The Brown Homestead: A Place in Niagara’s History

Many in the St. Catharines region are familiar with the sight of the old Georgian stone house on Pelham Road. When they stop to explore The Brown Homestead, though, they are surprised by what they find inside.

“We’re not a traditional historic house museum,” says Sara Nixon, director of community engagement. “We aren’t dressed in historic costume, we don’t reenact what life was like there, and you won’t see historic furniture. Instead, we let the house speak for itself to tell the story of the farming families that called this place home for over 240 years.”

The Brown Homestead was settled around 1785 by Loyalist John Brown and his family and was a working farm until the 1966. The Homestead is now run by a charitable foundation, formed in 2015, and is managed by a board. In addition to purchasing and preserving the land and buildings, the foundation reimagined it as a community gathering place and education centre.

“Here at the Homestead, we’re trying to build a community that’s connected to one another, connected to our past, and connected to the land,” says Nixon. Visitors can also learn how the house was built, from the materials that were used to the traditions and skills that were passed down through generations. The Homestead has been recognized by the Ontario Historical Society and is a multiple-time recipient of St. Catharines Volunteer and Heritage awards.

People can visit on Thursdays and Fridays between May and October. Visitors who drop in are invited to take a guided tour with the enthusiastic staff and volunteers. “Because we’re letting the house tell the stories, you need someone there to tell you what those stories are, to tell you why we have wall stencils on the walls, or why we’ve exposed a wall, or to learn about the wallpaper you see in the upstairs bedroom.”

There are also workshops and events throughout the year. Garden programs offer a chance to learn about heirloom vegetables that are grown onsite and donated to local food banks. Visitors can also try their hand at heritage crafts, like making natural pigments from beets, cabbage and old bricks, and then using them to paint.

This fall, the Homestead is hosting a rural Niagara lecture series called “From a Farmer’s Perspective,” featuring local farmers speaking about their experience on the land and how it’s changed over time. “A big part of what we do is really focus our programming on history’s continuum and the idea that the past really informs our present and helps us shape the future,” says Nixon. “I really hope that everyone who comes to the house can see their story in the house and leave a bit of their own story too.” CAA