C: Plaque: Laura Ingersoll Secord 1775-1868



Archeological and Historic Site Board, Archive of Ontario Plaque erected in 1972 at the Secord Homestead in Queenston, Ontario. Photo: Ian Wood and Alex Ayotte.
 


 


 


 

This plaque commemorates the actions of Laura Secord. It is located at the Laura Secord Homestead, the house where Laura Secord nursed her husband back to health after his injuries and overheard the American soldiers discussing an attack on the British near Beaver Dams.

As you turn into the car park you’ll see a blue plaque on your right. This is the Archives of Ontario plaque dedicated to Laura.

On the east side of the Laura Secord Homestead property is a plaque erected by the Archaeological and Historic Sites Board, Archives of Ontario.

It reads:

LAURA INGERSOLL SECORD 1775-1868

Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Laura Ingersoll came to Upper Canada with her father in 1795, and settled in this area. About two years later she married James Secord, a United Empire Loyalist, and within seven years they had moved to this site from nearby St. David's. From here during the war of 1812, Laura Secord set out on an arduous 19-mile journey to warn the local British commander, Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon, of an impending American attack. The courage and tenacity displayed on this occasion in June 1813 places her in the forefront of the province's heroines. Mrs. Secord's house, a simple frame building, was restored (1971-72) and remains as a memorial to the exceptional act of patriotism.

Erected by the Archaeological and Historic Sites Board

Archives of Ontario.

Historical Background

The Ontario Heritage Trust (1972, 1982, 2000) documented the history of this plaque in a brief publication entitled "Laura Ingersoll Secord 1775-1868". The publication states,

"On Friday, June 2, 1972, a provincial plaque was unveiled to commemorate Laura Secord and the opening of the recently renovated "Laura Secord Homestead". Celebrations occurred at the Secord House, 29 Queenston Street in Queenston. This plaque is one in a series erected throughout the province by the Archives of Ontario, on the advice of the Archaeological and Historic Sites Board."

Among those who took part in the ceremonies were: the Honourable William G. Davis, Q.C., Premier of Ontario; the Honourable Robert S.K. Welch, Q.C., Provincial Secretary for Social Development; the Honourable John H. White, Minister of Industry and Tourism; Mr. Leonard B. Griffiths, Chairperson of the Board, Laura Secord Candy Shops Limited; Mr. John Burke-Gaffney, Manager Special Projects, John Labatt Limited; Professor William Ormsby, of Brock University who represented the Historic Sites Board; and Mrs. Robert Boyd, President of the Queenston Historical Society. The plaque was unveiled by Mr. Harper Secord, the oldest living descendant of Laura Secord. The "Laura Secord Homestead" was officially opened by Premier William Davis.'

Ontario Heritage Trust (1972, 1982, 2000). Laura Ingersoll Secord 1775-1868. PDF version available online at URL
http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/getattachment/Programs/Commemoration/Provincial-Plaque-Program/Plaque-of-the-Month/Archives/Laura-Secord-ENG.pdf

Laura Secord Homestead
29 Queenston Street
L0S 1J0 Municipality Niagara Falls

Directions to next Point of Interest

Follow the picket fence along the back of the Homestead towards the visitor centre. Before you get there you'll see a gate, and see a maroon plaque dedicated to Laura, from Heritage Canada.


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