We’re involved in a number of exciting initiatives which celebrate and enhance the legacy of Laura Secord.
Here are a few of our current projects…
PROJECTS
How we’re fulfilling the Friends of Laura Secord mandate
On the evening of June 21, 1813, Laura Secord was forced to billet and provision enemy American officers at her home in Queenston, Ontario. She overheard them discussing plans to capture a British outpost located at John DeCew’s House, 32 kilometres away, near the area called Beaver Dams. Early the next morning, Laura left her wounded husband and young children and walked through enemy lines and dangerous terrain to warn the British of this impending attack by American forces. After many hours of difficult travel on an exceptionally hot and humid day, she stumbled upon an encampment of First Nations allies who escorted her to DeCew House to deliver her fateful message to Lt. Fitzgibbon. Armed with this information, an ambush was laid by Indigenous forces from Upper Canada and the Grand River that resulted in the surrender of nearly 600 American troops at the decisive Battle of Beaver Dams on June 24th. Without Laura Secord’s bold contribution, Canada may not have existed as a nation today.
To quote HRH King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) in his 2013 video address to our organization,
“…She remains an iconic figure who, perhaps more than anyone, represents the quiet determination and exceptional resolve of ordinary citizens to preserve and protect the values central to Canadian society that we enjoy today. Without her efforts and those of hundreds of other unknown, unsung heroes, the Canada of today would be a very different place.
2010 – 2013: THE LAURA SECORD BICENTENNIAL EVENT
In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Laura Secord’s epic journey, the Friends of Laura Secord undertook several celebratory, educational, and legacy projects.
These projects included the establishment of the Laura Secord Legacy Trail, the building of the Bridge at Laura’s Crossing at the point where Laura Secord crossed Twelve Mile Creek, the development of a comprehensive website, and the organization and implementation of a Secord bicentennial weekend.
This event included a highly publicized commemorative walk; the unveiling of a new Laura Secord stamp by Canada Post and a new Laura Secord coin by the Royal Canadian Mint; and a special screening of a remarkable video from HRH King Charles III (then the Prince of Wales), endorsing Laura Secord’s heroic efforts.
THE LAURA SECORD LEGACY TRAIL
Working with historians and trail experts, the FLS defined and established the Laura Secord Legacy Trail – a modern day approximation of Laura’s actual route from her homestead in Queenston to DeCew House in Thorold where she delivered her fateful message to Lt. Fitzgibbon on June 22, 1813.
Divided into five distinct stages and encompassing everything from ancient forested Indian trails to modern city sidewalks, the trail route was developed based on historical authenticity, safety, natural ambience, and free public access.
Though it is a most appropriate historic initiative in its own right, the Laura Secord Legacy Trail also helps foster pride in local history, and contributes meaningfully and tangibly to the emerging network of trails and greenways in Niagara – a network that continues to grow in importance as a tourism resource and an economic stimulus.
On June 21st, 2019, the Laura Secord Legacy Trail formally became a part of the Trans Canada Trail – the trail that connects the entire country.
THE BRIDGE AT LAURA’S CROSSING
In a likely spot identified by Brock University historian Alun Hughes and others, the Friends of Laura Secord and their partners and sponsors have built a unique suspension footbridge to allow hikers to follow in Laura Secord’s famous footsteps.
Prior to June 2013, there was no convenient way for hikers to cross at the point where Laura Secord struggled across the swollen waters of Twelve Mile Creek during her courageous trek 200 years before. To address this, FLS undertook a project to build a modest pedestrian bridge at the approximate location where Secord made her crossing. Extensive environmental, geotechnical, and geomorphological studies were undertaken to meet regulatory requirements prior to construction. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous private benefactor, the donation of innovative and environmentally sensitive bridge design by the Government of New Zealand, and the contributions of a community-minded construction firm, the 36 metre eco-sensitive Bridge at Laura’s Crossing became a reality.
Since its establishment in 2013, it has become a highly valued and strategically important component of the regional trail network, used extensively by pedestrians and cyclists.
Now open to the public, the bridge fulfills an important role in completing the Laura Secord Legacy Trail, linking other trail networks in the region, and forming part of a planned accessible trail loop at Laura’s Crossing.
THE FRIENDS OF LAURA SECORD WEBSITE AND DIGITAL RESOURCE ARCHIVE
The FLS website, https://www.friendsoflaurasecord.com/, was created to help promote the Laura Secord Bicentennial Event, register participants for the Commemorative Walk, and continues as a multilingual educational resource and repository of Laura Secord information.
LAURA SECORD BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS
The Laura Secord Bicentennial Event was a positive and enduring celebration of Canadian heritage and values that captured the imagination of Canadians from coast to coast. Laura Secord is a cherished national icon, but in many ways was also an ordinary person living in extraordinary times. Her inspirational story transcends its historical details and context. She represents a wide spectrum of ordinary people, male and female, native and immigrant, whose daily struggles and contributions to the building of this nation went largely unnoticed, but who rose to the challenges of their circumstances with exceptional courage and heroism. The Friends of Laura Secord are committed to sharing this enduring legacy with present and future generations.
