Close Alert Banner
Skip to Content
Loyalist Township Logo
Contact Us
  • Emergency Alerts (CodeRed)
  • Email Us
  • 613-386-7351
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Latest News:

Pause
  • Living in Loyalist
    • Animal Services
    • Cemeteries
    • Churches
    • Community and Senior Services
    • Community Calendar
    • Community Grants
    • Community Organizations
    • Community Tree Initiative
    • Earth Day
    • Fire and Emergency Services
    • FoodCycler Pilot Program
    • Garbage and Recycling
    • Health Services
    • Housing
    • Libraries
    • Municipal Calendar
    • Public Consultation
    • Property Taxes
    • ResiLienT Loyalist Township
    • Schools and Crossing Guards
    • Traffic, Roads and Bridges
    • Transportation
    • Water and Sewer
    View our Living in Loyalist page
    Living in Loyalist
  • Explore and Play
    • Arts and Culture
    • Bath Canada Day
    • Community Calendar
    • Community Organizations
    • Events
    • Facilities and Rentals
    • Golf and Country Clubs
    • History and Heritage
    • Libraries
    • Maps and Apps
    • Marina
    • Parks and Trails
    • Recreation
    • Tourism
    • Volunteering
  • Business and Development
    • Advertising and Sponsorship
    • Building and Construction
    • Economic Development
    • Infrastructure Projects
    • Maps and Apps
    • Planning and Development
    • Procurement
    • Water and Sewer
  • Council and Administration
    • Accessibility
    • Accountability
    • Advertising and Sponsorship
    • Agendas and Minutes
    • Applications, Licences and Permits
    • Asset Management
    • Awards
    • Boards and Committees
    • Budget and Financial Reporting
    • By-laws and Enforcement
    • Careers
    • Complaints
    • Council
    • Document Commissioning
    • Elections
    • Freedom of Information Requests
    • Infrastructure Projects
    • Land Acknowledgement Statement
    • Municipal Noticeboard Policy
    • Municipal Offices
    • Organizational Chart
    • Plans, Reports, and Studies
    • Proclamations and Public Awareness Campaigns
    • Procurement
    • Report a Concern
    • Staff Directory
    • Strategic Plan
    • Strong Mayor Powers
    • Ward Boundary Review
    • WJ Henderson Renewal Project

History and Heritage

HomeExplore and PlayHistory and Heritage
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email this page Email

Land Acknowledgement Statement

Loyalist Township is situated on the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee, Michi Saagiig, and Omámíwinini Peoples.

 Land Acknowledgement Statement for Loyalist Township

You can access the Full Land Acknowledgement Statement in Council and Administration. If you would like a PDF copy sent to you, please contact our Community Development Coordinator.

 Shortened alternate Land Acknowledgement Statement for Loyalist Township

Loyalist Township is situated on the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee, Michi Saagiig, and Omámíwinini Peoples. We acknowledge the Métis, Inuit, and other First Nations from across this vast land. Loyalist Township commits to new partnerships in the Spirit of the Two-Row Wampum and Dish with One Spoon.

What to see and do in Loyalist

Babcock Mill stone sign
Museums & Historical Sites
Man's hands holding feathers and leather
The Legacy Space
black and white photo of heritage building
Legacies of Loyalist
Walking map of Bath
Self Guided Tours in Loyalist
old gravestones by lilac shrub
Historic Cemeteries
Dry stone wall
Heritage Committee & Work

Historical highlights 

  • Loyalist Township is home to First Nations peoples including the Haudenosaunee, Michi Saagiig, and Omámíwinini Peoples.
  • Funded by local subscription, the Bath (Ernestown) Academy was one of the first schools in Upper Canada. The Academy was originally built in 1811 and rebuilt twice after being destroyed by fire. The current building dates from 1910 and has a heritage designation. The school has had a colourful history and served the public as a school, military barracks, township offices and library.
  • During the War of 1812, Bath saw some of the conflict very close indeed with the escape of HMS Royal George, the largest British warship on Lake Ontario, from a determined American fleet chasing her through the channel to Kingston's inner harbour.  The "Flight of the Royal George" culminated in the only American attack on Kingston during the war. It ended with a naval battle at Kingston between the American and British ships, supported by the shore batteries at Point Henry. This was the only time shots were fired from Point Henry in its history.  At the same time, the merchant schooner Two Brothers, belonging to the Fairfield brothers, was destroyed by fire in Bath's harbour.
  • September 7, 1816 was a significant moment in the history of the Great Lakes navigation when the steamship "Frontenac" was launched at Finkles Park. It was the first steamship built for service on Lake Ontario! 
  • Legend has it that in 1823, Amherst Island was lost in a game of cards in Ireland by Catherine Bowes, daughter of Sir John Johnson, to the 3rd Earl of Mount Cashel. Consequently, much of Amherst Island continued to be farmed by Irish tenant farmers well into the 20th century.
  • Pragmatically named after the many mills on the Milhaven Creek, the village of Millcreek was  renamed to Odessa in 1856 by its postmaster to commemorate the 1854 British siege of the Black Sea port at Odessa in the Ukraine during the Crimean War.
  • On August 20, 1945, the robbery at gunpoint of the Royal Bank of Canada in Bath catapulted the lakeside village into national consciousness and into the annals of criminal history. The amount stolen amounts to over $5 million in today's dollars - then the biggest bank robbery in Canadian history. 
  • Unveiled in 1920, Wilton is home to the only Great War memorial in Loyalist Township. The Lions Club of Odessa and District, along with members of the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics, honour the site and the fallen dead every year with a Remembrance Day Service at the Cenotaph. "Lest we forget".
  • The dry stone walls of Amherst Island, among the most tangible remnants of early Irish settlement, are considered one of the most significant concentrations of historic dry stone walls anywhere in Canada and have a heritage designation. The island hosts a regular international Dry Stone Festival where many creative new walls have appeared!
  • In September 1984, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visited Amherstview to dedicate the opening of the Loyalist Parkway and the memorial "gates" marking the Parkway before becoming the first visitors to tour Fairfield House, built by Loyalists in 1793.
  •  On January 1, 1998, the Townships of Ernestown and Amherst Island amalgamated with the Village of Bath to form one municipality called Loyalist Township.

