance - Manufacture 165-WW-353A-22Photo: War Department. 1789-9/18/1947 · Public domain

The wars and betweenWaterdown CPR stationPublic domain

Public domain or CC0, made before 1950, from Wikimedia Commons; old views of places can be drawings, prints or maps of their time. Each credit opens the image’s page.

How old

Hamilton’s dated places lean to the years before Confederation

Each place by the first construction date on its record.

British North America 1760–186613

After Confederation 1867–19133

Wars and Depression 1914–19452

Since 1946 1946 on0

13 of the 18 dated places are older than Confederation.

How it began

From 1846: Hamilton’s first milestones

The name of Hamilton honours George Hamilton, canadian merchant and politician. Rail service is on record from 1856, when Grand Trunk Station (Hamilton) opened. For the municipality of Hamilton itself, Wikidata records June 9, 1846, a date that can be a founding as much as a merger.

How it began: Wikidata (CC0).

The map

Where Hamilton’s history is

Every place on the registers inside the town, by its designation.

Highest designationsOther federal designationsProvincial and local listings400 m from McQuesten House / Whitehern

3 of 13within 400 m of McQuesten House / Whitehern, the heart of the town’s history

Names show on hover, and a tap takes you to the place’s page.

The 18, by tier

13 Highest designations1 Other federal designations4 Provincial and local listings

Most entries are federal, from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations; local listings outside Québec are known only through Wikidata items with an article.

Points from Wikidata (Parks Canada’s files carry none) and from Québec’s register, as mapped there.

Highest designations

13 places in Hamilton with the highest designation

They were designated between 1929 and 2008. National Historic Sites and Classified Federal Heritage Buildings, Canada’s highest federal recognition. The oldest, Erland Lee (Museum) Home, dates from 1808; the newest from 1929. Each one opens its own page.

National Historic Site · 1808–1809Erland Lee (Museum) Home552 Ridge RoadPhoto: Kristenkerr · Public domain · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1813Battle of Stoney Creek77 King Street WestPhoto: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat · Public domain · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1813–1814Burlington Heights610 York BoulevardPhoto: Laslovarga · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1827–1828Griffin House733 Mineral Springs RoadPhoto: Graeme MacKay from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada · CC BY 2.0 · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1834–1836Dundurn Castle610 York StreetPhoto: Nhl4hamilton (Rick Cordeiro) · Public domain · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1848–1849McQuesten House / Whitehern41 Jackson Street WestPhoto: Nhl4hamilton (Rick Cordeiro) · Public domain · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1854–1858St. Paul's Presbyterian Church / Former St. Andrew's Church56 James Street SouthPhoto: Graeme MacKay from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada · CC BY 2.0 · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1856–1860Hamilton Waterworks900 Woodward AvenuePhoto: Jdstrung · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1856–1857Sandyford Place35-43 Duke StreetPhoto: doeraymee from Canada · CC BY 2.0 · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1858–1861Former Hamilton Customs House51 Stuart StreetPhoto: Robbie.dmo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1887–1889John Weir Foote Armoury200 James Street NorthPhoto: Nhl4hamilton (Rick Cordeiro) · Public domain · Commons file

National Historic Site · 1887–1889Victoria Hall68 King Street EastPhoto: Jgrwatson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file

Show the other 1

National Historic Site · 1929–1932Former Hamilton Railway Station (Canadian National)360 James Street NorthPhoto: Nhl4hamilton (Rick Cordeiro) · Public domain · Commons file

Other federal designations

One other place Canada recognizes in Hamilton

Recognized Federal Heritage Buildings, heritage railway stations and lighthouses. Each one opens its own page.

Heritage Railway Station · 1931–1934Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo Railway Station, Former, Hamilton, OntarioHunter & Hughson StreetsPhoto: Robbie.dmo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file

What’s designated

The list in Hamilton starts with houses, at 28%

Two of the highest-ranked are Erland Lee (Museum) Home and Battle of Stoney Creek. 2 places make theatres, museums and memorials the second group. By kind, the list runs to 8 groups.

Houses5

Theatres, museums and memorials2

Forts and military buildings2

Churches and religious buildings2

Public buildings2

Stations, lighthouses and bridges2

Mills, shops and works2

Other places1

The groups come from each place’s name and its recorded functions, by what it was built as.

Provincial and local listings

4 more places Hamilton or its province protects

Provincial and municipal listings that Wikidata records and an encyclopedia describes. The oldest, Battlefield House, dates from 1796; the newest from 1873. Each one opens its own page.

Ontario Heritage Trust easement · 1796Battlefield HousePhoto: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat · Public domain · Commons file

Ontario Heritage Trust easement · 1855AuchmarPhoto: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons file

Ontario Heritage Trust easement · 1857Dundas Central Public SchoolPhoto: David Evans · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons file

Ontario Heritage Trust easement · 1873Christ's Church CathedralPhoto: Nhl4hamilton | Chit-Chat · Public domain · Commons file

When designated

Hamilton’s list has grown since 1929

The places by the year of their designation.

