Description of Historic Place

Hamilton Monument is a painted, 8.4 meters tall, Greek Revival stone block obelisk located in Dalhousie near the corner of Hall and Adelaide Streets. The Local Historic Place designation is for the monument only.

Heritage Value

Hamilton Monument is designated a Local Historic Place for its recognition of Captain John Hamilton, an important early settler of the Town of Dalhousie.

Hamilton Monument, built by Bowman of Glasgow, Scotland, was erected on a prominent hillside (now 315 Victoria Street) in 1851. Circa 1929, it was moved to its present location between the Dalhousie Centennial Library and the Courthouse. The inscription on the monument expresses the gratitude of Dalhousie’s Presbyterian community for Captain Hamilton’s leadership and help during the early years of the town. In 1829, during the Highland Clearences in Scotland, Captain Hamilton sailed the brig “Corsair”, loaded with settlers from his native island of Arran, to the new town of Dalhousie. He became a prominent merchant, an exporter of square timber and a major benefactor to the Church of Scotland in Dalhousie.

Source: Restigouche Regional Museum, Dalhousie, Local Historic Places file: “Hamilton Monument“.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe Hamilton Monument include:
- main inscription: “In memory of Capt. John Hamilton, a native of Kingscross Arran, Scotland. He was the first merchant who settled in Dalhousie, and along with many benevolent actions built St. John’s Presbyterian Church for which his friends and countrymen here, thus record their gratitude – He passed the last ten years of his life in his native land, and dies at Irvine 24th Aug. 1848, aged 80 years”;
- inscribed date: 1851;
- inscribed: Bowman, Glasgow;
- Greek Revival style stone block obelisk, 8.4 meters tall;
- rope and fret design embellishments.