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 park located right next to the St. Lawrence River in South Stormont, Ontario, Canada. It's close to the town of Long Sault, Ontario. This park has a really interesting history connected to a big construction project.
The land for Ault Park was first on an island called Sheek's Island, Ontario. A man named Levi Addison Ault gave this land from his family to the Township of Cornwall, Ontario. However, in 1958, Sheek's Island was covered by water because of the St. Lawrence Seaway project. Ault Park was then rebuilt on the new river shore.
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The Lost Villages Museum
Today, Ault Park is home to the Lost Villages Historical Society. They run the Lost Villages Museum, which is a living museum. This means you can visit and see buildings that were moved from villages that disappeared.
These villages were flooded when the St. Lawrence Seaway was built. The museum has saved many of these old buildings. Other buildings from the lost villages were moved to a different spot near Morrisburg, Ontario to create Upper Canada Village.
Exploring Ancient History at Ault Park
The original site of Ault Park on Sheek's Island was also a very important place for archaeologists. Between 1956 and 1958, before the island was covered by water, scientists dug there. They found many old items from different groups of people.
These discoveries included signs of a village that might be 3500 years old! The University of Toronto tried to stop the Seaway project so they could keep digging. But they were not successful. Many valuable artifacts were saved from the site for further study.
Scientists found evidence that several ancient cultures lived on the island. These included groups like the Middle Archaic, Laurentian, Meadowood, and St. Lawrence Iroquois. Each group left behind clues about how they lived long ago.
Museum Connections
The Lost Villages Museum works with other important organizations. It is connected to the CMA. It also works with the CHIN and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
See Also
- The Lost Villages
- Upper Canada Village
