Laura Ingersoll Secord 1775-1868 Plaque (Queenston)



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.

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.

From Toronto:

1. Get on QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way/ON-403) W. Follow signs for Niagara/East Hamilton/Fort Erie

2. Keep left to continue on ON-405, follow signs for Queenston Lewiston U.S.A

3. Take the Stanley Avenue/Regional Road 102 exit toward Niagara Falls/Niagara-on-the-Lake

4. Keep left at the fork and follow signs for Niagara Pkwy/Niagara-on-the-Lake

5. Turn left onto Stanley Ave

6. Slight right onto Portage Rd (signs for Portage Road/Niagara Parkway/Queenston/Niagara on the Lake)

7. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Niagara Pkwy.

8. Turn right onto Partition St. Destination will be on the left.

Plaque is located on the south side of the Secord homestead just east of the parking lot entrance.

From Niagara:

1. Take QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) towards Toronto

2. Take exit 34 for Regional Road 101/Mountain Road

3. Turn right onto Mountain Rd/Regional Rd 101 (signs for Mountain Road E)

4. At the roundabout, continue straight to stay on Mountain Rd/Regional Rd 101

5. Turn left onto St Paul Ave/Regional Rd 100. Continue to follow Regional Rd 100.

6. Turn right onto York Rd/Regional Rd 81 (signs for Queenston)

7. Turn left onto Niagara Pkwy

8. Take the 3rd right onto Partition St. Destination will be on the left.

Plaque is located on the south side of the Partition Street entrance to the Secord homestead.

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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

Latitude: 43.16389408570
Longitude: -79.05578390820
UTM easting: 658052.56
UTM northing: 4780871.59


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