Hamilton’s heritage homes and museums teem with anecdotes and stories, vividly conveying the early history of a Steel City fast transforming itself into a knowledge and cultural destination. Here are seven pieces of history I learned from Hamilton curators and museum guides.

1. The Orange Order began as an Irish Protestant fraternity sometimes referred to as the Loyal Order of Lodgemen, or LOL.

 2. Robert Baldwin, of Spadina House, instructed that a male version of a Caesarean section be performed on his corpse in homage to his beloved wife, Eliza, who died at twenty-five in 1836 after such an operation.

 3. To project a dignified image as Mayor of Toronto in 1846, William Boulton sat for his official portrait wearing black silk stockings, frilly sleeves, and white lace exploding out of his vest.