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The Battlefield Monument has been a landmark in Stoney Creek for ninety years. It's form and image are used in the logos of many local businesses and it has become a prominent symbol of the community.2
The Battlefield Monument, present day.2000
Battlefield Park, Stoney Creek, Ontario
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The Battlefield Monument was constructed in the early part of the 20th century as a memorial to the soldiers that died fighting in the Battle of Stoney Creek in 1813.The Monument was designed by a local architectural firm called F.J. Rastrick and Sons and the design was chosen to resemble the early 19th century Nelson Monument which still stands today in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The Monument measures100 feet tall, symbolizing the one hundredth Anniversary of the Battle of Stoney Creek on the date it was unveiled, June 6, 1913. This height also recognizes the one hundred years of peace between the United States and Canada which followed the War of 1812.
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Sara Calder, the first President of the Women's Wentworth Historical Society.1900
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As with the preservation of the Gage House, it is Sara Calder whom we should credit for the construction of the Monument.The Wentworth Historical Society, of which Sara was a member, had, since its inception in 1889, had the goal and intention to erect a monument to commemorate the Battle of Stoney Creek. In 1894, two offers for land for a monument presented themselves: the Gage farmhouse, four acres of surrounding land and 40 square feet of hilltop, including a roadway , for $1,900. Or a plot of land 42 by 60 feet located at Smith's Knoll on the north side of the road for $50. The men on the committee appointed to report on the matter recommended the second choice. Sara objected strongly; she held a belief "that towers and statues were the most appropriate memorials because a direct, visual impact stimulated patriotism and imperialism".
Therefore, situating a monument devoted to the commemoration of the Battle of Stoney Creek on a elevated piece of land such as was to the south of the Gage house would have an even greater prominence.
In 1899, Sara broke away from the Wentworth Historical Society, forming her own group, the Women's Wentworth Historical Society. The W.W.H.S. went on to purchase the Gage property and were determined to have their monument built.
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In 1900, the architectural firm of F.J. Rastrick & Sons submitted a design for a monument to cost $18,715.00.In 1908 the government granted $5000.00 to the W.W.H.S toward the building of the monument.
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A letter from Rastrick outlining the costs for the construction of the Battlefield Monument.1910
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Noted architect F.J. Rastrick prepared the blue prints for the Battlefield Monument.1910
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Countess Grey, wife of the Governor General, turning the first sod for the Monument on May 28, 1909.28 May 1909
Battlefield Park, Stoney Creek, Ontario
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The Women's Wentworth Historical Society was impressed with Rastrick's design. The first sod on the Monument site was turned by Countess Grey on May 28, 1909, and the corner stone was laid by General French in a ceremony on May 26, 1910.Problems securing government funding caused construction delays throughout 1911. Work recommenced in 1912 when the Department of Militia and Defence guaranteed additional funds. The entire cost of the project was approximately $12,000.
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The corner stone of the Battlefield Monument was laid on May 26, 1910.1998
Battlefield Monument
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The base of the Battlefield Monument in 1910, during construction.1910
Battlefield Park, Stoney Creek, Ontario
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The base of the Monument in 1910. The tapered tower was not completed for another three years.14
The opening of the monument in Battlefield Park on June 6, 1913.6 June 1913
Battlefield Park, Stoney Creek, Ontario
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