DeCew House and the Battle of Beaverdam-- Part 2

Had Laura Secord not warned of the Americans coming, the battle might have gone the other way and been a British loss.

After the war, DeCew lived at the house with his family and operated a nearby mill at DeCew Falls.  He sold it in 1834.

The next owner lived there until 1942 when it was purchased by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario.

The original house burned down in 1950, but the lower stone walls were restored and a plaque installed to tell of its significance.

It is now a designated historic site.

--Brock-Perry

DeCew House a Focal Point in the Battle of Beaverdam-- Part 1

From the June 22, 2013, Welland (Can.) Tribune by Jeff Blay.

Thorold, Canada.

The Battle of Beaverdam is best-known for Laura Secord's famous walk or the crucial effort of the Six nations' warriors who won the battle.    But the stone house used as British headquarters, now called the DeCew House, has its own story.

John  DeCew was captured at Fort George in May 1813 and was held as a prisoner of war in Philadelphia.

he had built the house, known as the site where Laura Secord warned British Lt. James Fitzgibbon of the American advance on his position prior to the battle.

--Brock-Perry