Memorial · Ottawa

Vincent Massey Park Plaque

Photograph at the Vincent Massey Park Plaque Memorial
Photograph via Wikipedia (Confederation Heights, CC BY-SA).

This plaque commemorates the historical transformation of the land that now constitutes Vincent Massey Park. It acknowledges the family who originally settled this area in the early 19th century, before its acquisition by the National Capital Commission. The plaque serves as a reminder of the foundational history of this space, highlighting the continuity of land ownership and public access over time. It draws attention to the origins of the park, connecting its present use as a public amenity to its past as private land settled by early inhabitants of the region.

Vincent Massey Park is situated within Confederation Heights, a district in south Ottawa characterised predominantly by government edifices. This area, bounded by Data Centre Road to the east, the Rideau River to the north and west, and Brookfield Road to the south, incorporates various significant institutions and green spaces. The park's establishment, marked by the National Capital Commission's purchase of the land, reflects a broader pattern of urban development and public infrastructure creation seen throughout such areas within the mid-20th century.

The plaque can be found within Vincent Massey Park, an integral part of the Confederation Heights area in south Ottawa. This park is accessible to the public, offering a setting for recreation and reflection. Visitors will locate the plaque amidst the park's grounds, which are bordered by the Rideau River. Its location within a public park allows for respectful viewing during park operating hours.

Inscription

“THE LAND THAT IS NOW VINCENT MASSEY PARK WAS PURCHASED BY THE NATIONAL CAPITAL COMMISSION FROM THE FAMILY OF DANIEL O'CONNOR AND MARGARET POWER WHO SETTLED IN BYTOWN IN 1827”
Transcribed from the Memorial at Ottawa.

Background

Confederation Heights is an area in south Ottawa, Canada, made up of mostly government buildings. It is bounded on the east by Data Centre Road, on the north and west by the Rideau River and on the south by Brookfield Road. Confederation Heights includes the Clarke Memorial Centre (RA Centre), the Taxation Data Centre (Canada Revenue Agency), 1500 Bronson Avenue (formerly Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Communications Security Establishment's Edward Drake Building), the Sir Leonard Tilley Building (formerly Communications Security Establishment), Canada Post Place (Canada Post headquarters), the Sir Charles Tupper Building (Public Works Canada), Hog's Back Park, Vincent Massey Park and Mooney's Bay station.

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Geographic data via OpenStreetMap.

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Data sources

Location records are drawn from open, licence-clean datasets, kept here with attribution and gratitude to the people who maintain them.

  • Open Plaques, dedicated to the public domain (CC0). See openplaques.org.
  • Wikidata, available under the CC0 1.0 Universal dedication.
  • © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database Licence.
  • Historic England, National Heritage List for England, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. War memorial records are drawn from open community datasets (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, NHLE) - never from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is excluded.

Editorial descriptions, photography and tribute links are original TributeLegacy work, layered on top of the open data.

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