Bob Tymczyszyn, St. Catharines Standard
It's something walkers and cyclists have passed, and children have climbed on for the past couple of years, but the propeller near Lock 1 of the Welland Canal now has a story behind it.
Members of Rotary Club of St. Catharines Lakeshore on Saturday unveiled a storyboard sign that adds some history to the marine artifact.
Rotarian Bruce Timms said it was part of the original plan in 1997 when they introduced the concept of the park.
"The propeller and a whole bunch of artifacts were supposed to come," said Timms.
"But we ended up with the biggest and the best."
The storyboard is part of the continued support for the park by the Rotary Club over the past 20 years.
"It was reserved for us by (the late president of Canadian Shipbuilding and Engineering) Alan Thoms from the Port Weller Dry Docks."
"We didn't realize at the time, but this was built for the John O'McKellar in 1952 when Charles Ansell, for whom the park is named, was still owner, operator of the dry docks."
Built in the dry docks, the ship suffered significant damage from a collision in 1974 and was later sold and renamed the Elmglen in 1984 before being scrapped in 1990.
The propeller, which Timms said weighs several tonnes, was installed at the park in 2017.