The Niagara Escarpment Biosphere
An Unwavering Friend, both Past and Present
The Niagara Escarpment Biosphere plays an important role in the preservation of the region’s natural and built heritage. For us at The Brown Homestead, ecological and heritage conservation are inextricably linked. Facing the Short Hills Provincial Park across the street with Henry of Pelham’s vineyards behind, and immersed within the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere, our site is the perfect pastoral setting for public refreshment. As we enter into a new era of life as a community-oriented, environmentally-conscious gathering space with a heritage focus, our future goals are directly connected to the land we steward.
Just as these elements unite us today, nature and The Brown Homestead have been linked through the stories of the past. This impressive, 220-year-old stone farmhouse was made out of Reynales Rockway Dolomite limestone plucked directly from the Niagara Escarpment, pulled on sleds to this site and built to house three generations of the Brown family (1796-1858), two generations of Chellews (1858-1902), then the Powers’ (1902-1979), and the Jouppiens (1979-2015). These aged stone walls continue to shelter and protect the people that visit here today as they join us on our journey into the future.
Furthermore, the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere has been integral to the socio- economic prosperity of the people of this land. Indigenous nations among the Neutral, Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee formed a network of trails throughout the peninsula, the main east-west paths tracing above and below the escarpment’s natural ridge. These paths were important lines of transportation and communication, which the Brown family and their surrounding Loyalist community continued using after settling here in the late 18th century. Just as Indigenous peoples hunted, fished, and gathered resources in the Short Hills for food and shelter, so too did the Browns and subsequent families harness the power of the land to help them create sustainable farms and provide for future generations.
The Short Hills became an important industrial centre of activity for this burgeoning community. The Twelve Mile Creek slicing through its rolling peaks and valleys created the perfect environment for water-powered commercial activity in the decades pre-dating the Welland Canal. The early sawmills and gristmills gave way to more complicated iron and wool manufactories, leading to the opening of a butchery, distillery, and a retail store to fill local supply needs. Naturally, these industries could not have developed if not for the unique physiography offered by the Niagara Escarpment.
The flowing water and rolling hills created the perfect natural environment to propel other endeavours like potash manufacturing and salt production at the Fifteen Mile Falls just down the street from The Brown Homestead. These naturally occurring salt licks throughout the Niagara Escarpment biosphere attracted animals like deer, rabbits and squirrels, holding cultural significance for Indigenous peoples as well.
Thousands of Brown descendants today can trace their lineage back to this little corner of the globe, and can thank the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere for nourishing their ancestors. Indeed, it continues offering life and light to those who seek it in the present. Hikers, dog-walkers, and bird watchers alike can revel in its wonders via the Bruce Trail year-round.
Today we use this land to grow our community Victory Garden and to feed the animals that visit throughout the seasons. Water will sustain our future heritage gardens and kitchen gardens, supporting our heritage culinary programming. As we continue studying our local history it becomes clear how the networks linking humanity with the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere also weave together stories of the past with our pursuits in the present. The Brown Homestead and community around us would not exist without it. For our stories to continue into the future, the Biosphere must be prioritized.