2014 – 2016: EDUCATIONAL AND INTERPRETIVE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
“Hike the Trail and learn a little history along the way!”
Beginning in 2014 FLS expanded education opportunities by adding digital interpretive and educational content along the 32 km trail. This included sharing details about lesser-known historical events, as well as providing new insights about the important roles of Indigenous peoples, Black settlers, and pioneering women. Working collaboratively with partners in the First Nations and African Canadian communities, FLS helped to share the stories of these underrepresented and underserved groups who were instrumental in shaping Canada as a nation.
FLS was a major partner in the development of the Interpretours digital interpretive platform. Using the platform’s innovative content development tools and its associated GuideTags mobile app, contextually appropriate interpretive multimedia content was created and delivered automatically via smartphone to users based on their physical location.
The physical and interpretive infrastructure of the Laura Secord Legacy Trail was built on a foundation of experiential learning, physical fitness, and outdoor recreation. It is an outdoor educational laboratory that fosters the understanding and promotion of diverse cultures, supports and strengthens the region’s heritage sector, and opens up a new dimension in interactive experiential learning.
2016-2024: FIRST NATIONS PEACE MONUMENT
The First Nations Peace Monument was created As a Canada 150 sesquicentennial initiative at DeCew House Heritage Park to honour the significant contributions of Indigenous peoples to the building of our multifaceted nation two centuries ago, and to offer a forward-looking testament to hope, justice, peace, and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples today.
Designed pro bono by Douglas Cardinal, world-renowned architect of Indigenous heritage, the inspirational monument has already become a landmark destination for locals and visitors and serves as a tangible reminder of the linked destinies of all who share this land.
An additional feature of the First Nations Peace Monument is an accessible pathway that allows mobility impaired individuals full access to the monument.
2021-2026: IMPROVEMENTS AT DECEW HOUSE HERITAGE PARK
DeCew House Heritage Park in Thorold is a small site of national significance. Located just minutes from the Niagara Region headquarters, Brock University, and Canada Games Park, it is home to two intertwined and profoundly important Canadian stories. DeCew House was the destination of Canadian heroine Laura Secord on her fateful walk of 1813. The Park is also the home of the First Nations Peace Monument (2017-2024), a graceful curvilinear architectural sculpture designed by Douglas Cardinal, the internationally celebrated Canadian architect and human rights activist of Siksaka (Blackfoot) heritage.
Rendered exquisitely in solid limestone by Ottawa-based heritage stone-carvers Smith and Barber, its stone walls surround Cardinal’s evocative bronze sculpture, Sunflame (2024).
The centrepiece completed his vision for a place of reflection, healing, understanding, and peace, complementing the historic foundations of DeCew House and providing the Niagara Region with a destination created by one of the world’s most prominent and celebrated architects.
These two monuments are joined both physically and metaphorically by the Path Between Cultures (2024), a hard-surfaced accessible pathway that allows mobility-impaired visitors to access both of these important heritage destinations.
Because of its great historical and cultural significance, DeCew House Heritage Park has already become an important heritage destination, offering a rare opportunity to reflect upon two intertwined Canadian stories which took place in Niagara, but whose significance resonated profoundly across the country.
As a related Canada Games legacy initiative, FLS also established an Indigenous-focused and digitally interpreted Niagara Indigenous Heritage Trail that connects the First Nations Peace Monument to many other related points of interest in the area and throughout the region. The Brock District Trail Loop of the trail features both forested paths for hikers, and multipurpose trails accessible to pedestrians and mobility scooter users. The Friends of Laura Secord continue to lead an ongoing collaborative project to improve the Park, planting native vegetation and specimen trees throughout the grounds, and making improvements to enhance accessibility, connectivity, aesthetics, and education at the site.
Other initiatives and projects
History meets High Tech: Scanning Laura Secord in 3D!
Making accurate replicas of the famous Mildred Peel bust of Laura Secord as a fundraising project once seemed to be an insurmountable artistic and technical challenge.
But now, thanks to 3D digital scanning technology and 3D printers, the Friends will be producing a limited edition series of accurate scale models of the sculpture for contemporary collectors.
Of Laura, Lockets, Descendants, and DNA:
The Secord Genealogy Project
The President of the Friends of Laura Secord, Caroline McCormick, has a special gift that was given to her by a relative: a small locket which was passed down through the family, and is purported to contain a lock of Laura Secord’s hair.Can the modern miracles of DNA analysis live up to the challenge of proving that the hair in the locket is authentic?
Read background article: Some New Research on Laura Ingersoll Secord by David F. Hemmings
