After years of negotiating, Niagara Foundation acquires entire Wilderness property

The Niagara Foundation has announced there is now an agreement in place for it to acquire the entire stretch of land on King Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake known as The Wilderness.

Taking possession of the five-acre property, which borders Regent Street on the other side, has been the goal of the foundation for several years. It has had a claim to half of it through the will of Ruth Parker, one of three sisters who owned the property, explains Lyle Hall, president of the foundation, and they have been negotiating with Ken Reid to acquire the other half. Reid’s wife Kea, whose mother Fran McKay was Parker’s sister, and Ken inherited Kea's half-interest in the property when she died in 2016.

“I think we all recognized it was time to get on with it, and we arrived at a place where both sided are happy with it. We reached a point where this was the best exit for all of us,” Hall told The Local.

Hall explained that while the foundation had a claim through Parker’s will, “we technically didn’t own anything until we came to an agreement over all of the property.”

When Parker passed away in 2013, her will stated that the heritage property must be preserved, and the executor of her estate chose The Niagara Foundation as the best organization to ensure the heritage elements of The Wilderness be preserved and maintained for the benefit of the public.

The deal will close no later than the end of the year, Hall said, although Reid has the option to make it sooner if he chooses.

Hall emphasized it’s early days for the foundation to have plans in place for the property, other than they will preserve it in a way that honours the terms of Parker’s will and its heritage significance. The foundation will be looking at engaging outside resources to better understand “our best avenue to showcase the property while taking care of the land and the buildings,” he said.

There is a house on the property, where Reid still lives, and an outbuilding that Hall says is best described as a carriage house.

“We intend to collaborate with heritage, planning and environmental experts to ensure we preserve the significant attributes of the land and buildings comprising The Wilderness,” he said in the news release. “We also think there is opportunity to draw on the breadth and depth of expertise and experience from within our community. The Foundation will actively seek input from residents for project management and oversight skills as we consider options for use and interpretation of this unique asset.”

Although the foundation was given access to the property a few years ago and was able to have a heritage expert provide some details of the condition of the property, there has been no access in recent years, Hall said. And before they can get a better idea of the state of the buildings and the land, they have no idea what they need in the way of financial resources to preserve it.

The foundation “couldn’t be more grateful to Lauren and Vaughn Goettler” and the Goettler Family Foundation, Hall says, for their $1 million pledge, as well as several other significant donations from Niagara-on-the-Lake residents, enabling the acquisition.

“But we can never have enough resources,” he told The Local, and will welcome hearing from prospective donors.

For more information on how to help The Niagara Foundation in this initiative please visit https://theniagarafoundation.com/

Reid told The Local he has no comment at this point.

About The Wilderness

The wooded property and its historic buildings in the heart of Old Town was once the home of William Claus, Deputy Superintendent of the Indian Department and one of the three trustees of the Six Nations. The Wilderness was originally given by the Six Nations Indians to Mr. Claus’ wife Nancy Johnson “in token of her many deeds of kindness.” Her father Sir William Johnson negotiated the Treaty of Niagara with 24 Indigenous nations in 1764. The Treaty formed the basis for the original treaty relationship between Indigenous peoples and settlers in Eastern North America.

The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake designated the Wilderness a heritage property in 1994. This designation applies both to the heavily wooded land as well as the entire exterior and interior of the house on the site, the carriage house and the archaeological remains. The house was built in 1816. A creek that meanders through the property is protected by a conservation easement.

The Ontario Heritage Trust has strongly encouraged the preservation of this property.

About The Niagara Foundation

Established in 1962, the Niagara Foundation is a charitable organization whose mission is to preserve the built and natural heritage of Niagara-on-the-Lake and surrounding communities. Quietly and effectively, the Foundation has advocated for preservation, undertaken innovative partnerships, fostered knowledge and appreciation, and been responsible for securing and advancing the very qualities that are now so strongly associated with historic Niagara-on-the-Lake.