Description of Historic Place

Nanticoke National Historic Site of Canada is located on the banks of Lake Erie in Walpole Township, Ontario. It marks the location of a skirmish that occurred in November 1813 between a volunteer militia of local farmers and a group of American marauders who were pillaging district farms. There are no extant remains of the battle at Nanticoke on the site, which is currently occupied by the Nanticoke Generating Station. Official recognition refers to the former property of John Dunham at the time of designation in 1924.

Heritage Value

Nanticoke was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1924 because:
- on 13th November, 1813, Norfolk volunteer militia, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Bostwick, routed a band of American marauders who had terrorized the country, an exploit that inspirited the military forces, restored the confidence of the people, and was an important factor in the immediate recovery of lost ground. [Plaque text 1928/1977]

During the War of 1812, the British withdrew their regular troops from southern Ontario to the Fort at Kingston after suffering several defeats by American forces in the fall of 1813. This retreat and the reduced military enforcement prompted a band of American marauders to pillage district farms. As a result, a number of resident settlers formed a volunteer militia, and on 13 November 1813 they attacked the Americans on the farm of John Dunham, south of the present village of Nanticoke.

Three of the marauders were killed, several wounded, 18 captured, and others escaped. This effectively ended plundering expeditions in the area, and over 3,000 kilograms (7,000 pounds) of provisions were saved for the British militia on the Niagara frontier, enabling them to continue a winter campaign.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, 1924; September 2009.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include:
- its location on the banks of Lake Erie, in Walpole Township, Ontario;
- its setting on a flat parcel of land, currently occupied by the Nanticoke Generating Station;
- the integrity of any surviving or as yet unidentified archaeological remains which may be found within the site in their original placement and extent;
- viewscapes from the site across Lake Erie.