Left: Remains of the Whitman & Barnes Knifeworks (Jemison), Top Right: Merritt Street Trail towards the historic knifeworks (Jemison),  Bottom Right Propellers from the "Royalton" in the parking lot (Jemison)

General Information

Located on the Merritt Trail this historic site provides a great stop to investigate some of the local history. The Merriton area of St. Catharines was an industrial corridor in the 19th century, filled with mills and foundries. In 1870 Collinson and Burch opened  a factory to produce knives and other sharp instruments such as sickles, the stone foundations seen on the site today were part of the original buildings. Later purchased by a pair of businessmen, Barnes and Whitman of Akron, Ohio, the factory became Barnes and Whitman Knifeworks in 1880.

The proximity to rail lines and the canal allowed for easy transportation of raw materials and completed goods. The canal itself powered the mills that ran the factories, the water from the Welland Canal

operated bellows in the furnaces and hammers in the forges.

In 1921 Barnes and Whitman were bought by a larger corporation and the factory was closed due to its unprofibility.

The parking lot for the knifeworks also displays the propellers from the "Royalton" the flagship of Captain Robert Scott Misener's fleet. The plaques document Misener's rise to become one of the pioneers of the Great Lakes shipping industry. 

TripClip Audio File

Hours of Operation

Open Year-Round  dusk - dawn

Directions

From Toronto:

QEW exit 49, St. Catharines (ON 406)

Exit Westchester Avenue, St. Catharines

Left (east) on Westchester Crescent

Right into parking lot on Oakdale Avenue

If you pass the lights on Oakdale Avenue you have gone too far

From Buffalo

QEW exit 44, St. Catharines (Niagara Street)

Left (west) on Welland Avenue

Left (south) on Tasker Street

Right (west) on Oakdale Avenue

Parking lot is the first driveway on the left, after the Oakdale Avenue traffic lights

Further Information

Taylor, Robert. "Merriton, Ontario: The Rise and Decline of an Industrial Corridor." Canadian Journal of History and Science, Technology and Medicine. 14.2 (1990): 12-42.