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In August and September 2024 I was travelling around Southern Ontario for some family matters and, naturally, I brought my radio kit with me to squeeze in some radio therapy stops along the way. This is the report of my stop at Dundurn Castle National Historic Site, CA-5360.
Located in the city where I was born, Hamilton, Dundurn Castle has been a landmark since 1834, when the land was sold to Sir Allan MacNab. The castle is located on Burlington Heights, the site of a fortified military encampment established by the British during the War of 1812.
MacNab was a railway magnate, lawyer and Premier of the United Canadas (1854-1856). Today Dundurn Castle tells the story of the family who lived above stairs and the servants who lived and worked below stairs. He was a defining figure in so many ways in the local history, and performed the original survey of home lots and land in the Hamilton area. Indeed, the home I was born in (on MacNab Street no less) was on land once deeded to its owner from MacNab.
And Dundurn Castle has a personal tie in for me as my father, a finishing carpenter, worked tirelessly on it’s restoration in the mid 1960’s leading up to Canada’s Confederation Centennial in 1967. As kids we spent a lot of time on the grounds.