The amusement park rose to the height of its glory days between 1910 and 1930. It was touted as Buffalo's $2 million playground, with landscaped gardens, dozens of rides and all kinds of special events in the huge stadium. In 1930, it was forced to close due to the Great Depression. Today, as you approach the area from the walkway at Waverly Beach Park, what remains of the big concrete outdoor swimming pool is unmistakable, still holding firm against the constant battering of the lake. Along the public promenade are remnants of the bathing beaches, the dance hall, the slide ride and the circle swing that finally gave up the ghost in 2020 and now lies toppled on the scarp. Other ruins suggest the location of the various rides, along with an electric fountain and concrete promenade with illuminated lamp posts holding flower urns, which amazed people at a time before the village of Fort Erie had electric lighting.

How did this amazing place get started? The clues are few in number. Tradition has it the story began in 1885 when three men—Benjamin Baxter, Edwy (often misspelled Edward or Edwin) Baxter and William B. Pearce—established a picnic ground. And what of the much-maligned theory of a connection with the War of 1812? Recently discovered and re-discovered historical documents, along with newly digitized Buffalo newspapers, shed some light on those questions.

Benjamin and Edwy Baxter were brothers from Fort Erie, Ontario. Benjamin was a medical doctor who had a practice in Cayuga, Ontario, about 50 miles to the west, with another brother, Dr. Jacob Baxter. Edwy operated a successful grain business, selling his product at the Corn Exchange on the Central Wharf in Buffalo. In later life, these two men envisioned creating a wonderful place where people could commune with nature, enjoy a picnic and socialize with their friends in beautiful surroundings. In 1885, they secured by lease from the Canadian government five acres of land on the Lake Erie shore at what is now Fort Erie’s Helena Street. One year later, in 1886, they added more acreage bringing the total to 11, comprising the land along the lake below Lakeshore Road from Helena Street to Adelaide Street. They would convert their lease to personal ownership via a Crown Patent about ten years later.

The Baxters' land, which consisted of a cleared woodland of old oaks and maples, was part of the Canadian Military Reserve attached to old Fort Erie. After the British Army abandoned the fort in the 1820s, it was used as a picnic ground. Being located on the edge of a snake-ridden sand dune, it was known as Snake Hill Grove. One picnic held on the grounds was described in the Buffalo Courier of May 12, 1863: 

We learn from the Catholic Sentinel that preparations are being made by the Catholic Ladies at Fort Erie for a Pic Nic at Snake Hill Grove (near the old fort) on Monday, May 25, for the benefit of the Catholic School of that place. Music and various amusements will be had.

The Baxters called their special place Erie Grove, and fitted it out with amenities, including seating under the trees, sidewalks, a dance pavilion and a lunchroom for comfortable picnicking. “The scene presented from Fort Erie Grove is ever-varying and beautiful,” wrote the Buffalo Express on July 5, 1885, “the City of Buffalo, steamers, sail craft, panting tugs, and the ever-sounding lake, are elements of a lovely picture.”

The spot soon became a favorite, not just for day-trippers but for annual picnics. The Baxters delighted in welcoming people to their creation, as was evident from an article in The Buffalo Commercial of July 23, 1885: “The Sunday School of the Church of the Messiah, had their annual picnic at this place. . . Mr. Baxter, the manager, had a conveyance ready to take all baskets and parcels to the grove. . . and everyone was made to feel at home.”

The founders made sure that Americans could also enjoy the grounds by establishing a ferry service, which departed regularly from the foot of Main Street, made a stop at the old fort, then landed at a dock at Fort Erie Grove. The International Ferry Company had among its principals Benjamin Baxter, Edwy Baxter, Dr. William B. Pierce of Buffalo, (who also resided in Fort Erie), James S. Ladd, a Buffalo grocer, and Gustavus Bassett. The four streets adjacent to the grove were named after them—Bassett, Ladd (now Helena Street), Pierce (now closed) and Baxter (now Beachview Avenue) avenues. Pierce and Beachview Road allowances are now public accesses to the beach. 

Although Erie Grove was privately owned and operated, it was, for all intents and purposes, like a public park. The concept of public parks was a relatively new one in the late 19th century. It was during this same period, between 1868 and 1896, that Frederick Law Olmsted and his partner Calvert Vaux designed the Niagara Reservation State Park, as well as a park system for the City of Buffalo. Their vision was to provide a place where everyone could come freely to enjoy open green spaces, picnic with their families and escape the stress of daily life. The Baxter brothers and their associates would no doubt have been familiar with, and were probably inspired by, the work of Frederick Olmsted.

While the Baxters were obtaining a lease for their section of the military reserve, there was a movement afoot to save the grounds and ruins of the old fort adjacent to their land, in order to preserve its history and to honor the soldiers who had fallen there. The site of several forts during the 18th and early 19th century, the most recent Fort Erie had been captured by American forces in July 1814, during the War of 1812, whereupon they greatly expanded the fortifications.  Later that summer, British forces under Lt. General Gordon Drummond laid siege to the fort, launching a multi-pronged night assault on the American works on August 15.  The fort was finally abandoned by the Americans that November.  The site is still considered to be the bloodiest battlefield in the history of Canada.

In January 1887, a petition was presented to the Canadian government by the County of Welland, supported by local historical societies, to preserve these grounds. The government recommended that the old fort property be preserved as a “public park.” Reconstruction of the fort followed in the 1930s and today Old Fort Erie is a National Historic Site operated by the Niagara Parks Commission, an agency of the Province of Ontario.

Were the Baxters influenced by the history of the War of 1812 and the old fort? Their decision to extend the area of their lease beyond the original five-acre plot may be a clue. This addition brought their property up to the southern edge of what had been the American works in 1814—and the location of Snake Hill, which had been a hotly contested point in the works during General Drummond’s August 15 night assault. 

As it happens, Benjamin and Edwy Baxter were grandsons of Captain John Baxter of the 3rd Lincoln Militia, who had served with the British in the War of 1812. They may have been told family stories of the assault on Snake Hill and how wounded soldiers had been treated in their grandfather's barn. The Baxter family were United Empire Loyalists (American colonists who allied themselves with Great Britain during the American Revolution) and were heavily invested in the military. In addition to two of Captain John's brothers being in the 3rd Lincoln Militia, two of his sons served in the 5th Lincoln Militia during the rebellion of 1838. Benjamin's brother, Dr. Jacob Baxter, served as surgeon to the 2nd Battalion, Haldimand Rifles. In addition, two descendant relatives would be officers in the Canadian military. One of them, who was named after Edwy, was Lieutenant-Colonel Edwy S. Baxter, who commanded the 114th Overseas Battalion before succumbing to illness in 1916. Thus, preserving the Snake Hill battleground as a place where Canadians and Americans could come together for peaceful enjoyment may well have been a source of pride for Benjamin and Edwy Baxter. 

The Baxter’s ancestral property played a role in the battles surrounding the 1814 siege of Fort Erie. Orders issued to the British column assigned to move against the southern portion of the American works on the night of August 15 included instructions that “On reaching Baxter's you will halt for the night.” From Captain Baxter's farm, four miles to the west, the column marched through Erie Beach while moving to attack the American battery at the top of Snake Hill. Met with strong resistance by the ready and waiting Americans, the column suffered massive casualties before retreating by the way they had come, taking their wounded to Captain Baxter's barn.