The Honourable William Dickson

One of the men taken prisoner by the Americans in the War of 1812 was William Dickson, a forty-three year old lawyer from Niagara Falls, who had come to Canada from Scotland in 1792. Dickson was later released on parole.

Elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1816, he took an active part in the rebellion of 1837, urging the men of Niagara to enlist and help the government.

Dickson purchased the township of Dumfries from the Hon. Thomas Clark in 1811 for $34,000 and in 1815, with Absalom Shade, a carpenter from Pennsylvania, visited his property. He decided to start a settlement with people from his birthplace, Dumfries, in Scotland. He had the land surveyed in 1816 and in 1817 sold farms and lots to settlers.

Although still living in Niagara he continued his interest in Dumfries and donated two parks to the citizens of Dumfries and Galt. Image courtesy of the Niagara Historical Society & Museum.