Built in 1800, John McFarland and his descendants called this house home for over 140 years. McFarland, a widower and Scottish imigrant came to Canada with his four children in the 1790s. King George III granted McFarland 608 acres of land for his services as boat builder.

In 1796, the Treaty of Paris was signed, giving Fort Niagara to the Americans. To protect their interests in Upper Canada, the British immediately constructed a fort directly across the Niagara River. By 1802, Fort George had been completed and was the headquarters for the British army, local militia and the Indian Department.