In 1818, Thomas Barnett built a spiral staircase to the base of the Falls. He gave out certificates to those tourists who completed a trip behind the "Sheet of Falling Water".

In 1827, a tourist could walk 153 feet behind the cascading water of the Horseshoe Falls. By 1856, the distance a tourist could walk behind the "Sheet of Falling Water" was 230 feet before reaching the termination rock preventing any further progress.

In 1826, Thomas Barnett established the "Thomas Barnett Museum" (presently the Niagara Falls Museum) at the Table Rock. It was located on the north side of the current Murray Hill.

In 1827, Barnett erected a stone building 300 feet (91m) south of the Table Rock. He used this building as his museum and observation deck. Barnett built a stairway to a small observation deck at the base of the Falls.

In 1831, Samuel Tazewell introduces lithography without much success in Kingston. Thomas Barnett opens the first autonomous museum in Canada, a commercial collection of curiosities in Niagara falls. James Cooper's St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Niagara-on- the-Lake is one of the earliest examples of Neoclassical building.

In 1855, Barnett advertised that he had constructed a tunnel below the Table Rock.

In 1859, Barnett built a new museum at the current site of the Victoria Park Restaurant.

In 1877, Thomas Barnett sold the museum to Saul Davis.