Beyond Our Walls
Bringing The Homestead to Niagara and Beyond
Bridge the gap between Niagara’s people and places
Support our community outreach programs to make Niagara’s Homestead accessible to all!
At The Brown Homestead, we believe that the importance of historic sites extends beyond our buildings. We are dedicated to the crucial work of strengthening connections with our communities by sharing, preserving, and celebrating stories of the past.
While we continue to provide many opportunities to learn from and connect with the past by offering low-cost or free workshops on-site, we know we must go Beyond Our Walls and bring history and cultural heritage directly to the community.
Located in the rural, southwest corner of St. Catharines and nestled within the Niagara Escarpment at the edge of the Short Hills, access to The Brown Homestead remains a challenge.
A 2025 General Survey revealed 93.3% of our audience relies on personal vehicles for transportation, highlighting a key barrier for students, retirees, and lower-income community members. With no public transportation options, many simply cannot reach us.
In response, we have increased our community outreach initiatives to bring The Brown Homestead to the public – offering workshops and presentations at the St. Catharines Public Library, Niagara retirement communities, the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum, and elsewhere. These efforts have allowed us to share the rich history of our site as well as stories of rural Niagara with more people, in more places.
Due to popular demand, we know that we need to do more.
Help us raise $2,500 to expand our community outreach programming and increase access to Niagara’s history and cultural heritage for more people, regardless of where they live or how they travel.
Why support?
Your support helps us:
Reach people who cannot visit our site, including seniors, newcomers to Canada, and families with limited access to transportation.
Provide interactive, low-cost, and free outreach programs that bring heritage to life in accessible, community-based settings.
Launch new initiatives like Rural Niagara Memories, a seniors-focused outreach program that preserves memories from our aging population and encourage shared experiences through storytelling.
Your donation can allow us to achieve our goals of:
Participating in at least 5 local events and community festivals
Reaching at least 5 municipalities outside of the City of St. Catharines
Visiting at least 10 retirement and long-term communities
Connecting with over 500 community members
Let us come to you!
Together, we can mobilize knowledge, increase access, and continue to inspire connection with our community!
Your dollar counts.
A gift today allows us to continue our work beyond our walls to reach more of our community.