Ault Park (Ontario) facts for kids
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| Location | Saint Lawrence River in the Township of South Stormont, near Long Sault, Ontario, Canada. |
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| Type | living museum |
Ault Park is a special place located by the St. Lawrence River in South Stormont, Ontario, Canada. It's a park with a fascinating history. It was first built on an island called Sheek's Island. A kind person named Levi Addison Ault gave the land for the park.
In 1958, Sheek's Island went underwater. This happened because of a big project called the St. Lawrence Seaway. Ault Park was then rebuilt on the new river shore. Today, it's a great spot to learn about the past.
The Lost Villages Museum
Ault Park is now home to the Lost Villages Historical Society. They run the Lost Villages Museum. This museum is a special kind of place called a living museum. It has many buildings that were moved from nearby villages.
These villages were flooded when the St. Lawrence Seaway was built. The museum helps people understand what life was like in these villages. Other buildings from the flooded villages were moved to create Upper Canada Village near Morrisburg, Ontario.
Uncovering Ancient History
The original Ault Park site on Sheek's Island was also very important for history. Between 1956 and 1958, archaeologists dug there. They worked to save old items before the island was flooded. The island went under 14 feet of water because of the St. Lawrence Seaway.
This project was a team effort. Experts from the University of Toronto and the National Museum of Canada worked together. They wanted to save artifacts from many different cultures. They found signs of a village that might be 3,500 years old! Many artifacts were taken from the site for study.
Scientists found evidence of different groups of people who lived on the island. These included the Middle Archaic, Laurentian, Meadowood, Point Peninsula, Pickering, and St. Lawrence Iroquois cultures.
Who Helps the Museum?
The Lost Villages Museum works with several important groups. These groups help the museum share its history. They include the CMA, the CHIN, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
