Greater Napanee

As it follows close to the shore, the Parkway offers frequent views of Lake Ontario and active farms.

Orchards in bloom are spectacular in May and June and are famous for pick-your-own in the fall.

East of the Lennox Power Generating Plant, the Parkway has been curved around the site of a native longhouse and burial ground dating back to about 800 A.D. The site was important because it viewed the gap between the islands offshore. This park will be left in a natural state. There is no water access or tourist accommodation.

In 1834, a frame church was built by the early Presbyterian families. In 1887 the church was renovated, the tower was added on the front rising 60 feet. The building was brick with eight new memorial windows made of cathedral glass. On September 21, 1921, the church was destroyed by fire. The tower, with its battlements was restored as a monument for the cemetery and a vault door installed in front.

At Sandhurst see St. Paul’s Anglican Church and the historic plaque for Major James Rogers. Opposite the church is the historic Robert McDowell Church (tower only) and cemetery.

Head north of Adolphustown on County Rd. #8. Turn right at the junction with South Shore Road to find Hay Bay with the historic Hay Bay Methodist Church.

Close by are a memorial to the first organized Meeting in Canada of the Society of Friends (Quakers), and plaques marking the boyhood home of Sir John A. Macdonald and Judge Alexander Fisher.

Old Hay Bay Church is the oldest surviving Methodist building in Canada. It was erected in 1792 by settlers, including United Empire Loyalists, who had recently arrived and established the community of Adolphustown.

Returning to the Loyalist Parkway. Just west of County Rd. #8 is St. Alban the Martyr Church which was erected in 1884 as a memorial to the United Empire Loyalists who settled here.

Nearby, in the Old Town Hall, Municipal Government was initiated in Canada.

Just across the Parkway in The United Empire Loyalist Heritage Centre and Park is the site of the landing of the Loyalist settlers in June 1784.

Visit the Loyalist Cemetery and find the plaque about the loyalist leader Major Van Alstine. The Loyalist Cultural Centre in Allison House is a genealogical archive and museum. The Park offers camping, day use, boat ramp, swimming and fishing. Heritage reenactments sometimes take place in the attractive, tree-filled picnic grounds.

St. Alban the Martyr Memorial Church stands by the side of the road, elevated on a rise of land, about 40 kilometres west of Kingston, in the quiet hamlet of Adolphustown. The church was built close to the landing site of the fourth town contingent of the United Empire Loyalist who arrived at Adolphustown Creek on June 16, 1784 and is dedicated to United Empire Loyalists.

Construction of this Gothic revival stone church began in 1884. The Honourable John Beverly Robinson, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario laid the cornerstone on June 17, 1884, during the Bay of Quinte Centennial Celebrations of the landing of the Loyalists. Construction lasted several years and the first service was held in the church June 25, 1890.

The church has many interesting features, including a marble baptismal font, flags that are replicas of the colours that the Queen's Rangers American Regiment carried during the American Revolution and a bell believed to be the oldest church bell in Canada.

Source: http://www.uelac.org/St-Alban/church-history.php

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The Old Adolphustown Township Hall, located on Loyalist Parkway at Adolphustown, at the entrance to the park, is the site of the first town meeting in Upper Canada and the Midland District Courthouse (1792).The current building was constructed circa 1860 to replace the Court House that burned in the 1840s and was renovated by the municipality of Adolphustown in 1984. It is used for special events by the Seasonal Campers and also by the Bay of Quinte Branch

The UEL Heritage Centre and Park is a mixture of history, camping, and family fun, all in one location.  It is made up of 72 acres, located on the scenic shores of the Bay of Quinte, along the Loyalist Parkway (Hwy #33) in the historic village of Adolphustown.

The park is the site of the original landing of the first group of United Empire Loyalists, under Major Peter Van Alstine, which took place on June 16, 1784.  The first loyalists were settled on the grounds in tents, and spent their early days here before moving to their new homes.  The UEL Heritage Centre and Park is dedicated to the preservation of this important location, which included the first Loyalist Cemetery, established in 1784, and the oldest monument to the Loyalists in Canada, erected in 1884 for the Loyalist Centennial Celebrations.

The UEL Heritage Centre & Park is owned and operated by the Bay of Quinte Branch of the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada.

Visit the UEL Heritage Centre & Park on Facebook.

Situated in UEL Heritage Centre and Park, Adolphustown, Ontario, the UEL Burying Ground is known as the first Loyalist cemetery.

The cemetery is located on the site of the original landing of the first group of United Empire Loyalists, under Major Peter Vanalstine, which took place on June 16, 1784. The first loyalists were settled on the grounds in tents, and spent their early days here before moving to their new homes.

From “The Napanee Beaver” ... 16 August 1901: "There was but one burying ground in that part of the township, and it alone has been used by the people of that locality from the time of the first settlement of the township to this day with a slight exception to two. It will probably continue to be the last resting place of many of the residents of that locality for generations to come. It happens, however, that the descendants of the first Loyalists who cleared away the wilderness there and transferred the then "wild lots" into very fruitful and productive farms have now nearly all left the township."

The Glenora Ferry has been crossing the Adolphus Reach since the early 1800’s and has served as a link between Adolphustown and Glenora. During the Loyalist settlement of the region the Bay of Quinte served as the lifeline between the communities moving passengers and supplies. 

Many of the Loyalists who settled in Adolphustown were from the same region in New England as the settlers in Marysburgh. Early settlers crossed by boat in the summer and on foot or by horse and sleigh in the winter. Some of the early ferries were row boats, sail boats and a horse driven paddle wheeler. The first official ferry license was issued in 1802. Today the ferry is operated by the Ministry of Transportation and serves as a vital link on the Loyalist Parkway attracting and transporting thousands of visitors every year.