Abstract
In 1823, the Ontario House, a hotel and tavern, was built near Niagara Falls, Canada. In addition to providing a location for travelers and tourists to drink and lodge, Ontario House, like many other establishments, billeted soldiers when the need arose. The 2012 excavation of the midden and features of the Ontario House produced a large assemblage of artifacts including ceramics, buttons, numismatics, and military accoutrements. Of particular interest is an East Indian coin, found in the natural topsoil, which can be associated with the 67th Regiment of Foot’s brief occupation of Ontario House in 1841. This paper addresses the significance of this coin and associated finds in regards to the global movement of the regiment and the socio-political context of Ontario House within regional history.
Highlights
This paper will examine one small find uncovered during the excavation of the Loretto site (AgGs-326) in Niagara Falls, Ontario during the fall of 2012 by Archaeological Services Inc. (Hull and MacDonald 2014)
The first relates to the military background of the Ontario House, the second involves tourist travel to the region, and the last requires an understanding of the shortage of small change in Upper and Lower Canada during the colonial period
One possible hypothesis for the deposition of the pai sikka at the Loretto site in Niagara Falls relies on the global movement of troops
Summary
This paper will examine one small find uncovered during the excavation of the Loretto site (AgGs-326) in Niagara Falls, Ontario during the fall of 2012 by Archaeological Services Inc. (Hull and MacDonald 2014). The pai sikka or pice is a coin of the Bengali Presidency and the Calcutta Mint began its production in 1795. The Ontario House pai sikka would closely fit the weight of KM# 29 in The Standard Catalogue of World Coins 1801–1900 (Krause and Mischler 2004), the visible obverse and reverse inscriptions do not match.
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