Click HERE for Part 1, HERE for Part 2, and HERE for Part 3

Welcome to our People of the Parks blog series. This four-part series is a companion to “You are Here,” our temporary exhibit all about mapping St. Catharines, on at the museum through the end of 2026. 

The City of St. Catharines has over 100 public parks. The first one came in 1888 with the opening of Montebello Park, designed by superstar American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The greenspace at Montebello had already been used for public enjoyment in an unofficial capacity since shortly after the unexpected death of its former owner, William Hamilton Merritt Jr, in 1860.  

The late 19^th century is considered the first boom era for public park building. This was especially the case in increasingly industrialized and urbanized North American cities where planned greenspaces were introduced as a public health initiative; an antidote for the distress caused by living away from nature. Given this trend, the Montebello’s central location, and the public’s enjoyment of the space, it was only natural for the municipal government to purchase this lot and seal the deal. 

And the name? The City did not have to worry about coming up with a moniker for this space, because it had already been dubbed “Montebello” by the late William Hamilton Merritt Jr. Montebello is Spanish for “beautiful mountain” and was inspired by time William spent in Europe for his education. A similar process happened with other early city parks, emerging naturally from already communal spaces and inheriting a pre-established name – think Lakeside Park or Oakhill Park.  

But as the 20^th century progressed and more and more new parks were established from scratch, names had to be chosen. Several dozen St. Catharines parks are named after people, but over time public memory of that person can fade and be lost. In this blog series, I will be exploring twelve of these “People of the Parks”, sharing biographical information along with some history of the parks themselves. 

Each part of this blog series will explore parks located in a particular section of the City of St. Catharines. Rather than follow historical municipal boundaries, the city will be split into four equal parts with three parks in each. Readers can refer to the map below to orientate themselves. 

Part 4: Southeast 

Welcome to Part 4, the thrilling conclusion, of our People of the Parks blog series! We’re completing our loop around St. Catharines with a visit to the southeastern section of St. Catharines, including the neighbourhoods of Queenston and Merritton. And this week packs a wallop! Our three parks are Richard Pierpoint Park, Clifford’s Creek Park, and Pic Leeson Park, and we’ll be touching on surprising tales of adversity and intrigue along the way! 

Richard Pierpoint Park 

This park is located just to the east of downtown St. Catharines in the historic Queenston Street neighbourhood. It hugs the banks of a trickling waterway that was once Dick’s Creek, was later the route of the First and Second Welland Canals, and is now part of a partially buried storm water management stream. This park carries many layers of history, as much of the early city and its industries grew out of this curved section of the old Welland Canal. But there is more history here than even that. 

Let’s start with the park’s original name: Centennial Gardens. This park officially opened in 1967 as a Canadian Centennial project celebrating the 100^th anniversary of Confederation and was given its name to mark the occasion. The park was renamed in 2021 but it is still often casually referred to as Centennial Gardens by locals. Many St. Catharinites specifically remember Centennial Gardens Park for a totem pole that stood here for some 53 years. The park also included a flagpole and an installation of large plaques representing the crests of each province in 1967. 

The Centennial Gardens Totem Pole was commissioned by the City as part of the 1967 Centennial celebrations. It was carved by Doug Cranmer, a Vancouver Island-based master carver and member of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation. Totem poles are specifically a cultural attribute of Pacific Northwestern Indigenous Peoples and hold no traditional significance to the Indigenous Peoples of Niagara, who were primarily Iroquoian. This totem pole’s original installation reflects a trend at the time of generalization when referring to Indigenous histories and cultures, with symbols like totem poles, teepees, and headdresses being used as universal markers of Indigeneity, when in fact they are cultural features of specific regions and nations. However, the allocation of public funding for such symbols at all reflects early efforts to bring attention to Indigenous Peoples and their importance to Canadian history and culture. Due to it’s deteriorating condition, the totem pole was removed from the park in 2019 and restored by Bruce Alfred, a Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw artist who had worked with Doug Cramner. In order to keep the restored pole from suffering further at the hands of the elements, the totem pole was installed indoors in the lobby at Canada Games Park in 2025. 

But there is yet another significant historical layer to unpack at this park, and it’s right in the park’s current name: Richard Pierpoint. 

Before even the Welland Canal, much of this park’s land along with the creek that ran through it belonged to a man named Richard Pierpoint. Born in present day Senegal around 1744, Richard Pierpoint, a Black man, was captured at the age of 16, brought to America, and forced into slavery. He was the servant slave of a British officer but gained his freedom after enlisting with the British army during the American Revolution. Pierpoint served with the Butler’s Rangers, an Upstate New York and Niagara-based company of Loyalists. After his discharge, he, like other United Empire Loyalists, was entitled to a land grant. His was a 200 acre chunk of farmable land between what is now Geneva Street and Oakdale Avenue. His name appears on this spot as a landowner on the 1791 Grantham Survey map, standing out as likely the only Black person represented on the document.

