The Battlefield House Museum and Park is a National Historic site located in Stoney Creek on 77 King St W, Ontario. The lush green 32-acre park is situated on a corner of two busy main streets, King Street West, and Centennial Parkway South in the downtown Stoney Creek area. The park features several cultural sites and monuments that celebrate the city's past. Closest to the parking lot, and currently used as an administration building and gift shop, is the Nash-Jackson House. Beyond this building lies a pavilion for picnics, and a large open field made up of shallow hills. This field has several medium-sized trees that are spread sparsely across the field. Small birds and squirrels are frequently spotted in this area. Behind the field are man-made trails that lead into a forest of maples, poplars, sycamores, oaks, pines and more. The field is primarily used every first weekend in June as a battlefield for reenactors to recreate the Battle of Stoney Creek that occurred June 6th, 1813. This event draws in hundreds of people each year, including locals, schools, and tourists. The park is divided by a small creek that runs north towards Lake Ontario and feeds the larger Stoney Creek for which the city is named after. On the east side of the park is the Gage House and the 100-foot-tall monument made to commemorate the soldiers that fought in the battle ("Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site"). The Gage family once owned the land of this park; Mary Gage secured the land in the early 19th century, and she lived there with her son and his wife who farmed the land (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 85). During the War of 1812, an American army camped on the farm because the land offered a strategic and defensible place to rest (86). Early June 6th, a British regiment attacked the sleeping Americans and succeeded in pushing the Americans back (Biggar). This attack was a turning point for the British army. After the battle, different people owned the Gage House, and it slowly suffered from neglect. However, in 1899, the Women's Wentworth Historical Society ran by a descendant of the Gages, Sara Calder, bought the Gage homestead, restored it, and declared it a museum and a public park (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 238-239). In 1910, with money from the government, the WWHS started the construction of the 100-foot monument on a hill behind the Gage house and completed it in 1913, precisely 100 years after the battle of Stoney Creek (248). Today, the park is owned and maintained by the city of Hamilton ("Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site").

Municipality: Hamilton

Local area name: Stoney Creek

Other identifying names or descriptions Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site

Latitude and longitude:

Latitude: 43°13'03" N

Longitude: 79°45'58" W

Physical Dimensions

Length: approximately 660 meters

Width: Approximately 200 meters

Surface Area:

32 acres (approximately 133, 125 m²)

Elevation:

Highest / lowest point

Highest 135m

Lowest 97m

The Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site sits nestled under the Niagara Escarpment in the downtown area of Stoney Creek. It is an example of early settlement in the Stoney Creek area with historical importance as a battlefield site during the Battle of 1812. Today the land is owned and maintained by the City of Hamilton and is run as a public park. The Georgian style house, now a museum, was initially owned by the Gage family, from 1796 to 1899, who used the land for farming and their home. Over the years, different homeowners made changes to the property. The land became a Museum, a memorial for the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Stoney Creek, and a public park after the Women's Wentworth Historical Society purchased it in 1899. They restored the house to its appearance in the mid 19th century, they declared the land a public park, and they helped fund the construction of a 100-foot-tall monument behind the Gage House as a memorial to the battle. From a domestic homestead to a museum, park and National Historic Site, the Battlefield House Museum and Park offers a glimpse into the past of life in the early 19th century and history about the Battle of 1812. It also shows how ecology and cultural values have influenced and change the land use over time. This report will assess how this park has evolved over the years and how human impacts have transformed the park into the way we recognize it today.

Map 2.0: Google map view of Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site

Flora:

The Battlefield House and Museum park is situated in the mixed wood plains ecozone of Ontario, one of the most diverse ecozones in Canada for its flora and fauna (Crins et al. 45-46). Although this region has seen a lot of conversion of natural ecosystems for human use, the vegetation is still highly varied (Crins et al. 45). Breaking the mixed plains ecozone into ecoregions and eco-districts, this park is in the ecoregion 7E (Lake Erie-Lake Ontario) and the smaller Grimsby 7E-3 eco-district (Wester et al. 414-415). Most of the land in this region has been changed for agricultural and settlement use (Wester et al. 416). The flora and fauna of this area are within the deciduous forest region and supports a diverse array of species such as sugar maples, American beech, white ash, eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, sycamore, multiple varieties of oaks, and more (Crins et al. 52). Unfortunately, due to urbanization and changes in land use, there is only some native plant communities that remain untouched at Battlefield (Hough 89-90).

Based on observations, Battlefield park consists of two large open fields that are intersected by a small creek. The fields are cut regularly, but the first stages of succession are starting towards the back of the field where only some paths are cut as trails for hikers (Hough 87). The untouched backfields are made up of tall invasive grasses, small shrubs, and other colonizing species. The small battlefield creek that runs down the middle of the park is surrounded by dense young growth. This new growth consists of fast-growing pioneer tree species and vegetation like sumacs, ragweed, white poplar, maples, yarrow, grapevines, and other pioneer species associated with the early stages of plant succession (90-91). Most of the trees are covered in vines. This young growth continues behind the monument. There are a couple of native climax species that take a little longer to grow in this forested area like maple trees, beeches, hemlocks, and oaks (87). Overall, the trees at the park are relatively young, and this is a result of the land being used for agricultural purposes. During the early 19th century, the Gage family who owned the property had 70 acres of cultivated land for grain and grazing livestock (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 11). Before the Gages purchased the land, it was mostly forest.

Based on an article dating to 1873, the land surrounding Stoney Creek was filled with evergreens, pines, and hemlocks (Biggar). The Gage property was described as being a clear open field. Figure 3.0 shows an old drawings of the Gage house and large fields.

Today, along the main museum buildings, the land is heavily landscaped, and the vegetation is mostly non-native plants, ornamental and are a part of the cultivated plant group (Hough 88-89). These plants fit all of the aesthetic needs of the city: they are long-lived, perfectly formed, and do not have messy fruit, thorns, or other undesirable traits (Hough 89). The well weeded, pruned, and sculpted flowers, shrubs, grasses, and ornamental trees create an aesthetically pleasing landscape. Some pathways are lined with hedges and have medium-sized white pines to offer shade. According to an interpretation manual on the park, the landscaping seen today was commissioned by The Women's' Wentworth Historical Society in 2011 and is a recreation of the Dunington and Grubb 1925 landscape plan (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual). Unfortunately, the society could only afford to landscape the east side of the park (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 253).

Based on old photographs of the park and aerial photos, the land went through a long period of agricultural use. However, at some point, after the Gage family no longer owned the property, it was divided and sold off. The west and east sides of the park today were divided and sold separately in the past after the Gage's no longer owned the property. One of the land's owners planted an orchard on the west side of the park, and sometime between 1961 and 1966, somebody cut down the orchard. The orchard in the aerial photos dating to before 1966 had evenly spaced fruit trees in straight lines. Today, evidence of this orchard can still be seen. For instance, in the backfield on the west side of the park, there are a couple of old fruit trees like pear and cherry trees still standing.

After a lot of changes have occurred to the landscape, it is only recently starting to regrow its forest and gain more plant diversity. Due to agricultural use and the urbanization of the surrounding lands, this park has lost quite a few species of vegetation. For instance, the American chestnut tree, butternut tree, eastern flowering dogwood tree, red mulberry tree, and white wood aster, to name a few, are all considered endangered or threatened plant species in the area (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 36).

Wildlife:

Walking around the park during the day, there is not a whole lot of active wildlife. Since the park is on the corner of two major artillery roads, the number of animals present during the day are small. The noises from the busy streets and the constant flow of visitors going for walks along the grounds scare off a lot of wildlife. However, animals and birds that have adapted to living around human activity are present such as black squirrels, grey squirrels, robins, redwing blackbirds, grackles, red-tailed hawks, racoons, opossums, and skunks (Hough 134). Smaller species also live well in the tall grasses at the rear of the park like mice, voles, eastern garter snakes, and rabbits.

At the far side of the park, it backs onto a railway track and the Niagara Escarpment. These features act as corridors for animals such as deer, coyotes, and foxes to gain access to the park during the night when there is little human activity (Hough 158). There is also an abundance of common bird species that use the park for foraging, breeding, and nesting. To name a few, there are killdeer, blue jays, tree swallows, black-capped chickadees, American robins, house sparrows, northern cardinals and more (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 305).

Before the land became a farm in the 19th century, and before urbanization destroyed a lot of natural habitats, there used to be a greater diversity of wildlife. Additionally, invasive plant and wildlife species as well as habitat fragmentation have affected the structure of the natural ecosystems (Crins et al. 46). There are several threatened species in the area like barn swallows, chimney swifts, peregrine falcons, snapping turtles, barn owls, monarch butterflies, eastern hog-nosed snakes, and many other. Species like the Jefferson salamander, American badger, and tri-coloured bat are endangered and rarely seen in the area. Timber rattlesnakes used to live along the Escarpment, but now they are extirpated and were last seen in the 1950s (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 36).

Aquatic species fluctuate during the year because the creek is not perennial and usually only contains water during the fall and spring (Biggar). When water is present, small species of fish can be spotted, and rarely in the fall, the odd trout or salmon can be seen migrating to lay their eggs in the loose stone bed of the creek. However, due to changes made to the stream, the shallowness of the creek and the pollution, larger species of fish are now very rare, and the aquatic habitat is considered to be poor in quality to support such species (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 22).

The Battlefield House Museum and Park's main physical features include two large fields made up of shallow hills, a creek with a steep bank, and a large hill behind the Gage House where a monument is now built. The vertical nature of the streambank today is due to erosion and flooding caused by a lack of storm water management and erosion mitigation (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 2).

The land on which this park is found was created through glacial processes. The most recent period of glaciation, the Wisconsin glaciation, is responsible for most of the glacial landforms in Canada (Arbogast et al. 482). Most notably, the Great Lakes were created by erosion and deposition by the Laurentide Ice Sheet (481). Battlefield park, as well as the rest of Canada, was covered in hundreds of meters thick ice sheets (481). As the Laurentide ice sheet slowly advanced and retreated, it eroded and cut through the soft bedrock and created the Great Lakes (481). The Niagara Escarpment was created by differential erosion of Paleozoic bedrock; this harder bedrock remained while the softer bedrock was eroded away by ice, wind, and water over time (Wester et al. 415). As the Laurentide Ice sheet retreated, the levels of the glacial lakes covering the land started to drop and, in the process, exposed shorelines, bluffs, and deposited lakebed sediment (Wester et al. 415). Deep valleys cut by streams formed through the lakebed sediment left behind (415). Overall, the topography below the Niagara escarpment is relatively flat with undulating hills created by glaciolacustrine processes (Crins et al. 51).

Based on the Soil Landscapes of Canada map (map 3.0), the dominant soil in this region is grey-brown luvisolic soils on loam and clay loam parent material. Additionally, the primary mode of deposition from the parent material is lacustrine, and the surface form is undulating (Acton, C. J., and R. Harkes).

Human-induced changes have also occurred on this land. For instance, the open fields we see today at the park have changed over time due to changes in land use. The first owners of the property, the Gage family received the land in 1796 in the Saltfleet Township with a land grant for approximately 400 acres below the Escarpment. The property they bought had 350 acres of uncultivated land (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation 17). By 1819, the Gage family increased their cultivated land to 70 acres for agricultural use and created a meadow for sheep and hogs; each year, more acres were modified into cultivated land (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation 11).Thus, ploughing from agricultural practices have changed the landscape.

Based on aerial images dating back to the early 1900s (Figures 6.0 - 6.20), several land owners made changes to the area. For instance, after the Gages no longer owned the land, an orchard was planted on the west side of the park. This orchard was removed some time between 1961 and 1966 based on aerial imagery. Furthermore, the additions of driveways, of a parking lot, bridges, as well as the construction of several buildings over the years would have changed the landscape because these activities would have required grading and levelling.

Battlefield House and Museum is situated on the Battlefield Creek and Stoney Creek Watershed, which drains around 3089 ha into Lake Ontario (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 2). The small Battlefield Creek that cuts through the park is a tributary stream that feeds the larger Stoney Creek.

The Grimsby eco-district, which this park is in, has lakebed sediment from several glacial lakes and glaciofluvial deposits (Wester et al. 414-415). The Escarpment behind the park was formed by the erosion of Paleozoic bedrock and glacial lakes like Whittlesey and Iroquois (415). As glacial ice receded, the glacial Lake Iroquois formed (415). The low areas around Lake Ontario today, below the Escarpment, used to be covered by water. As the glacial Lake Iroquois retreated, the lake levels dropped creating glaciolacustrine deposits. This resulted in the formation of deeply incised streams in valleys along the shore of the lake. It is due to these processes that the historic Stoney Creek lagoon and the creek were created.

Historically, the Stoney Creek flowed from on top of the mountain from a swampy woodland and went through the village to a small lagoon in Lake Ontario (Biggar). With the development of the town below the Niagara Escarpment, the watercourses were heavily modified, and no stormwater management controls were put into place (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 2). According to a flood and erosion study done on this watershed, the watercourses have all been straightened or modified in some way (2). Due to a lack of stormwater management and erosion mitigation, the waterway is at high risk of erosion and flooding (2). Based on aerial imaging, the section of battlefield creek that traverses the park still retains some of its natural meandering form. Unfortunately, the study has identified the creek as exhibiting lower stream health because of poor channel stability, channel widening, and poor aquatic habitat. These changes to the stream affect its ability to support wildlife and vegetation as well as supporting riparian and floodplain functions (Alberti 143). This results in the creek filling with water too quickly and allowing flooding and erosion to occur, which further degrades the stream. Fortunately, along the backside of the park, the creek is surrounded by dense young growth of trees and other low growing plants. This vegetation helps control floods because of their ability to filter and retain water through the soil and reduce the amount of flow downstream (143). However, closer to the museum buildings, there is more bank erosion because of the incised channel and the mowing of vegetation along the top of the bank (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 24). The stream here does not have as much vegetation to allow guests to see the Gage House from across the creek. Although done for aesthetic purposes, the banks here are eroded, very steep and are at risk of flooding (24). Map 4.1 above indicates that the part of the creek surrounded by young vegetation growth only has minor erosion, while on the other hand, the part of the creek closer to the museum and road are listed as having moderate erosion.

The change in land use also affects the hydrological processes at this park. Now that the natural forest that used to grow along the creek is long gone, the open fields and the mowed lawns along the stream do not decrease the amount of water flow as well as a mature plant community with trees with deep roots pulling water into the soil instead of flowing downstream (Alberti 137). Additionally, the removal of vegetation along the streambanks can have negative effects on the aquatic organisms (137). The multiple bridges, one on the property and another beside the road, also add stress to the streambank by changing the natural banks and restricting streamflow. There is also evidence of basal scour along the creek (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 22).

Looking at aerial images of the park, there were modifications made to the stream behind the monument between 2014 and 2015. The stream seems wider and is filled with medium-sized rocks. The changes made to the stream are to slow down the flow of water and decrease flooding and erosion (Alberti 146). The section of the creek that was modified flows from a residential area. The runoff from the residential area must have been causing flooding for the city to have made these changes to the stream. The flooding and erosion issues in this area are most like caused by the impervious surfaces of the residential area like pavement roads and cement. These types of unnatural and man-made surfaces prevent water from absorbing into the ground and forces the water to instead run off directly into the creek. After heavy rainfalls, this results in a larger amount of water flowing in the creek which causes erosion to the banks and can cause flooding if too much water is in the creek at once.

The city of Hamilton has a continental climate with warm and humid summers and cool winters (Crins et al. 45). The surrounding Great Lakes create a moderating influence on seasonal temperatures, especially Lake Ontario, because of its proximity to the park (45). The Great Lakes absorb and store a lot of solar energy, and it also acts as a natural air-conditioner (Hough 190). The climate of this ecoregion (the Lake Erie-Lake Ontario ecoregion 7E) is one of the mildest in Canada (Crins et al. 50), and it is a somewhat moist ecozone due to the Great Lakes and can receive between 776 and 1018 mm of precipitation annually (50).

The Niagara Escarpment also plays a part in the region's climate. This topological feature acts as a buffer for wind and creates the perfect environment for agriculture. As a result, most of the land in the area was transformed for agricultural uses (like orchards and vineyards) or settlements (Wester et al. 416).

On a smaller micro-climate scale, human activity has had a profound influence. To begin, the change of land use and cover significantly affects the micro-climate (Hough 190). As mentioned before, Battlefield park used to be covered in deciduous forest. Forests can control the amount of solar radiation reaching the ground and can reduce variations in temperature (190). As the land was transformed into fields for agricultural use, a lot of the forest was cut down. Today, there are a lot more trees on the grounds, especially along the streambank. Trees play an essential role in moderating temperature and humidity through transpiration and evaporation (202). One large tree can transpire around 450 litres of water in a day (202). Trees also offer shade, the young forest along the creek also plays a part in storing heat in the upper canopy, and trees filter the air of pollutants and help better the quality of air (203).

At the park, there is not a lot of impervious land cover. The driveway, parking lot and stone pathways do store and conduct heat faster than land covered by vegetation (Hough 190). Although the park is mostly covered in vegetation which helps moderate temperatures, the effects of the built-up city of Hamilton have a negative impact on the area's micro-climate. The city's impervious surfaces and buildings trap energy from the sun and create a warmer temperature (190-191). A large amount of heat energy builds up in the city's atmosphere from air-conditioner units, heating systems, greenhouse gases from factories and vehicles (191). Battlefield park is also located on the corner of two major artillery streets; thus, the constant flow of cars releases a lot of heat energy which raises the temperature of the area.

Additionally, because of the numerous factories in Hamilton, the heat and pollution accumulate in a dome above the city and create smog (190). The alterations made to the watershed of Stoney Creek and Battlefield creek over the years can also influence temperatures (202). However, since the stream is not perennial and only has water during the fall and spring, the creek does not offer the same cooling effect as a perennial creek (202).

The Battlefield House Museum and Park is situated on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabeg people ("Traditional Territory Acknowledgements in Ontario" 4). Based on the interactive map created by Native-land.ca, the park is also on land from the Mississauga, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and the Attiwonderonk (Neutral). In 1995, archaeology was done at the park; however, most of the excavations were done in and beside the Gage House to find information about the evolution of the house, the purposes of the rooms and architectural details to more accurately restore the home (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 19-20). Unfortunately, there is no archaeological evidence of indigenous activity on the property. Still, there has not been a lot of archaeological excavations done in the park area; thus, evidence could be found in the future. However, as Adam J. Barker explains in an article, "the land was not empty prior to colonial incursion but was occupied by many sophisticated Indigenous societies" (Barker 1135). The land that settlers found when they arrived already had boundary-lines and transportation routes; it was not untouched wilderness (1139).

The first owners of the property were the Gage family, and they owned the Battlefield Homestead from 1796 to 1899 (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 17). The widowed Mary Jones Gage received a land grant in Upper Canada with the help of her brother, Augustus Jones, who was the Crown land surveyor (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 85). Their land was located in the township of Saltfleet.

Mary Gage lived on the farm with her son and his wife and their ten children (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 10). Their original house on the property was a log cabin, but it was replaced with a larger one and a half story house made of stone and wood and was situated on a hill (17). Their property had a barn, two hay houses, many outbuildings, a large meadow for sheep and hogs, and log fencing (11). A second story was added to the house sometime during their ownership of the house (17). Mary Jones Gage's son, James Gage, farmed the land and had a general store (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 85). Mary Gage's brother in law also lived just across the road.

This property is most known for its involvement in the War of 1812. In the early 1800s, there was a lot of tension between the British located in Upper Canada and the Americans because of the war between France and Britain occurring oversees (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 32). There are multiple factors that lead to the Americans and the British declaring war. For instance, the Americans had ships sailing oversees for trade. When these ships were at sea, they were often stopped by the British and searched for contraband and escaped British soldiers and sailors (32). Furthermore, the British in Upper Canada created alliances among the indigenous people which upset the Americans (32). These alliances were formed to make trade easier between the two parties and to collectively resist the American expansion (32). When the Americans declared war on June 18^th, 1812, they planned to attack Canada with a three-pronged attack strategy (32). They divided their forces into three main armies to attack Canada from three different areas: at the Detroit frontier, in the Niagara region, and in Montreal (32).

Multiple battles occurred over the three-year span of the war. Late May in 1813, the Americans successfully captured Fort George and were planning on continuing their expansion of the Niagara Peninsula (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 33). To put it briefly, before the Americans could continue any farther, the British launched a surprise attack in Stoney Creek and succeeded in pushing the Americans back to Fort George (33).The land that is now Battlefield park was where part of the Battle of Stoney Creek was fought.

On June 5th, 1813, around 3000 Americans set up camp in the open field between the two Gage properties (Biggar). They chose this meadow because it was on slightly elevated ground and it was defensible; it was between the two Gage farms and protected on either side by a creek, a swamp on the north side, and the densely wooded area below the escarpment (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 86). The camp was protected on all sides with only one possible entrance (86). While the Americans had their base here, they used the Gage House for their generals, took the families provisions and killed some of their livestock (85). When the British caught wind of the American's encampment, they set out for a surprise night attack which occurred early June 6th, 1813 (Biggar). The British forces only had 700 soldiers, so the night attack was beneficial in hiding their low numbers (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 47). The battle only took an hour and a half, and the British were successful after they captured the American's generals and pushed the Americans back to Fort George (Biggar). After the battle, the Gage house was used as a hospital for injured soldiers (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 162).

Based on old maps of the area and old aerial photos, the Gage property was divided up and sold separately after the Gage family no longer owned it. A map from 1875 shows the Gage House owned by G. C. Glover. The rest of the original Gage land is divided. For example, W. Webster owned part of the land to the west in 1875.

In terms of the Gage House property, in 1835 to about 1860, the property was owned by Col. Nelson (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 17). The house was modified, and a west wing referred to as the ballroom addition was added during this time (17). Afterwards, George Glover owned the house from about the 1860s to the 1870s (17). From the 1880s to the 1890s, the Gage house became run down and was owned by several occupants (17). The Wentworth Pioneer Historical Society tried to purchase the house to be made into a historical landmark, but the asking price was too high (17). David Alexander Fletcher purchased the property in 1896 and removed the west ballroom addition and built a veranda around the house (17). In 1899, the Women's Wentworth Historical Society purchased the home from Mr Fletcher (17).

The purchasing of the Gage House was a struggle: the Wentworth Pioneer Historical Society refused to pay $1,900.00 for the house and the four and a half acres of land, so the women left and formed their own society: the Women's Wentworth Historical Society (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 18). Their first act as a new society was to purchase the Gage property with the help of their leader Mrs Sarah John Calder, a descendant of the Gage family (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 18). The society raised money to renovate the dilapidated two-storey house, furnish it with period-appropriate furniture, and declared the property a public park (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 239).

The people of Stoney Creek also wanted to have a monument built to remember the battle that took place in 1813 (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 228). Mrs Calder advocated for the construction of a monument behind the Gage House on the tall hill so that it could be seen from far away (229). The W.W.H.S. purchased 13 acres more of the Gage's original land in 1910 (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 8). The construction of the monument started in 1910 with architect Edward Rastrick with the help of a 5000$ government grant, but after the money ran out after a year, construction was staled (J. Elliot and N. Elliot 245). The monument stood only 25 feet tall for a couple of years until Mrs Calder was able to receive financial help from the Minister of Militia to finish the project (245). Exactly 100 years after the Battle of Stoney Creek, on June 6th 1913, the 100 foot Monument was unveiled with the push of a telegraph key by Queen Mary (who was at Buckingham Palace) in front of a crowd of 15 000 people (248- 50).

In the 1960s, the W.W.H.S. wanted to purchase the 17 acres of land to the west of the house (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 18). The Federal and Provincial governments bought the property and made it a historical site (18). In 1962, the President of the W.W.H.S., Mrs D.H. Henderson, gave the deeds to the house and property to the Chairman of the Niagara Parks Commission after the society was no longer able to continue (18). The Niagara Parks Commission was able to improve the grounds and further restore the house (18). In 1988, the ownership of Battlefield House and park was given to the City of Stoney Creek (19). In 1995, the city of Stoney Creek, the provincial and federal governments helped fund an extensive restoration project, and an archaeological excavation was done in the house (19). The monument also suffered from significant structural damage over the years and was restored in 1993 and reopened in 1994 (19).

Another change to the property was the relocation of the Nash-Jackson House to the park in 1999 (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 43). This Georgian-style house was added to the park because of its use as a hospital during the Battle of Stoney Creek, and because the owners of the house were relatives of the Gage family (47). Today, this building is used as the museum's gift shop, exhibit gallery, public rental space and office space for the museum curator and staff.

Today, the City of Hamilton owns and maintains the property. It is interesting how this park served multiple purposes and changed over the years starting from a domestic agricultural homestead to the museum and national historic site we see today.

Education / Interpretation:

Today, the Battlefield House and Museum offers an array of educational and interpretive sources for tourists year-round at the park. Most notably, every first weekend in June, the museum holds its annual free event, the Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek. This event draws in hundreds of visitors and is classified as one of Ontario's top 100 events by Festivals and Events Ontario ("Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site"). The weekend-long event is known for its recreation of the Battle of Stoney Creek. Visitors can get the chance to see what life was like for soldiers and settlers in the 19th century as re-enactors go about their day. Visitors can look at the encampments of the Americans and the British before they go off to battle. Volunteers, staff, and re-enactors dress in period-appropriate clothing to make the event feel more authentic. The event also opens the Monument for visitors, offers free tours of the Gage House, children's games, a firework display on the Saturday, merchants, cooking displays and taste-testing, crafts, blacksmithing, magic shows, dancing, music, and more ("Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site"). Before the weekend event, Battlefield hosts a large event called the History in Action Day for schools in the area to experience the museum and fun games and activities. The museum also offers a variety of seasonal festivals and events like the Apple Festival that happens in late September celebrating all things fall and harvest related. Other events include Sara Calder day, Christmas in the Pioneer Spirit, An Evening with Jane Austen, workshops, and more. The Friends of Battlefield House and Museum also hosts museum lectures at the museum ("Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site"). The museum offers year-round tours of the Gage House for visitors to learn about the family and the history of the park. Schools can plan field trips, and group tours and birthday parties can also be booked. For more information on how to book a tour or event, visit the Hamilton.ca/attractions/Hamilton-civic-museums website.

Due to Covid-19, the museums of Hamilton have created virtual tours of their museums for people to view from home. A virtual tour including visual and audio of the grounds, the Gage House, and the Nash-Jackson House are available on this website: https://www.hamilton.ca/attractions/hamilton-civic-museums/hamilton-civic-museums-virtual-tours

Architectural Heritage:

At the Battlefield House and Museums, the two Georgian-style houses have been renovated and restored to around the year 1835. The Gage House was restored and furnished to portray the life of the original owners of the House, the Gage Family (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 4). Several series of restorations and renovations took place to turn the Gage House into a museum after the W.W.H.S bought it. In 1995, major renovations took place as well as archaeology to restore the home with period-appropriate techniques. For instance, a new cedar shake roof was installed, sash windows were put in place, historically accurate pointing compound was done to replace the mortar in the cellar, and the rooms were repainted based on samples of paint found beneath years and layers of repainting (18). Furniture styles appropriate to 1835 were also put into the house to create an authentic early 1800s home. Such styles include Chippendale, Hepplewhite, Sheraton, and regency style (22). The Nash-Jackson house, like the Gage House, also went through a lot of renovations and additions to meet the owners' needs (Battlefield House Museum and Park Interpretation Manual 43). The Jackson family donated the house to the City of Stoney Creek in 1996 and was moved in the year 1999 (43).

In 1990, the City of Stoney Creek and the Ontario Heritage Foundation signed an Ontario Easement Agreement to prohibit any activity that would damage or change the historical, architectural, and aesthetic of the buildings and property (Kerr-Wilson and Nesbitt). This agreement was signed to preserve the historical importance of the Gage Homestead, and the importance of the park as a battlefield site. The site was also declared a National Historical Site in 1960 by the Historic Sites and Monument Board because of its national significance pertaining to the Battle of Stoney Creek (Kerr-Wilson and Nesbitt).

Recreational Uses:

The large open fields at Battlefield offer a variety of informal recreational uses. Over the years being used as a public park, unmarked hiking trails have been made in the wooded area along the creek. These trails continue off of the property and eventually connect to the Bruce Trail. On a sunny day, the park is filled with people going for walks admiring the scenic landscape, and people walking their dogs. Families come to the park for picnics under the shade of the trees or seated at the picnic pavilion, and play games like soccer, football, and frisbee in the fields. Before the extensive landscaping was done where the monument now sits, children used to use the hill as a tobogganing hill. There are still warning signs telling people not to use the hill as a tobogganing hill.

Ownership, jurisdiction, access, and management

As noted above in the historical features of the park, the land went through several owners while being a museum. The Women's Wentworth Historical Society were the first to buy the property to use it as a museum. The W.W.H.S. looked after the site until 1962. They transferred ownership to the Niagara Parks Commission as well as the City of Stoney Creek who maintained the park until 1989. Today, the Battlefield House Museum and Park is owned, operated, and maintained by the City of Hamilton. This includes maintenance like mowing the lawn, weeding flower beds, keeping the park clean, keeping care of the buildings and monuments, and more.

The park is protected under an Ontario Easement Agreement, signed in 1990, that prohibits any acts that could change or damage the historical, architectural, aesthetic, or scenic qualities of the National Historic Site (Kerr-Wilson and Nesbitt). This means that before any actions like renovations or an expansion of the parking lot can happen, they need to be approved.

Because of the proximity of the park to the Niagara Escarpment, the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) monitors the park and needs to provide approval for certain situations such as erosion or problems with the Battlefield Creek. The Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act (NEPDA) has a planning process to preserve and protect the Escarpment and the lands in its vicinity. The NEC maintains the Niagara Escarpment by creating policies to protect and preserve its environment and landscape features. The NEC has 17 members appointed by Order-in-Council that meet monthly to discuss policies, permits and more pertaining to the Niagara Escarpment ("About Us").

The park is also under the Battlefield and Stoney Creek Watershed that drains into Lake Ontario. The Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) is in place to conserve watershed lands and water resources across the City of Hamilton. They help create plans for various watersheds in Hamilton to restore and protect the natural environment. Currently, there is not a Stewardship Action Plan for the Stoney Creek Battlefield Creek Watershed, but the HCA has done a Conservation Ontario Class Environmental Assessment titled Flood and Erosion Control Study: Stoney Creek and Battlefield Creek (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 1). This study targets problematic areas along the watershed and suggests solutions to fix issues such as flooding and erosion.

The park is also apart of the Greenbelt. This foundation receives funds from the Government of Ontario and other public and private supports to invest in projects like environment protection, farming, and tourism in the Greenbelt to make it a better and thriving place ("About the Foundation").

Public access is permitted to this site.

The lush open park at Battlefield House Museum and Park is quite different from the surrounding built-up urban landscape. The park is located on the corner of two busy main streets. The one road, King Street W, is the main street that runs through Downtown Stoney Creek and continues across Hamilton. The other street, Centennial Parkway S is a road heavily used by commuters living on top of the Escarpment to get to the QEW highway. There is a lot of movement of people in the area, and the park's location makes it easy for tourists and locals to access the park. To the south of the park, there are several human-made and unmarked trails that connect to the Bruce Trail that runs along the Niagara Escarpment. These trails allow access for hikers to the Escarpment. Animals also use the railway tracks and the Escarpment as corridors to move between patches. According to Alberti, landscape connectivity for animal species is crucial because species are likely to dwindle in isolated patches (Alberti 111). Therefore, the forested and grassy areas at Battlefield park are essential for the survival of threatened species.

The park is also connected to the broader areas of the Stoney Creek and Battlefield Creek Watershed. Decisions and changes made to the creek on the property can significantly influence what happens downstream. Similarly, modifications made on top of the Escarpment can impact Battlefield park. For instance, a report done on the watershed says that the park is at high risk of erosion and flooding, as well as other places along the streams if actions are not made to mitigate this problem (Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure 24).

Additionally, historically, the park is connected to a variety of other locations tied to the Battle of 1812. For instance, map 6.0 shows the broader movement of the American and British armies in the Wentworth area during the Battle of Stoney Creek.

Battlefield House Museum and Park

Phone: 905-662-8458

Email: battlefield@hamilton.ca

Curator: Susan Ramsey

77 King St. W.

Stoney Creek, ON L8G 5E5

P.O. Box 66561

Phone: 905 546-2424 ext 7394

Email: susan.ramsay@hamilton.ca

For information about admission tickets, booking events, rentals, or tours visite

https://www.hamilton.ca/attractions/hamilton-civic-museums/battlefield-house-museum-park-national-historic-site

Niagara Escarpment Commission – Georgetown office

Georgetown

232 Guelph Street
Georgetown, ON L7G 4B1

Phone 905-877-5191
Fax: 905-873-7452

Email: necgeorgetown@ontario.ca

Hamilton Conservation Authority

838 Mineral Springs Road,

Ancaster, ON L9G 4X1

P.O. Box 81067,

Phone: 905-525-2181

Fax: 905-648-4622

E-mail: nature@conservationhamilton.ca

Literature Cited:

"About the Foundation." Greenbelt, https://www.greenbelt.ca/about. Accessed 2 Nov. 2020.

"About Us." Niagara Escarpment Commission, https://www.escarpment.org/Commission/AboutUs. Accessed 2 Nov. 2020.

Alberti, Marina. Advances in Urban Ecology Integrating Humans and Ecological Processes in Urban Ecosystems. E-Book, Springer, 2008, doi:10.1007/978-0-387-75510-6.

Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure. Flood and Erosion Control Project for Upper Battlefield Creek and Upper Stoney Creek: Community of Stoney Creek, City of Hamilton. No. TPB168024. Hamilton Conservation Authority, Feb 20, 2018. https:// conservationhamilton.ca/flood-and-erosion-control-study-stoney-creek-and-battlefield-creek/, Accessed 13 Oct. 2020.

Arbogast, Alan F., et al. Discovering Physical Geography. John Wikey & Sons Canada, 2018.

Barker, Adam. "Deathscapes of Settler Colonialism: The Necro-Settlement of Stoney Creek,

Ontario, Canada." Annals of the American Association of Geographers, vol. 108, no. 4, Routledge, July 2018, pp. 1134–49, doi:10.1080/24694452.2017.1406327.

Biggar, E. B. "The story of the Battle of Stony Creek." Hamilton Spectator, June 1873. In CIHM/ICMH microfiche series (1889): Text-fiche, FC 02 0203 no. 00834. https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.00834.

Crins, William J. et al. The Ecosystems of Ontario, Part I: Ecozones and Ecoregions. Technical Report SIB TER IMA TR-01. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Science and Research Branch, 2009. https://www.ontario.ca/page/ecosystems-ontario-part-1-ecozones-and-ecoregions. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.

Elliott, James, and Nicko Elliott. Strange Fatality: the Battle of Stoney Creek,

1813. E- Book, Robin Brass Studio, 2009.

Hough, Michael. Cities and Natural Process: A Basis for Sustainability. ProQuest Ebook Central, Taylor & Francis Group, 2004. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.library. brocku.ca/lib/brocku/detail.action?docID=200203.

Kerr-Wilson, Ian, and Bill Nesbitt. Grounds Use Policy-Hamilton Civic Museums. City of Hamilton: 2004. Amalgamated Policies- Hamilton Civic Museums. http://www. museumsontario.ca/sites/default/files/members/HamiltonCivicMuseumsPoliciesAmalgamated.pdf. Accessed 16 Oct. 2020.

Kerr-Wilson, Ian. Hamilton Civic Museums Policy. City of Hamilton: 2004. Amalgamated Policies- Hamilton Civic Museums. http://www.museumsontario.ca/sites/default/files/ members/HamiltonCivicMuseumsPoliciesAmalgamated.pdf. Accessed 16 Oct. 2020.

"Traditional Territory Acknowledgements in Ontario." Ontario Federation of Labour, 2017, https://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017-12-04-Traditional-Territory-Acknowledgements.pdf. Accessed 24 Oct. 2020.

Wester, M.C. et al. The Ecosystems of Ontario, Part 2: Ecodistricts. Technical Report TR-26.Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Science and Research Branch, 2018. https://www.ontario.ca/page/ecosystems-ontario-part-2-ecodistricts. Accessed 14 Oct. 2020.

Figures:

Figure 1.0: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) Welcome to Battlefield Park Sign (Author's own private collection).

Figure 1.1: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) Gage House and Landscaping (Author's own private collection).

Figure 1.2: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) The Nash-Jackson House and View of the Monument in the distance (Author's own private collection).

Figure 2.0: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) West field where the Re-Enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek takes place (Author's own private collection).

Figure 2.1: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) Tall grassy area at the far end of the park. To the right, there is an overgrown fruit tree (Author's own private collection).

Figure 2.2: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) Wildlife at the park, a red-tailed hawk perched on a branch (Author's own private collection).

Figure 2.3: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) Black squirrel at the park (Author's own private collection).

Figure 2.4: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) The Battlefield Creek. On the left bank, there is a lot of erosion (Author's own private collection).

Figure 2.5: St-Aubin, Charelle. (8 October 2020) Pavilion (Author's own private collection).

Figure 3.0: Stoney Creek Battlefield looking south. 1870. Wentworth County Illustrated. Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813. E- Book, Robin Brass Studio, 2009. 106.

Figure 4.0: St-Aubin, Charelle. (20 October 2020) Steep banks of Battlefield Creek (Author's own private collection).

Figure 4.1: St-Aubin, Charelle. (1 November 2020) Battlefield Creek during the Fall (Author's own private collection).

Figure 5.0: Lossing, Benjamin. A Grain and Grazing Farm. 1860. Pictorial Field-Book of the War of 1812. Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek, 1813. E- Book, Robin Brass Studio, 2009. 86.

Figure 5.1: Boyd, John. Monument and Gage House. 1915. Archives of Ontario, http:// www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/1812/memo.... Accessed 1 Nov. 2020.

Figure 5.2: Boyd, John. Gage Family Farmhouse. 1918. Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, http://ao.minisisinc.com/SCRIPTS/MWIMAIN.DLL/12161.... 11218?RECORD&DATABASE=IMAGES_WEB. Accessed 4 Nov. 2020.

Figure 6.0: Sheffield, H. C. Map of Wentworth County, Saltfleet [map]. Scale 2 inches per mile. In: Illustrated historical atlas of the county of Wentworth, Ont. Toronto: Page & Smith, 1875. Available: digital library McGill (Accessed October 12, 2020).

Figure 6.1: National Air Photo Library. [Greater Hamilton Area, from Caledonia to Vineland, 1934-09-10] [air photo]. 1: 15,000. A4815. Photo 20. Place of publication unknown: Publisher unknown, 1934.

Figure 6.2: [City of Hamilton, 1943] [air photo]. 1:20,000. 747. Photo 55. Place of publication unknown: Publisher unknown, 1943.

Figure 6.3: Photographic Survey Corporation. [Hamilton Metropolitan Area, 1951-04-13] [air photo]. 1:4800. Photo 6C. Toronto, Ont.: Publisher unknown, 1951.

Figure 6.4: [Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth and surrounding area, 1954] [air photo]. 1:17,000. 4310. Photo 199. Place of publication unknown: Publisher unknown, 1954-1955.

Figure 6.5: Spartan Air Services Ltd. [Golden Horseshoe Area, 1959-11-09] [air photo]. 1:30,000. A16883. Photo 26. Ottawa, Ont.: Spartan Air Services Ltd., 1959-1962.

Figure 6.6: Canadian Aero Service Ltd. [Wentworth County, excluding most of the City of Hamilton, 1960-05-21] [air photo]. 1:4,800. 60134. Photo 145. Place of publication unknown: Canadian Aero Service Ltd., 1960.

Figure 6.7: Aero Photo Inc. [Parts of Wentworth County, 1961-04-20] [air photo]. 1:35,000. A17288. Photo 54. Ottawa, Ont.: National Air Photo Library (Canada), Air Photo Division Energy Mines & Resources, 1961.

Figure 6.8: [Hamilton, Saltfleet Township, and Queen Elizabeth Way corridor, 1966-05-01] [air photo]. 1:12,000. 664-EXP. Photo 65. Place of publication unknown: Publisher unknown, 1966.

Figure 6.9: Spartan Air Services, Ltd. [City of Hamilton, 1967-05-18] [air photo].1:4,800. Photo 16. Hamilton, Ont.: City of Hamilton, 1967.

Figure 6.10: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 1995 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.11: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 1999 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.12: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2002 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.13: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2005 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.14: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2007 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.15: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2010 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.16: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2012 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.17: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2014 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.18: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2015 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.19: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2017 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 6.20: ESRI. Cultural Heritage Resources, City of Hamilton [map]. Layers used: 2019 Airphoto Hybrid, Property Parcels, National Historic Sites. Scale 1:40. Generated by Charelle St-Aubin; using "ArcGIS Online" (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Figure 7.0: "Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek." Youtube, uploaded by Hamilton Civic Museums, 2 August 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= cDUuv0oDejk& feature=emb_title.

Maps:

Map 1.0: Battlefield House Museum and Park, Stoney Creek [Street View]. 2020. Retrieved from Google Maps October 4, 2020.

Map 2.0: Battlefield House Museum and Park, Stoney Creek [Satellite photo]. 2020. Retrieved from Google Maps October 4, 2020.

Map 3.0 and map 3.1: Acton, C. J., and R. Harkes. Soil Landscapes of Canada, Ontario-South [map]. Scale 1:1,000,000. Ottawa: Department of Energy, Mines and Resources. "Soil Landscapes of Canada". (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Map 4.0: Bartolo, Richard. Lower Battlefield & Lower Stoney Creek Existing Reach Delineation [map]. Scale [1:6000]. Hamilton Conservation Authority. In: Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure. Flood and Erosion Control Project for Upper Battlefield Creek and Upper Stoney Creek: Community of Stoney Creek, City of Hamilton. No. TPB168024. Hamilton Conservation Authority, Feb 20, 2018. (Accessed 13 Oct. 2020).

Map 4.1: Bartolo, Richard. Lower Battlefield & Lower Stoney Creek Existing Erosion Potential. [map]. Scale [1:6000]. Hamilton Conservation Authority. In: Amec Foster Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure. Flood and Erosion Control Project for Upper Battlefield Creek and Upper Stoney Creek: Community of Stoney Creek, City of Hamilton. No. TPB168024. Hamilton Conservation Authority, Feb 20, 2018. (Accessed 13 Oct. 2020).

Map 5.0: Native Land [computer file]. Native Land Digital, 2020. Available: Native land, Mapbox (Accessed October 4, 2020).

Map 6.0: Pepper, Robert. Battle of Stoney Creek June 5 and 6 1813 [map]. Scale 1:50,000. Niagara Escarpment Commission.

Map 7.0: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Department of the Niagara Escarpment Commission, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Niagara Escarpment Plan, Map 2 City of Hamilton [map]. Scale 1:50,000. Ontario: Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2018. "Niagara Escarpment Commission". (Accessed October 28, 2020).

This Local Landscape Report was prepared by Charelle St-Aubin for the Brock University course TMGT 2P94: Human Dominated Ecosystems on November 7th, 2020.

All copyrights for cited material rest with the original copyright owners.