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Hey Welland! Give us back our cannon!

Port Robinson community will be fired up for its historical walking tour this Sunday
cannon-port-robinson
Port Robinson cannon now standing in front of Welland Court House. Bob Liddycoat / Thorold News

The legend of the Port Robinson cannon and how it ended up in Welland, still to this day, is a tale of folklore and contention. 

Dr Richard King was born in Ireland, graduated in medicine and came to Canada in 1844. He settled in Port Robinson, which was a bustling economic hub along the Welland Canal. He and his wife Elizabeth and their children lived on Canby Street. 

During the Fenian Raids of 1866, he was captain of the Welland Field Battery and saw action in Fort Erie where he was wounded in the leg; later needing it amputated. 

For his bravery, he was awarded medals as well as a large artillery cannon which graced his front yard.

A decade or so earlier, the  Provisional County of Welland was separated from Lincoln County in 1851 with the requirement that Welland County build a courthouse and jail. 

Construction of the courthouse and jail began in June, 1855. Although the building was in use by August, 1856, it was not finished until January, 1858. The County of Welland was established in 1856 and after the construction of the courthouse, Welland began to grow and prosper, soon surpassing its rival communities of Port Robinson, Thorold, Fonthill and Cooks Mills. The registry office was moved from Fonthill to the courthouse in 1871, and then to a separate building in 1880.

In 1868, shortly after the death of Dr. Richard King of Port Robinson, legend says that the folks of Merrittsville ( now known as Welland) stole the cannon from the front of Dr. King’s home in Port Robinson and established it at the front of the courthouse. There had been a long time rivalry between prosperous Port Robinson and sleepy Merrittsville. 

No one knows for sure how the famous Port Robinson cannon ended up in Welland but a cute reminiscence found in a book on the history of Crowland says:
“Years ago, an old lady in Port Robinson, on lamenting the fates of her fair village said something like this—'Them there Merrittsville fellers came down here to Port Robinson and stole poor old Dr.King’s cannon; took it up there and put in on the courtyard, they did. The cannon was given to him for chasin’ those Fenians back to Buffalo. And him with his foot shot off by them Fenians, he couldn’t bring it back all wounded like that'.”

So there it is…. Our Port Robinson cannon still sits in front of the courthouse in downtown Welland.

Hey, Welland, give us back our cannon!

You can learn more about Port Robinson’s interesting history this Sunday, Oct 6. There will be a guided walking historical tour of Port Robinson; those interested in taking part are asked to meet at the Port Robinson Community Centre (40 Cross St.) around 1 p.m. and the tour begins at 2 p.m., ending up at Bridge 12 Pub and Eatery (10 River St.).

(with excerpt from History of Crowland Township- Port Colborne Citizen Press Ltd. 1967)