Erland Lee (Museum) Home National Historic Site
© Parks Canada Agency / Dianne Dodd, 2002.
Erland Lee (Museum) Home was designated a national historic site in November 2002.
Heritage value: The Erland Lee (Museum) Home was designated a national historic site of Canada in 2002 because: it is the site of the drafting of the constitution of the first Women’s Institute and the home of the organizations’ co-founders and leaders, Janet and Erland Lee; it is widely recognized and valued as the birthplace of an important national and international movement for rural and farm women; it is a well-preserved and interpreted home that speaks to the legacy of the Stoney Creek Women’s Institute.
Commemorative plaque: 552 Ridge Road, Stoney Creek, Ontario
This 19th-century farmhouse is the birthplace of Women's Institutes (WI), an organization that played a vital role in thousands of small communities. Inspired by domestic science reformer Adelaide Hoodless, and supported by her husband Erland, Janet Lee drafted the constitution of the Stoney Creek Women's Institute here in 1897. From these roots emerged a movement that spread throughout Canada and the world. In meeting halls across the country, the WI brought women together to learn diverse skills and to promote civic reform, helping them break the grinding isolation of rural life.
The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
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