Local History and Genealogy

The Special Collections room, located on the second floor of the Central Library, houses our Local History and Norval Johnson Heritage Centre collections. Items in these collections are reference-only and may not be borrowed. However, the Special Collections room is open to the public during all regular library hours.  

Local History  

Information in this collection is primarily related to the current and historical development of St. Catharines and to a lesser extent, the rest of the Niagara Peninsula. There is information on local people, architecture, businesses, industries, churches, schools, hospitals, homes, sports, cultural and other events, tourism, the Welland Canal, the War of 1812, the Underground Railroad, Black History and more.