The stream that ran through Pierpoint’s property came to be known as Dick’s Creek, named after Richard. When Richard Pierpoint was nearing the age of 70, he also fought in the War of 1812 and was instrumental in the creation of an all-Black military unit – Runchey’s Company of Coloured Men – known as the “Coloured Corps”. The Coloured Corps once again became significant during the construction of the Second Welland Canal in the 1840s when it was mobilized to police unrest amongst destitute and factionalized Irish workers. In the years following the War of 1812, Pierpoint fell on hard times and petitioned the government to be allowed to return to his native Africa. His request, however, was denied. Instead, he was granted land in Garafraxa Township along with other veterans of the Coloured Corps. 

Clifford’s Creek Park 

Get ready for a doozy! 

When I first started looking into Clifford’s Creek Park, I found a few interesting historical tidbits related to its geographical location, but I was hitting a dead end on the name “Clifford”. That is, until I started delving into old newspapers and the flood gates cracked wide open! Well, I suppose flooding was already part of the geography story… Anyway, read on and enjoy! 

This park branches off Oakdale Avenue and the stream that was once the Second Welland Canal at a curious angle, about a block south of Lincoln Avenue. The reason for the shape and angle of the park is that it follows the path of a creek that once ran through the area and emptied into the canal. Clifford’s Creek itself, which remains in the name of the park, has, however, been entirely buried. 

When Hurricane Hazel struck on October 14, 1954, the ordinarily gentle Clifford’s Creek turned into a torrent and washed away a bridge that carried Oakdale Avenue across the stream. Rather than rebuild the bridge, the creek was culverted, and the site was later used as a municipal land fill. Interest in converting the land to park space began as early as 1972, but this did not happen until 1987 when the landfill was closed and covered with clay. 

In addition to being used as a landfill, this park is located in the middle of what was once an area of heavy industry, including familiar Merritton factories Domtar, Shawinigan Chemical, and Hayes-Dana. Clifford’s Creek was heavily affected by the presence of these industries. Carbide, chemical, and paper plants were known to dump waste into the creek, and the water and surrounding soil quality were very poor. In recent years, concern has re-emerged about toxic PCB contamination in the area and remediation work is ongoing.  

If you thought that was the intrigue I promised, just wait until you hear about the man behind the name. 

Clifford’s Creek was named after Owen Clifford, a farmer who owned this piece of land from around the 1830s until 1870. He was born in Ireland around 1802, immigrated to the United States some time before starting a family, later moved to St. Catharines, and died in 1870. Unlike other folks in the neighbourhood like Thomas Towers, Sylvester Neelon, and various Phelpses, Clifford is not considered a significant figure in the history of Merritton and not much is known about his life. However, he happened to own this lot during a period when Merritton was first developing as a distinct community and industrial hub, with the family name even appearing on an 1860 Tremaine map – a sort of Upper Canada who’s who and a historian’s goldmine. The name stuck with the creek and was inherited for the City park without a second thought. 

But it turns out Owen Clifford and his family were involved in a pretty wild story in 1869. There are many plot twists to keep straight, but the general narrative goes like this: 

Owen Clifford’s son Francis bought an established grocery store on St. Paul St. in April 1868. Just over a year later, on June 4, 1869, a fire broke out at the store in the early hours of the morning. The source of the fire was found to be several coal oil barrels that were arranged in the cellar with boxes of straw and stove wood piled around them. Francis was arrested the following morning on suspicion of arson and attempted insurance fraud. He appeared briefly at a hearing that morning where it was revealed that Francis and his wife Maria were spotted around 2 a.m. removing things from the store while smoke billowed. A young girl named Catherine McLean was also spotted at the fire. She was employed as a servant and was living with the Cliffords, but she mysteriously disappeared after the fire. Francis was said to have shown no interest in putting the fire out even though neighbours were trying to do so. The fire was eventually contained. 

Francis held two insurance policies on the store and its stock, but he was deeply in debt. His father Owen had advanced him $4000 to help pay his accounts, including $1000 he had borrowed from local bigwig Samuel Woodruff. The mystery girl Catherine McLean was wanted as a witness, but Owen Clifford was later spotted bringing a young girl past a toll gate in Thorold and on toward Clifton, presumedly trying to smuggle her into the United States. His son’s guilt and his own involvement was now suspected.  

Francis’ wife Maria testified against Owen on June 12 stating that he had helped set up the oil barrels three days before the fire. Owen Clifford was soon arrested. Another witness then came forward stating he was paid to bring the young girl Catherine McLean across to Buffalo. Owen had apparently concocted a tale about having raised the girl after she was left at his doorstep as an infant, and that her birth mother was now trying to take her away. Owen claimed he was sending her to Buffalo for her protection. Owen’s own daughter Ellen was soon arrested as well, following further accusations from Maria. 

Maria eventually appeared in court to make a full statement, explaining the plot in detail. She claimed that it was Francis, Owen, Ellen, and herself who planned and executed the fire to collect insurance for the payment of mounting debts. Anything of value was removed from the store and brought to Owen’s house in Slabtown to be kept in a secret, locked room. Maria testified against Owen and Ellen because, after the fire was unsuccessful and Francis was arrested, the other two apparently turned on Maria. She accused them of taking all her belongings and locking her up in her own house. They allegedly attempted to retrieve Francis’ account papers and then acted as if they knew nothing about the fire in order to pin it solely on Maria. Maria also began to expect that her marriage was a sham and that the family were trying keep her from making any claims on insurance or customer debts. Her husband had never shown her the marriage certificate until this trial, and she suspected that he and Ellen had tampered with it. She also suspected she was being drugged, citing a change in her constitution since getting married. Owen Clifford, meanwhile, placed an ad in the newspaper on August 3 calling for all debts owed to Francis J. Clifford to be paid to him instead. 

