Dear editor:
At a time when so much of our past is quietly disappearing, it is heartening to see that Rainer Hummel of Hummel Properties Inc. has stepped forward to preserve one of Niagara’s most important heritage sites — the David Secord House on Paxton Lane.
Built in the late 18th century, the Secord House is a rare survivor of early Georgian architecture, with metre-thick fieldstone walls and ties to some of the most dramatic chapters of our history.
Local tradition holds that Laura Secord herself stopped here during her legendary 1813 trek, and that it was used as headquarters by high-ranking British officers Francis De Rottenburg and Gordon Drummond during the War of 1812.
But this house is more than stone and mortar — it is a touchstone of community memory. It anchors the historic character of St. Davids, linking us to the areas earliest settlement and reminding us of the resilience of the Secord family, whose roots run deep in this region.
Yet, its current state is a textbook case of demolition by neglect. Too many of Niagara’s historic homes have fallen this way — allowed to decay until demolition is the only option left. This cycle erodes not just our built environment but our collective identity.
Preservation is not nostalgia. It is an act of respect — for the people who came before us, and for the generations who will follow.
The David Secord House deserves to stand, not as a ruin, but as a living testament to the history that shaped us.
Friends of Laura Secord
NOTL
