Niagara’s Homestead in your Neighbourhood

Book one of our engaging community outreach programs

Located in the rural outskirts of St. Catharines, we understand that transportation to our historic site can be a challenge. In response, we’ve designed a series of outreach programs that allow us to bring the history and stories of Niagara’s Homestead to you.

Book your program. Complete the form below, or contact us via email or phone.

Let us come to you!

Hear stories from the farming families who once called this place home. Credit: St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre

Book a Community Talk

Our history presentations are delivered by knowledgeable and passionate staff. Presentations range from 45 - 60 minutes, depending on your needs. We bring the stories and equipment, you just provide the space and the people! Please contact us to discuss booking costs.

We offer a selection of well-researched, engaging historical topics, including:

  • Settling, farming, and operating a tavern at The Brown Homestead

  • Heritage conservation and restoring The Brown Homestead

  • Patterns and stories in the wallpaper uncovered in in historic homes

  • The human history of the Short Hills, including burial grounds, mills, raids and war

Book Rural Niagara Memories: Seniors’ Outreach Program

Our senior’s outreach program is designed as an engaging discussion-based program exploring life in rural Niagara, using historic photos and video clips from oral history interviews as well as guided questions to prompt memory recall and storytelling. The cost per booking is $75 for a 60 minute program.

Programs developed so far include:

  • The Brown Homestead came to be only after John Brown and his family settled at the edge of the Short Hills in the 1780s. Learn the story of what brought this Loyalist family to Niagara almost 250 years ago, and share your own stories of how your family came to Niagara.

  • Known as the Garden of Canada, Niagara has a long history of fruit farming. Hear stories about the fruit orchards that once grew on The Brown Homestead property and how the farm operated, and share your own experiences!

  • In rural communities, the distance between neighbours makes our connection to each other that much stronger! Learn about what the community surrounding The Brown Homestead looked like in the early 1800s, and how it changed - and stayed the same - over time. Tell us about what you remember growing up about your neighbours, playing with friends, and how you got around.

Credit: St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre

Get in touch, submit a form.

The Brown Homestead’s outreach programming efforts are made possible by the financial support of the Niagara Community Foundation (NCF); a public foundation serving the people of Niagara since 2000. NCF connects donors to causes and communities to resources through permanent endowment funds, providing grants to eligible charitable organizations in culture, health, education, environment, recreation, and social service sectors. NCF turns intent into impact.