Ultimately Owen and Ellen were both convicted on accessory to arson charges. Ellen was sentenced to four years and was released in 1873. Owen was sentenced to two years but died in Kingston Penitentiary in November 1870. Maria was let off, likely due to her cooperation with the courts. The details of Francis’ conviction were not reported, but he is recorded as a resident of Kingston Penitentiary in the 1871 Canada Census. Maria is not recorded in censuses after that point.  

The ins and outs of the Clifford Case were considered juicy gossip and were covered in some detail by local newspapers for about a year as the trials were happening. But public mention of the Cliffords halted completely after that, with newspapers no doubt moving on to the next big story that would keep their readers hooked. The story was forgotten, and “Clifford” went back to being just a name on a surveyor’s map that was ultimately borrowed to adorn a public park!  

Pic Leeson Park 

Wow! Those first two southeastern parks leave us with a lot to contemplate. We still have one more to go, but I’ll take things a little easier on this one. Pic Leeson Park is in the Secord Woods neighbourhood of Merritton. It is located near Rockwood Avenue and Welland Canals Parkway, which is right near the museum. This park, like Alex McKenzie Park, is known as one of the city’s busiest sports hubs. The site hosts three baseball diamonds and two soccer fields spread across Pic Leeson and the adjoining John Dempsey Park. These parks are relatively recent additions, coming along with new housing developments in the 1990s. 

Pic Leeson Park is located right near the point where the path of the Third Welland Canal (1881-1932) first crossed the Fourth Welland Canal (1932-present). Aerial photographs indicate that this was a busy spot on the construction site. The space that is now the park was well-trodden and significantly altered by the canal works. It may have been used as a temporary landfill, and the spot remains somewhat elevated from its surroundings today.

This area remained primarily agricultural in the decades following canal construction, but the neighbourhood anchored on Hartzel Road slowly expanded eastward between the 1950s and 2000s, and more community park space was needed. 

So why Pic Leeson? 

“Pic” was the nickname of Myles Leeson, a former councillor and alderman of Merritton. He later served on St. Catharines city council for a total of 44 years of public service. He ran for mayor twice but was unsuccessful. Pic Leeson was born in Merritton in 1908 and later attended the St. Catharines Collegiate. In his youth, Pic played for the St. Catharines Grads, a noted basketball team who won several national championships. He was a one-time president of the Canadian Amateur Basketball Association. Pic was also an avid baseball and softball player, playing catcher. His nickname is a bit of a mystery, but he may have inherited it from his father, who, as a youngster, was fond of picking pickles from a barrel. 

In addition to sports and politics, Pic Leeson worked for Merritton factories Alliance Paper and Hayes-Dana, among other companies. He sat on various committees and community boards including for the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival, the St. Catharines Transit Commission, and the Merritton Community Centre. He was a dedicated member of the Merritton Lions Club with a 30-year perfect attendance record. Pic Leeson died in 1978. His name was soon put forward as appropriate for a new park, commemorating both his community service and his love of sports.  

I should also mention that the adjoining sports park also features a person’s name: John Dempsey. John Dempsey (d.1980) was another very active citizen of Merritton. He was the one-time president of the Merritton Athletic Association and was an outspoken critic of the 1961 amalgamation of his town into St. Catharines. John Dempsey is one of a few men who, over the years, have been affectionately labeled “Mr. Merritton”. 

Conclusion 

Four weeks and 12 parks later, we have completed our journey through the four corners of St. Catharines. Along the way we have explored the stories of individuals who have called St. Catharines home and have made such an impact on this city’s history, communities, sports, or industries that their names have been immortalized in public parks. Except maybe for the just plain lucky Owen Clifford! 

Naming public spaces after individuals is not without risk. As time moves forward the standards of what is considered acceptable, or representative of the community naturally evolve. Some individuals who were previously exalted may not look as good from where we are standing today. Egerton Ryerson, one of the designers of Canada’s Residential School System, is no longer considered an appropriate namesake for a university. In other cases, the honoured individual may have had no actual connection to the space, and a replacement name more representative of the community has been chosen. Mt. McKinley is now Mt. Denali, and the Queen Charlotte Islands are now Haida Gwai. 

In St. Catharines, however, the names adorning public parks offer a great selection of stories that celebrate history while remaining representative of the communities they serve… and why not throw in a bit of true crime intrigue to spice things up? 

For more on how the geography and urban layout of St. Catharines has evolved over the years, remember to visit the museum to check out our You are Here temporary mapping exhibit, on through the end of 2025! 

And in the meantime, get out there and enjoy the parks! 

Sean Dineley is a Public Programmer at the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre