MEDIA ADVISORY. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 12, 2012

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MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 12, 2012 Niagara-on-the-Lake On Monday, November 19, 2012, the Lord Mayor and members of the Town s Municipal Heritage Committee and War of 1812

1 MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 12, 2012 Niagara-on-the-Lake On Monday, November 19, 2012, the Lord Mayor and members of the Town s Municipal Heritage Committee and War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee will present bicentennial plaques to heritage homes which pre-date the War of There will also be plaque presentations made at the McFarland House and Laura Secord House, with attendance by representatives of the Niagara Parks Commission. Following is the presentation schedule. Please see attached files for background on each property. 1:00 PM - McFarland House (c. 1800) Niagara River Parkway 1:25 PM - De Puisaye House (c. 1794) Niagara River Parkway 1:50 PM - Field House (c. 1800) Niagara River Parkway 2:15 PM - Laura Secord House (c. 1804) - 29 Queenston Street Media representatives are invited to attend. Please note: Presentations will continue in 2013 and 2014 for buildings in St. Davids, Old Town, and the rural areas which pre-date the War of For further information, please contact Aaron Butler, Heritage Planner x 294

2 TOWN OF NIAGARA ON THE LAKE Planning & Development Services 1593 Four Mile Creek Rd. P.O. Box 100, Virgil, ON L0S 1T0 Tel. (905) Fax (905) Description of Property The McFarland House Niagara River Parkway. Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 The McFarland House is located on the east side of the Niagara River Parkway, south of East & West Line Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake s rural area. Statement of Cultural Value or Interest The cultural heritage value of the McFarland House lies in its age, architectural details and its association with a prominent Niagara family. James McFarland, son of John McFarland built the dwelling in historic Georgian architectural style. The front of the house is dated to 1800 and was built with handmade bricks while the wing at the rear of the house was added in The five bay symmetrical façade has a wood shingled gable roof and a brick chimney. The windows, hung on double sashes have twelveover-twelve pane and working shutters. The centred entrance has a plain pediment and a three light transom. Both James and John McFarland served in the War of The Americans took John McFarland prisoner when Fort George was captured in May of He was subsequently marched to Greenbush, New York. During the war, depending on who occupied the frontier the McFarland House was used as a field hospital by both the British and the Americans and therefore survived the assault of the retreating Americans. McFarland House was built on lands originally granted to John McFarland in In 1943, the Niagara Parks Commission (NPC) acquired the McFarland property, including the house and restored it to its original state. It was even elegantly furnished in the Loyalist tradition. The property is still owned and managed by the NPC and has been open to the public since Description of Heritage Attributes Key exterior attributes of heritage value include its: Five bay balanced façade (Hand made) brick exterior Brick chimney Low gable, wood shingled roof 12-over-12 window with working shutters Stone foundation

Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 The De Puisaye House is a one-and-a-half storey house, which sits well back on its present day lot and was once the focus of a 300-acre estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake s

Statement of Cultural Value or Interest The cultural heritage value of the De Puisaye House lies in the age of the structure, its surviving architectural details, and its association with Walter

3 TOWN OF NIAGARA ON THE LAKE Planning & Development Services 1593 Four Mile Creek Rd. P.O. Box 100, Virgil, ON L0S 1T0 Tel. (905) Fax (905) Description of Property The De Puisaye House Niagara River Parkway. Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1J0 The De Puisaye House is a one-and-a-half storey house, which sits well back on its present day lot and was once the focus of a 300-acre estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake s rural area. Statement of Cultural Value or Interest The cultural heritage value of the De Puisaye House lies in the age of the structure, its surviving architectural details, and its association with Walter Butler Sheehan and Joseph Genevieve, Count de Puisaye. The present day surviving structure dates back to circa 1794 and is early Georgian in style. The original structure was built by Walter Butler Sheehan who was the nephew of Colonel John Butler and who was sheriff of the area (District of Nassau) in the early 1790 s. The house originally stood ½ mile to the north of its present location on Lot 19 and included a 300 acre Crown grant to Sheehan. IN 1798, the house and property were listed for sale in the Upper Canada Gazette and were purchase shortly thereafter by the Count de Puisaye. In the 1960 s the house was saved from demolition, moved to the Niagara Parks Commission property at McFarland Park and eventually moved to its present location where it was restore to its 18 th century appearance. While several original elements have survived over the years, the original structure is only part of the present day dwelling. The south wing of the house was built in 1981 incorporating unique architectural woodwork which had been saved from an 1820 s house in Prescott, Ontario. The structure from 1794 features a five bay clapboard façade with a centred entrance. The dormers on the medium pitched gable roof are faithful reproductions of the original dormers. The trim around the windows and the door case are simple. Genevieve, a professional soldier, fled to England because of his opposition to the French Revolution. He later came to Canada with the intent of setting up a French colony. In 1802, he returned to England and for the next ten years the house was converted into a store. The dwelling survived the War of 1812 because it was used as a hospital by both sides. Other previous owners of the property include Henry Johnson, Joseph Johnson, Peter Currie, Alexander Currie, Catherine Currie, Jessie Currie, Jane Ansley, Alicia Booker, John Chipman, and David Muller. Owners of the restored house include John Chipman, David Muller and the present owners.

4 Description of Heritage Attributes Key exterior attributes of heritage value include its: Medium to high pitched gable roof Clapboard siding Symmetrical 5 bay façade with centred entrance Brick end chimneys Simple entrance

8 TOWN OF NIAGARA ON THE LAKE Planning & Development Services 1593 Four Mile Creek Rd. P.O. Box 100, Virgil, ON L0S 1T0 Tel. (905) Fax (905) Description of Property The Laura Secord House 29 Queenston St. Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON L0S 1L0 The Laura Secord House is a one-and-a-half storey converted museum space, which sits on a large, narrow through-lot between Queenston St. and the Niagara River Parkway in the Village of Queenston. Statement of Cultural Value or Interest The cultural heritage value of 29 Queenston St. which is a restored version of the original c house once occupied by Laura Ingersoll Secord lies mainly in the connection it maintains with one of Canada s greatest heroines. On the evening of June 22 nd, 1813, Laura Secord having overheard or otherwise been made aware of secret American plans to surprise a small British detachment then stationed at John DeCew s homestead near Beaverdams set out on a perilous journey of almost twenty miles, undertaken behind American lines, to warn Lieut. James FitzGibbon, commander of the threatened British outpost, and give him time to prepare a counter-ambush. The result was the encirclement and complete surrender of 542 American soldiers (and two artillery pieces) in the beech woods near Beaverdams. It was a major turning point in the war, and essentially determined that the American occupation of Niagara could not long continue. Laura Secord lived on the property from 1803 to 1835 with her husband James Secord and raised seven children. The Laura Secord House was restored in , with financial support from the Laura Secord Candy Company. The simple frame house has been converted into a museum, filled with artefacts from around Ontario and Quebec, highlighting the social history of the early 19 th century Canadian frontier. Description of Heritage Attributes Key exterior attributes that embody the heritage value of Laura Secord as one of the best examples of an accurately restored/reconstructed home in Niagara-on-the-Lake include its: Simple Georgian façade, five bays wide. Clapboard siding. Interesting semi-detached sidelights and simple door frame. Twin chimneys. Rubble foundation and steps. N.B. Especially well-represented in the museum s collection is early lighting technology everything from early whale oil lamps to tallow candles to rush lights are displayed.

THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE. BY-LAW NO (214 Four Mile Creek Road)

THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE BY-LAW NO. 4807-15 (214 Four Mile Creek Road) A BY-LAW TO DESIGNATE THE PROPERTY KNOWN MUNICIPALLY AS WOODBOURNE, 214 FOUR MILE CREEK ROAD, IN THE TOWN