Secord Homestead opens doors

It was a sweltering day, much like Saturday, when Laura Secord walked 32 kilometres 204 years ago to warn British soldiers of an impending American attack during the War of 1812-14.

The chocolate? That came much later.

Every year, the Laura Secord Homestead in Queenston throws open its doors for free to shed more light on one of Canada’s great heroines, whose trek was a turning point in the war. Had the surprise attack succeeded, it would have entrenched the Americans in the Niagara peninsula.

The annual event includes the Niagara Bruce Trail Club’s Laura Secord Hike, for those sturdy enough to recreate her walk. It started Saturday at 6:30 a.m. at the Homestead and finished eight hours later at the historic Decew House Heritage Park in Thorold.

“Two of our staff made the walk this week,” says Homestead curator Melissa Bottomly. “One of them made it, one of them didn’t.”

For those sticking close to home, staff at the Niagara Parks Commission attraction wore period garb and indulged in activities much like Secord would have .

After the war, Secord and husband James suffered through poverty, eventually moving to Chippawa. As strange as it is to believe now, Secord’s courage during her walk wasn’t fully acknowledged until late in her life. She died in 1863 at the age of 93, and is buried next to her husband at Drummond Hill Cemetery .

A century after her death, Canadian businessman Frank O’Connor commemorated her by founding Laura Secord Chocolates. The Laura Secord Company restored her homestead in 1971 and gifted it to the Niagara Parks Commission in 1998.

The Homestead is a serene treat for both tourists and locals, says Bottomly. In recent years, more and more descendants of Secord have made the trip to see how she lived.

“They’re always astonished,” she says. “I mean, you learn about her in school, but it’s usually about a paragraph. So they come here and hear about her entire story and what she did aside from the walk. She’s a pretty amazing woman.”