As a Pelham newcomer from Toronto, the process of doing research for his new book on the 100 acres of Upper Fonthill land surrounding his home was a bit daunting for Graham Segger.
“Coming from the ‘dark side of the lake,’ I faced some suspicion, inquiring about the people and families who've been here forever,” Segger said. “You have to earn the respect of folks here.”
Segger retired in 2010 as a partner with Deloitte, after 35 years with the company in senior audit and management consulting roles.
He had been a frequent speaker at conferences, sharing his knowledge of accounting, reinsurance, and corporate governance, and had earned recognition as a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario.
His post-employment years allowed him to refocus on such passions as travel, sailing, community service, writing, and historical research. In January 2021, Segger and his wife Diane relocated to Fonthill (“I’ve got four grandchildren here in the area, and another in Hamilton, so that’s one of the draws of being here”) and settled in the new Davis Heights cluster of homes located beside the old “silo” property on Haist Street. It wasn’t long before he delved into the history and geography of the place he now calls home, research that originally started several years before.
Segger’s book, The Land at the Crest of the Hill: Clues to Niagara History from Upper Fonthill, is the product of countless hours of research and conversations with many people and groups throughout the region. He was especially appreciative of assistance rendered by the Pelham Historical Society and Brock University.
Born in Scotland and raised in Sudbury (“Summer employment with Inco financed my education,” said Segger), he has always had a keen interest in history, geography, and genealogy. His book describes the history of the area at the top of the Canboro and Highway 20 hill known variously over the years as Riceville, Pelham Heights, Upper Fonthill, and other names.
“This is my second book, although the first was more a compilation of essays,” said Segger. “I submit articles for a community newspaper down in Florida during the wintertime, writing history stories about that area.” He stitched them together into a book.
“Have you ever wondered why so many of the north–south roads in Pelham have jogs in them, why there is little heavy industry in Fonthill, how a sand and gravel quarry became a nature conservancy, or why Pelham was a dry township for so many years?” he writes. These and many more questions are addressed in Segger’s book. He freely admits to not being a trained historian or geographer, but took care to consult with both subject-matter experts and longtime residents while conducting his research.
“When I first came to Fonthill, I went to the library, and said that I'd like to learn about the history of the area. They gave me photocopies of published Tweedsmuir Women's Institute Village History books, Pelham 1951 and Fonthill 1962."
Segger said that a problem he discovered is that these Tweedsmuirs contain information based on oral histories, passed down through generations, some of which may not actually be true.
With regard to the local geology, Segger said that the often-referenced “Fonthill Kame,” which is the crest or high ground in the area, may be a misnomer.
“It's not my original research at all, but based on the work of an earth sciences professor at Brock, John Menzies. He and his academic colleagues have determined that the large area of sand and gravel deposits on Pelham Heights that has glacial origins is not really a kame, but is more accurately described as an ice-contact delta.” For those Pelhamites who are detail-obsessed, there you have it.
'Gravel deposits on Pelham Heights that has glacial origins is not really a kame, but is more accurately described as an ice-contact delta'
Archaeological evidence of Indigenous activity on the Pelham heights dates back 5,000 years, said Segger. Various artifacts like arrowheads have been found in East Fonthill, indicating the presence of camp sites. However, “the role of Canboro Road as a thoroughfare for early First Nations, which has been taken as an article of faith among local residents,” writes Segger, “is not supported by the research. Academic studies of the traditional trade routes make no mention of this path, and it does not show on the earliest military maps. Paths along the Welland River are usually cited as the track of the trade routes between the Niagara River and the western part of Ontario, while the trails above and below the escarpment are cited as the major routes to Hamilton and Burlington.”
When Pelham Township was surveyed in 1788 it was laid out with fourteen Concessions, each containing twenty lots of approximately 100 acres each. Many of the early nineteenth century families — Rice, Price, Willson, Crawford, Canby, Church, Ward, Frazer, Haist, D’Everardo and Buchner, among others — are profiled in Segger’s book, along with 20th century names like Railton, Mawhinney, Hansler, Stirtzinger, Davis, Derreck, Stevenson, and Lathrop. Many of these families made significant contributions to various aspects of the township. Whiting Lathrop, for example, was Chair of the Board of Governors of Brock University, and with his wife Margaret donated the 60 acres of the Lathrop Preserve to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Fonthill’s location on high ground made railway development in the area difficult, and its distance from the Welland Canal meant that heavy industries were established elsewhere in the region. The retreating glaciers deposited fertile, well-drained soil, which encouraged agriculture and recreation (including golf courses and conservation areas).
The most significant socio-political influence on the development of early Pelham was the American Revolution, and the subsequent migration north of the United Empire Loyalists, and church adherents including Quakers, Tunkers, Baptists, Mennonite offshoots, and others. They brought a strong work ethic, agricultural skills, rigid morals, and a literally sober outlook to the township. That's how the precursor to Fonthill was named Temperanceville, a moniker that lasted only seven or eight years.
In just the last 70 years, laments Segger, most of the land in Upper Fonthill has been transformed from agricultural use to residential housing.
“Without the constraints of the conservation organizations, it seems inevitable that more of what makes Pelham so special will be lost to development in the foreseeable future. Perhaps a slow, halting drive down from the crest of the Fonthill is a small price to pay for preservation of a meaningful segment of our remaining green space,” he writes.
Change (which has admittedly accelerated in recent years) has been a constant over the entire history of Upper Fonthill, said Segger, who noted that for over a century Fonthill has been an attractive residential enclave for those employed elsewhere in Niagara.
Segger even weighed in on the controversial naming of the new public elementary school in Fenwick.
“The renaming of E.W. Farr Memorial Public School was such a flawed decision,” said Segger. “I analyzed it from several different angles. It made no sense. The term ‘Wellington Heights’ was written on one map in 1827, and update maps had no such notation. It was in reference to an area of high ground in Fonthill that was suggested as the site of a defensive fortress, suggested by a person trying to curry favour with the famous Duke of Wellington, who was Britain’s Master-General of His Majesty's Ordnance. The fortress was never built. But the people at the Niagara school board who voted in favour of renaming the school in Wellington’s honour had become entrenched, and refused to back down.”
Segger has given presentations to numerous groups covering the research of his book. When he’s not involved with speaking engagements, Segger enjoys time windsurfing, and paddling his canoe in the Welland River with his grandkids. He and his wife winter in Florida, where they enjoy their sailboat.
“I believe the most valuable section of the book may actually be the annotated bibliography, which contains an extensive list of local history resources for further study,” said Segger. “An abridged version of the bibliography can be found on the new Pelham Historical Society website.”
A $20 eBook version is available for download at www.pelhamhistoricalsociety.ca, while $25 print copies of the book are available at some Fonthill businesses. All net proceeds are donated to two local charitable organizations: the Nature Conservancy of Canada - Lathrop Preserve (80 percent) and the Pelham Historical Society (20 percent).
Oct. 31: Minor corrections were made to spelling and quotes.
