Today this park serves as the recreational center for St. Catharines. Known to the locals as the place to be this park is the host to major events in the area such as; The Grape and Wine Festival, Rib Fest, Cultural festivals, concerts, bazaars, art shows and much more. The park is also open for rent, so people my choose to host weddings or large-scale birthday parties. Montebello Park is located in the heart of the downtown core of St. Catharines, making it both convenient and accessible to all peoples in the city. The park consists of multiple walking paths a few small-scale gazebos as well as a large risen stage with a decorative roof, at the head of the park.

The park now consists of land that had previously owned by William Hamilton Merritt. During the days he had lived in St.Catharines William had three sons with his wife Catharines; Jebediah (1820), William Jr (1822) and Thomas (1824). William Hamilton Merritt Jr, the middle child had been sent off to both Paris and London for his young education (Burtniak & Wesley, 1979). When he returned he was fluent in French and a young lawyer. During his time in St.Catharines William had been elected into town council and later became president of both St.Catharines and Merritville. Much like his father William had a vested interest in transportation, he had help build the Welland Railway which now connects Port Dalhousie to Port Colborne (Styran, R. M.1963).

In 1860 William had tragically died of a stroke. During this time he had been in the midst of building his home which had never been fully constructed. Today the frame still exists in Montebello Park as the main stage and the head of the park (Styran, R. M.1963). His death had a long resting impact on both of his parents William and Catharine. It had been notes that after their boy's death both of their health declined and depression severely impacted them. Two years later in 1862 William Hamilton Merritt died, followed by his wife (Styran, R. M.1963).

The home of William Hamilton Merritt Jr. had ceased operations during his death. Only the frame had been established as they waited for the shipments of the rest of the materials to arrive. After it had been made clear that the project was to no longer be continued all of the material had been sent of to be used at Rodman Hall (Styran, R. M.1963). This included the marble floors, wood trimmings and the stain glass windows. Thomas Rodman Merritt, the youngest of the three boys had been left in charge of overseeing the construction of Rodman Hall, as well as its landscaping on the grounds.Thomas had also carried on his older brother's other projects such as his political endeavors as well as his construction of the Welland Railway (Styran, R. M.1963).

Montebello Park is the 6th destination on the Merritt Family Historical Tour.

Burtniak & Wesley (1979). The Welland Canals: First Annual Niagara Peninsula History Conference. City of St. Catharines & Brock University. April 21-22

Styran, R. M. (1963). William Hamilton Merritt : man of one idea. Hamilton, Ont. : McMaster University, Department of History, 1963.