Old Fort Erie to commemorate 250th anniversary of American Revolution

Brent Jones
February 25, 2026 at 3:14 PM

Old Fort Erie will mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a new five-part lecture series exploring the American Revolutionary era and the fort’s role in it.

Niagara Parks announced Wednesday it will present ‘The 1776 Forum: Old Fort Erie in the Revolutionary Era’ beginning Sunday, March 22. The series will feature historians, authors, educators and Indigenous knowledge keepers examining political ideas, frontier life, Black history and Haudenosaunee alliances during the period.

In a news release, Niagara Parks said the forum is designed to commemorate the events of 1776 and highlight Old Fort Erie’s significance as “the oldest British military fort built in Ontario.” The fort served as a British supply outpost supporting soldiers, Loyalist Rangers and Haudenosaunee warriors during the American Revolution, according to the release.

The sessions will run at 2 p.m. in the Old Fort Erie visitor centre theatre, with individual tickets priced at $15 or $60 for the full series.

Speakers include Brock University history professor Mark G. Spencer on March 22; Buffalo educator Rich Pyszczek on April 18; researcher Peter Meyler on May 3 discussing Richard Pierpoint; historical dress expert Betsy Bashore on June 7; and Tuscarora knowledge keeper Rick Hill Sr. on June 27.

The announcement builds on comments Niagara Parks CEO David Adames made in an interview with Fort Erie Radio on February 21, when he signalled that expanded historical programming was coming to the site.

“Niagara Parks through Old Fort Erie will be hosting a series of talks…about the 1764 fort and what was going on in this area at the same time as the American Revolution was going on in the United States,” Adames said at the time, adding the lectures would offer “different perspectives in each of those sessions.”

Adames also noted the programming ties into longer-term interpretive planning ahead of the Public Bridge Authority’s 100th anniversary in 2027.

Old Fort Erie has played multiple roles in cross-border history–from the Revolutionary period through the War of 1812–and sits just metres from the Peace Bridge, a landmark that will mark its centennial next year.

More information and tickets for the 1776 Forum are available at niagaraparks.com.