Brock University is located in the heart of Niagara, Ontario – a region steeped in an extraordinarily rich history that is, in many ways, a microcosm of Canadian history.
This history includes early Indigenous settlement along the Great Lakes, the establishment of Loyalist communities in the wake of the American Revolution, and the War of 1812 (which, through the British military campaigns led by Major General Sir Isaac Brock, gave the University its name).
The region’s legacy also includes the flight of enslaved people of African descent across the U.S.-Canada border, technological revolutions in the uses of water power, and waves of migrants from Europe, the Caribbean, and elsewhere in the Atlantic world whose labour made agricultural and industrial development possible.
Niagara’s history offer numerous opportunities for public engagement and campus-community connections that Brock’s History Department is uniquely positioned to provide. We work closely with area institutions (museums, libraries, historical societies, archives, heritage sites, K-12 education) that regularly employ our students and alumni and allow them to contribute meaningfully and materially to the economic and intellectual development of their communities and regions.
History and Heritage Sites in Niagara
These are some of the places where Brock History students volunteer, conduct research, obtain Co-op placements, and work during the summer and after graduation.
- Brock Archives and Special Collections
- Brown Homestead
- Fort George National Historic Site (Parks Canada)
- Laura Second Homestead (Niagara Parks)
- Niagara on the Lake Museum
- Niagara Falls Public Library
- McFarland House (Niagara Parks)
- Mackenzie Printery (Niagara Parks)
- Old Fort Erie (Niagara Parks)
- Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre