OW 3-35 Emma Currie - Celebrating a Hometown Heroine

 
 

Secord Significance

A Niagara native raised in St. David's, Ontario, Emma Currie epitomized the progressive, forward thinking women of the late 19th century, becoming active in the cultural and social life of her community and creating public opportunities for the intellectual pursuits of women. She and the other feminists of her era were active in the suffrage movement, and are credited with bringing a valuable new perspective to the interpretation of the past. Together they sought out significant individual women in Canada's past, and began the process of including them in the narrative of Canadian history.The very inclusion of women as significant actors in Canadian history represented an important achievement in this time. In addition to her role in promoting the intellectual and social life of women in Niagara, Emma Currie is credited with producing the first factual and definitive portrayal of Laura Secord, who for part of her life lived in Currie's home town of St. David's.



 
 

Emma Harvey married relatively late, but married well – as did her husband. In 1865, at the age of 36, she became the wife of James G. Currie, a prominent St. Catharines lawyer, landowner, and war veteran who was mayor of St. Catharines from 1859 to 1863, and again from 1869 to 1870. James Currie was elected to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada in 1862, and became provincial Member of Parliament from 1871 to 1873.[i] [ii] The new Mrs. Currie enjoyed significant social status in her community, and interacted with other women of the upper middle classes in the growing city of St. Catharines.

 
 

 
 

Fellow Secord biographer Ruth McKenzie wrote, "Mrs. Currie's book is still the standard biography of Laura Secord. The author took great pains to assemble facts about the Ingersoll and Secord families and about Laura's own life. She dealt with Laura's walk objectively, avoiding emotional over-tones" [v]. As a result, the book is still extensively consulted today. Such was its popularity that a second, slightly expanded edition was published in St. Catharines in 1813, the year of Emma Currie's death.

 
 

Far more than a mere book club, the Women's Literary Club of St. Catharines brought together a group of women with a serious and productive shared interest in literature, history, and the visual and performing arts, and they pursued that interest in a formaI, structured, and publicly accessible manner. Club members presented original research papers, gave musical recitals, and followed an active and meticulously recorded agenda that reflected their interest in a diverse array of authors; in national, locaI, and classical history; in original artwork; in musical performances; and in current events.

 
 
 

 
 

Emma and James Currie owned agricultural land in Niagara on the Lake. The northern section of their property is now part of Reimer Vineyards.

After their marriage, Emma Currie lived with her husband in their home at 98 King Street. The home was regrettably demolished in the early 1990s to make way for the Ministry of Transportation Building / St. Catharines Bus Terminal [vi], subsequently re-numbered as 150 King Street.

Though her home is now gone, Emma Currie's mark on the community - and on the collective conscience of our country - remains indelible.

Emma Currie's home: King Street in 1913 and 2017

Emma Currie lived at 98 King Street, St. Catharines - an address that no longer exists. Her home was located between Carlisle and Academy Streets, approximately where the entrance to the MTO / Bus Station is found today. Addresses along King Street were re-numbered, and no longer match present-day addresses.

The streetscape has changed quite dramatically between 1913 (left) and 2017 (right). Back in 1913, the Currie home was one of several stately residences that lined King Street. Many such buildings that graced the southeast side of the street have since been demolished or replaced. Currie's home was razed in the early 1990s to make way for the Ministry of Transportation headquarters and the St. Catharines Bus Terminal.



References

[i] McKenzie, Ruth. 1971. Laura Secord - the Legend and the Lady. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto. 142 pp.

[ii] Dale, Clare A. 1992. Whose Servant I Am: Speakers of the Assemblies of the Province of Upper Canada, Canada and Ontario, 1792-1992. Toronto: Ontario Legislative Library. pp. 151–55.

[ii] James George Currie, MPP - Parliamentary History. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/members/members_all_detail.do?locale=en&ID=776

[iii] Bird, Kym. 2011. "Curzon, Sarah Anne," Canadian Encyclopedia (Edmonton: Hurtig), Dominion Institute. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/sarah-anne-curzon/

[iv] Cabbagetown People. N.d. [Sarah Curzon] A Pioneer for women's Rights who made Laura Secord a Household Word. http://www.cabbagetownpeople.ca/Pages/13Curzon.htm...

[v] McKenzie, Ruth. 1971. Laura Secord - the Legend and the Lady. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto. 142 pp.

[vi] St. Catharines Public Library. Canada 150: St. Catharines from Confederation to 2017. http://bmd.stcatharines.library.on.ca/en/453/Exhibit/6

Other Sources

Currie, Emma A. 1900. The Story of Laura Secord, and Canadian Reminiscences. William Briggs, Toronto.

Thanks to Dennis Gannon for information on the location of Emma Currie's home at 98 King Street, St. Catharines (demolished in the early 1990s).


This point of interest is one of many on the GuideTags app –
a free digital interpretive guide that features thematic tours, routes, and discovery sessions,
and automatically tells geolocated stories about the places that surround us.
Download the app today, and start exploring!
Contact us if you would like to create your own content.
Report an error or inappropriate content.