Open for the Summer Season or by Appointment!
July and August: Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Statutory Holidays.
Tours and groups are welcome!
Tour groups are welcome! Enjoy a bilingual interpretive program and displays of artifacts found during an archaeological investigation which took place before restoration. Listen to history as you climb the steps inside the Tower to the top! Have a picnic on site, or visit the nearby Arbor Gallery just a few steps away, located inside the original home of William Higginson, the son of Thomas Higginson, who built the stone portion of the Tower.
The Higginson Tower is located close to St. John the Apostle Anglican Church (the church on the hill along Highway 34 as you enter Vankleek Hill from the north end). The ruins were owned by Phil Arber, who also owned the building that houses Arbor Gallery – Centre for Contemporary Art (CfCA), which was once the home of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Higginson, who built the wind-powered grist mill in 1832. William Higginson, son of Thomas, added the upper portion to create a conservatory and also built the red brick house nearby, now home to CfCA.
Phil Arber donated the ruins, and a portion of property around the ruins, to Champlain Township, and the Higginson Tower Committee raised $108,000 to restore this historic structure to its former stature. In addition, the Committee obtained $24,400 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, $30,000 from the Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation, $20,252 from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (Rural Economic Development, or RED), a grant of $25,000 from a Champlain Township reserve fund, and a further $9,900 from the Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation for the Tower Interpretive Program.
More than $100,000 worth of in-kind services, including architectural design services, legal services, tree removal, and reduced prices by many of the contractors, made this project possible.
Now that restoration is complete, the heritage structure and property will continue under municipal care, thanks to generous volunteer and community support. The Tower is open during the summer season and open off-season by special appointment to groups of 10 or more.
Many community partners worked with the Higginson Tower Committee to make this project happen. A right-of-way is registered on the property crossing in front of St. John the Apostle Anglican Church, thanks to the cooperation and enthusiasm of the Vankleek Hill congregation. The Higginson Tower Committee also secured parking privileges courtesy of the owner of the Marché Éclair building (the old Fraser Cheese Factory building), courtesy of Yvon Lavoie, the owner of the Marché.
About the Higginson Tower Committee and the Champlain Time Capsule:
This Committee was formed when Yves Berthiaume, owner of Berthiaume Family Funeral Home in Hawkesbury, offered to donate a container and arranged for a concrete vault to be donated by Costello Vaults. During a meeting with André Martel, Gary Barton, Phil Arber, and Louise Sproule in 2003, it was decided to use the time capsule idea as a fundraiser to restore the 175-year-old Higginson Observation Tower.
In 1997, Vankleek Hill celebrated the 100th anniversary of its incorporation as the Town of Vankleek Hill. But 1997 also marked another milestone: the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the town’s first settler, Simeon Vankleek. While some funds were raised at that time, the project had been dormant for some time. Shortly after its inaugural meeting, the Committee asked Champlain Township if it would take ownership of the restored Tower if the restoration funds and restoration project were undertaken by a volunteer committee which would raise funds and oversee the restoration.
Apply to be A summer student!
We’re always looking for volunteers during our open season. For more information, please email Louise at [email protected]
To make tour arrangements
Call 613-678-3327 or Email Louise at [email protected]
History
The Higginson Observation Tower represents the many positive contributions made by Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Higginson, an Irish emigrant from County Antrim, Ireland who left for Canada in 1819 and settled in Vankleek Hill in 1829. … Learn More
Archived News
Here we have kept a record of the media coverage of the progress, events, and opening of the Higginson Tower from 2006 to 2015. Feel free to browse through the section for more information. … Learn More
Latest News
Follow us on Facebook to find out more about what is happening at the Higginson Tower this summer. … Learn More
Tower Committee
André Martel, Co-President
Louise Sproule, Co-President
Kenda Allen, Treasurer
Mary Ann C. Tisdall, Secretary
Gary J. Barton, Director
Peter Barton, Director
Alice Higginson MacLaurin, Director