Born into the American aristocracy on August 9th, 1773. Harrison was the youngest of seven children born to Benjamin Harrison V and his wife Elizabeth. He grew up on he Berkely Planation in Charles City County Virginia. He entered school at age 14 studying the classics, then entered the field of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in 1790, after the death of his father in 1791 leaving little funds for him to continue his studies a friend arranged for him to meet Governor Henry Lee, and within a day Harrison accepted an Ensigns commission in the United States Army and was assigned to theRead More →

The one major landmark in the centre of Mississauga is the hourglass-shaped condos by Square One. I was always wondering where the best place to shoot them would be, so very early, I started scouting out exactly where to shoot from. The best spot is the very top of the mall’s parking garage. Modified Anniversary Speed Graphic Schneider-Kreuznack Angulon 1:6,8/90 (Yellow 15) Kodak Tri-X Pan (320TXP) Meter: Pentax Spotmeter V 1/25″ – f/32 – ASA-320 Kodak Xtol (1+1) 8:30 @ 20CRead More →

At least my drive to work isn’t all city driving; there are some suburbs, and my favourite section, the rural areas, which can be a pain this winter, especially with the number of storms we’ve been hit with in Southern Ontario. When I first started driving past it almost ten years ago, this barn was intact, part of an abandoned farm (my first experience with urbex). The fields around it are still used, but the barn and the house are not. Sadly the decade has not been kind; storms, rain, snow and ice have knocked it down. Modified Anniversary Speed Graphic – Kodak Ektar f:7.7Read More →

Dundurn Castle isn’t a castle, it’s just the name of this stately manor home that sits on Burlington Heights, built over the ruins of the British Strong Point during the War of 1812 and the launch point of the small British Force that defeated the Americans camped at Stoney Creek in June of 1813. The home completed in 1835 was constructed in the Regency Style. Its most famous owner, Sir Allen MacNab, who served during the Rebellions of 1837/8, was a staunch Tory and briefly Premiere of the Province of Canada. Dundurn Castle has always been a draw for me; as a history buff, there’sRead More →

But let’s get started! This is where I work, the Hazel McCallion Campus (HMC) of Sheridan College in Mississauga, Ontario. My division within the Information Technology Department, the IT Solutions Center, was moved here last April from our old office at Oakville’s Trafalgar Campus. I was initially wary of the move as it really increased my commute time, and more city driving however despite that I’m pretty happy with the new digs. First off…it’s a new place to shoot, although there’s not much TOO shoot around, just a shopping mall, although the curvy condo towers will make a neat subject. The campus has one thingRead More →

Oliver Hazard Perry, one of the great American Heroes that made his name in the War of 1812. A navy man through and through and the man who beat the Royal Navy at their own game. Born in August 23rd, 1785 in South Kingston, Rhode Island entered the fledgling United States Navy at age 15 as a mid-shipman. He saw his first action during the First Barbary war in Tripoli under Commodore Preble. By 1802 he was promoted to Lieutenant and offered the post of master and commander of the Schooner Revenge with Commodore John Roger’s squadron. As it was a time of peace, PerryRead More →

When it rains, the last place you’ll want to be is Fort Meigs, trust me on this one. The fort isn’t the nicest fort that got involved in the war, there is not a long drawn out or particularly memorable history about the depot fortification. It really is more of an afterthought, a post designed to be a stopping point for troops and supplies, and while it saw only two sieges over the course of the war it did stand out in one way. It was the largest wooden palisade wall fort in all of North America, at least when it was first built. UnlikeRead More →

The Siege of Fort Meigs was a mess, a minor action at a depot fort that did little but injury the personal morale of a British officer and drive a wedge in the strained alliance between Tecumseh and the British. It was the opening move in the long game of William Henry Harrison and his designs for the invasion of Upper Canada. A muddy mess that did little to further the British plans but was exactly what Harrison had hoped in the end. A small, tactical victory. The first year of the war had not gone well for the Americans. With the entire plan forRead More →

If you’ve never heard of Fort Amherstburg or even Fort Malden, I’ll forgive you. Being from the Greater Toronto/Hamilton region of Ontario, much of Western Ontario is a bit of a mystery. It also doesn’t help that today Fort Malden doesn’t look too much like a fort when you compare it to places like Fort York, Fort Erie, and Fort Wellington. Located in the small town of Amherstburg, the fort’s garrison saw some of the heaviest and earliest fightings during the Anglo-American War of 1812 and had a long history beyond that of a military post. They were initially constructed as Fort Amherstburg following theRead More →

With a commanding view of both Lake Ontario and the Niagara River, the old colonial fort has a long and complicated history connecting it to three different nations that formed the basis of the modern countries that exist today. Not to mention it serves as the oldest collection of stone buildings west of Montreal and the oldest fortification I have had the honour of visiting and documenting. I’m of course talking about Fort Niagara. The French Castle is the oldest and central structure of Fort Niagara and dates back to 1729. Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Schneider-Kreuznack Angulon 1:6,8/90 – Kodak Tri-X Pan @ ASA-320 KodakRead More →