By Hollie Pratt-Campbell

EMC News - If you noticed the boathouse in Bath next to the Fairfield-Gutzeit house appear to levitate and inch its way toward Main St. last week, don't worry, you weren't hallucinating. 

The building, which once served as a militia barracks during the War of 1812, was temporarily moved several yards back from the water to allow for a new foundation to be laid, marking the initial step in the boathouse's transformation into a Living History Discovery Centre in time for the War of 1812 bicentennial celebration next summer.

"It's going to ultimately tell a story that starts in 1784 with the Loyalist settlement of the area, and migrates on to the conditions of the area (during the early 19th century) and the events during War of 1812," says Fairfield-Gutzeit society director David Smith.

A central focus of the Discovery Centre will be telling the story of the Flight of the Royal George, a two-and-a-half day long naval battle which took place between British and U.S. forces on Lake Ontario near what later became the village of Bath, the battle is intended to be re-enacted by approximately 1,500 people next summer on the water near the Fairfield-Gutzeit grounds. 

The centre will also focus on the heritage of the area, and serve as an educational tool for locals and tourists alike.

"We're very excited about the opportunity to help preserve some of our heritage and tell a story," says Smith. "That was a pivotal time in our history. The better part of 50-some odd years before Confederation forms one of the building blocks of what became our country. If British North America had become part of the U.S. at that point, there would have been no Canada."

Smith adds that the centre will "tell very much the history and the stories of the families in the area. Quite a few of the families' names are still in this region."

The building itself was once located across the bay on Heritage Point, and was moved across the ice to its current location one winter in the early 1800s. Each of its two storeys will be used by the Discovery Centre, for a total of about 2,600 square feet of visitors' space.

The ground floor will tell of the early days of Bath, what the region was like during the War of 1812 era, and the story of the Flight of the Royal George. The upstairs section will be designed to resemble a War of 1812 barracks, complete with mannequins in uniform and period furnishings.

"We'll have passive content on flat-panel screens - people can walk through and they can watch stuff, mixed in with some artefacts, (etc.)" explains WJP Media's Dale Morrisey, who is currently working on putting together the centre's content. "And then have some interactive stuff as well - tactile devices people can touch and play with."

Morrisey is also working on a special Flight of the Royal George film, which will serve as one of the centre's main displays.

Morrisey points out that the project has garnered support from all levels of government - and with good reason.

"This is a community that's proud of its heritage, and it should be," he says. "I think this will help draw people in. People from here will go 'oh wow, this is great,' but I think it will pull in people and make it a real destination spot along the Loyalist Parkway."

The Discovery Centre is slated to open initially in early June to allow school children to tour the facility before summer break. A grand opening will be held June 29-July 1, 2012.

hpratt-campbell@theemc.ca