About
The Brown Homestead, 2022
A bit about me…
I have been involved at a number of heritage sites over the past eight years, and remain engaged in my spare time with various local projects relating to built heritage preservation, archaeology, technical report writing, historical GIS & digital history, and public history.
I currently work as the Director of Community Engagement at The Brown Homestead in St. Catharines, Ontario.
The Brown Homestead, 2023. Image courtesy of Jenessa Galenkamp.
The Brown Homestead
While there are many things that I enjoy about my job, these are just a few of my favourite projects and memories so far since joining the team in 2021.
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Together with the expertise of established local historian Brian Narhi, The Brown Homestead has developed an instructional workshop series equipping historical researchers and genealogists researching properties in Ontario with essential tools and skills.
Brian, myself, and Sara Nixon have delivered three iterations of these workshops at various locations since October 2023 and I believe they are truly filling a need in the local historical research community.
Niagara-on-the-Lake Local: Museum teams with Brown Homestead for property research workshop
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With an eye towards the projected growth and evolution of the organization in the coming years, The Brown Homestead sought to proactively undergo a Stage 2 test-pitting archaeological survey of the property under the direction of Triggs Heritage Consulting in June 2023. The idea was to identify the presence of any archaeological resources present on the property, so that, if so, the artifacts or settlement features found can be evaluated for cultural heritage value and incorporated into the interpretive heritage of the site.
Newstalk 610 CKTB Interview
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This interactive exhibit will guide you on a journey through the past by illustrating the changing layers and cultural landscape of The Brown Homestead over time.
Mapping The Brown Homestead was created using a software program called ArcGIS, which is developed by Esri to help users build interactive web-based maps and applications. While typically used by individuals employed in fields such as urban planning, forestry or environmental conservation, cartography and other geography-related vocations, historians can also use GIS to investigate and present our studies of the past.
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There’s something special about the community coming together, the camaraderie of volunteers, and general sense of togetherness that flows out of these sorts of free, public history/arts & culture events.
The Brown Homestead participated in St. Catharines’ Doors Open 2022, and we welcomed approximately 500 people on site, sharing the various pieces our restoration journey with the public. On this day we also hosted two special performances of The Shaw Festival’s 30-minute original production titled "A Short History of Niagara."
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I’m not an expert by any means, but have enjoyed making short, educational videos over the past couple of years using Adobe Premiere Pro to provide the public with relevant heritage restoration techniques, gardening tips, and more.
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Essays relating to local trade and communications, the relationships between the Loyalist refugees who came to Niagara in the 1780s and their new environment. Learn about whiskey and potash production, and other early colonial industries.
“The Worst in the World!” The Troubled History of Niagara’s Roadways
Producing Potash at Rockway: A Fifteen Mile Falls Community
An Inclement Journey Across Niagara, 1803
Enough to Sink the Barrel: A Brief Overview of Early Whisky Production in Niagara