192019401960198020002020

It began with Burlington Heights in 1929. 3 came in 1990. Nothing has been added since 2011.

Just outside

Just outside Hamilton

Places the registers give to the town from within 5 km of its edge, nearest first.

Just outside Hamilton: 1

HMCS HaidaNational Historic Site · 100 m outside the town

Homes by age

33% of Hamilton’s homes were built before 1961

From 2016 on, Hamilton built 4.9% of its homes, near the typical 4.1%. Half of the homes standing in Hamilton today were built before 1981. 28% of Hamilton’s homes were built from 1961 to 1980, close to the typical town’s 27%.

33%

Before 1961

28%

1961–80

21%

1981–2000

13%

2001–15

4.9%

2016–21

HamiltonTypical town

2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.

Born here

John Charles Fields leads Hamilton’s natives of the past, with 154 more

At the other end is K.M. Graham, from 1913. The record holds 155 people born here before 1914. Helen Gregory MacGill carries a national designation as a historic person. In 1806 came the earliest, Samuel Sylvester Mills. The 20 best known are on the timeline.

Joseph Millard

James McMillan

John Charles Fields

William Arthur Parks

Julia Arthur

Jessie Tarbox Beals

Jean Adair

Ben Lear

Otto Roehm

Margaret Watkins

Florence Lawrence

Frank Powell

Harry Crerar

Douglass Dumbrille

Charles Coughlin

Jonathan Hale

Dick Irvin

Babe Dye

Earl Eastwood

David Neville

1800182518501875190019251950

John Charles Fields1863–1932 · Canadian mathematician

Florence Lawrence1886–1938 · Canadian-American actress

Charles Coughlin1891–1979 · Canadian-American Catholic priest and radio commentator

Harry Crerar1888–1965 · Canadian general

Frank Powell1886–1957 · Canadian actor, screenwriter, and director

Jessie Tarbox Beals1870–1942 · American photographer

Jean Adair1873–1953 · Actress

Otto Roehm1882–1958 · Olympic wrestler

Everyone born in Hamilton → Born before 1914. Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against Wikipedia; national historic persons from Parks Canada’s Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, matched by name and life years.

Neighbours

Hamilton and its neighbours

Town	People	Places	Highest	Oldest
Hamilton	640,465	18	13	1796
Inch Park	4,065	0	0	—
Eastmount	4,496	0	0	—
Hill Park	3,262	0	0	—
Burkholme	3,580	0	0	—
Centremount	4,053	1	0	1855
St. Clair	3,201	0	0	—

In brief

Hamilton in brief

The 2021 Census dates 33% of Hamilton’s homes before 1961, against 18% in the typical town. The lists come to 18 historic places, 13 with the highest designation, including Erland Lee (Museum) Home. Around McQuesten House / Whitehern, 3 of the places of the highest designation lie within 400 m. Dates cluster in the years before Confederation: 13 of 18. Among the lives from its past: John Charles Fields (1863), Florence Lawrence (1886) and Charles Coughlin (1891).

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

People and events. National historic persons carry no place in the open file. They appear on a town’s page when born there (same name, same birth and death years) or when a historic place inside it carries their name and its record names them with their dates; national historic events don’t appear.
Map points. Where a federal place sits on the map is Wikidata’s placing; the directory itself has no coordinates.
The grade. There is no history grade: the page sets out the record and compares it with other towns.
The federal register. The federal list is complete and open: Parks Canada’s directory for the designations, the Canadian Register of Historic Places for what each one is and why it matters.
Protection. Federal recognition isn’t a planning control: buildings the federal government owns follow its heritage policy, while others are protected only by a provincial or municipal designation.
The tiers. Tiers follow the designation: national recognition and classement first, other federal designations next, provincial and local listings last.
Provincial and municipal lists. Provincial and municipal listings here come from Wikidata alone, since the provinces’ own registers can’t be reused; a listing needs an encyclopedia article to get a page.

Questions about Hamilton’s history

What is the oldest building in Hamilton?

Battlefield House — its record dates it to 1796 (Ontario Heritage Trust easement).

How old are the homes in Hamilton?

33% predate 1961, where the typical town has 18%.

Which places in Hamilton have the highest designation?

They are Erland Lee (Museum) Home, Battle of Stoney Creek, Burlington Heights, Griffin House, Dundurn Castle and McQuesten House / Whitehern, and 7 more.

Why might a heritage building in Hamilton be missing here?

Only federal designations are fully open outside Québec. 4 more listings in Hamilton are known through Wikidata alone, so they are counted, not paged.

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).

Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).