Contact Us

Municipal Office
263 Main Street, Box 70
Odessa, ON K0H 2H0
T. 613-386-7351
Email Loyalist Municipal Office
Map this Location


Subscribe to this page
Explore and Play
    • History and Heritage
      Toggle Section History and Heritage Menu
      • Cemeteries
      • Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Legacy Space
      • Heritage Committee and Work
        Toggle Section Heritage Committee and Work Menu
        • Designated Heritage Properties
        • Heritage Grants and Permits
        • Heritage Plaque Program
      • Legacies of Loyalist
      • Museums and Historical Sites
        Toggle Section Museums and Historical Sites Menu
        • Babcock Mill
        • Bath Museum and Visitor Centre
        • Cemeteries
        • Fairfield House
        • Fairfield-Gutzeit House
        • Layer Cake Hall
        • Neilson Store Museum and Cultural Centre
        • Wilton Hall
      • Self-Guided Tours
    • Arts and Culture
    • Bath Canada Day
    • Community Calendar
    • Community Organizations
    • Events
      Toggle Section Events Menu
      • Amherstview Farmers Market
      • Amherstview Lions Club Santa Claus Parade
      • Babcock Mill Makers Market
      • Bath Canada Day
        Toggle Section Bath Canada Day Menu
        • Bath Canada Day Button Contest
        • Bath Canada Day Kids Zone
        • Bath Canada Day Main Stage
        • Bath Canada Day Pancake Breakfast
        • Bath Canada Day Parade
        • Bath Canada Day The Great Decorate
        • Bath Canada Day Vendors Market
        • Bath Canada Day Volunteering
      • Community BBQ
      • Community Calendar
      • Culture Days
      • Culture Talks
      • Doors Open
      • Earth Day
      • Event Planning
      • Exploration Days
      • Family Day
      • Family Fishing Day
      • Holiday Trees in the Township
      • June is Recreation and Parks Month
      • Light up the Season
      • March Break
      • March of the Museums
      • Municipal Calendar
      • Remembrance Day
      • Seniors Expo
      • Spring Egg Hunt
      • Summer Programs
      • Sunday Market in Bath
      • Trunk-or-Treat and Crafts
      • Tunes Days in the Township
      • Winter Active Week
    • Facilities and Rentals
      Toggle Section Facilities and Rentals Menu
      • Advertising and Sponsorship
      • Arena Rental
      • Community Hall Rental
      • Fairgrounds and Sk8er Park
      • Finkles Shore Gazebo
      • Meeting Rooms
      • Parks & Recreation Master Plan
    • Golf and Country Clubs
    • Libraries
    • Maps and Apps
    • Marina
    • Parks and Trails
      Toggle Section Parks and Trails Menu
      • Commemorative Trees and Bench Program
      • Parks
        Toggle Section Parks Menu
        • Parks East Loyalist
        • Parks North Loyalist
        • Parks South Loyalist
        • Parks West Loyalist
      • Park Rentals and Event Planning
      • Sports Courts and Fields
      • Trails
    • Recreation
      Toggle Section Recreation Menu
      • Adult Recreation Programs (18yrs and up)
      • Cancellations and Withdrawals
      • Camps
      • Child and Youth Recreation Programs
      • Fitness
        Toggle Section Fitness Menu
        • 30-Day Fitness Memberships
      • Gift Cards
      • Ice and Skating
        Toggle Section Ice and Skating Menu
        • Arena Rental
        • Outdoor Rink Program
      • Parks & Recreation Master Plan
      • Swimming and Aquatics
        Toggle Section Swimming and Aquatics Menu
        • Adult and Youth Swimming Programs
        • Children's Swimming Lessons
        • Leadership and Aquatic Certification Courses
    • Tourism
      Toggle Section Tourism Menu
      • Amherst Island Ferry
      • Arts and Culture
      • Events
      • Golf and Country Clubs
      • History and Heritage
      • Lodging
      • Maps and Apps
      • Marina
      • Places to Eat
    • Volunteering

Loyalist Township Footer Logo

© 2020 Loyalist Township

Box 70, 263 Main Street
Odessa, Ontario K0H 2H0
Tel: 613-386-7351
info@loyalist.ca

Office Hours

Mon - Thu  8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Fri 8:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

After-Hours Emergencies

Involving Roads, Water/Sewer Service, or a Township Facility
Call 613-507-3069

  • Links

    • Accessibility
    • Freedom of Information Requests
    • Privacy
    • Sitemap
    • Website Feedback
  • Social Media

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • LinkedIn
By GHD Digital
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.