Near Thorold in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
DeCou's Stone House
1812 - 1950
Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012
1. DeCou House Monument Marker
Close-up View of the featured historic marker that is located on the inside back wall of the DeCou House.
This house of Captain John DeCou (the name was variously spelled by his relatives and descendants and latterly as DeCew) was the Headquarters of the British outpost under Lieut. James Fitzgibbon to which came Laura Secord through the woods and swamps below the Niagara Escarpment from Queenston on June 24, 1813 to warn of the American advance. Thus warned, the small British force with its Indian allies captured, by bold strategy, at Beaverdams, the entire force with its commanding officer, Lieut. Col. Charles G. Boerstler. That action, "the fight in the beech woods," was a turning point of the war.
Capt. John DeCou, a militia officer since 1809, had been taken prisoner after the capture of Niagara and Ft. George on May 27, 1813. His wife and children lived here through the war. Their home was also a military post and supply point at various times. Cap. DeCou escaped from captivity in 1814 to serve until the end of the war. He was present at Lundy's Lane.
Born of English stock in Vermont in 1766, John DeCou came to Upper Canada as a young United Empire Loyalist and became a pioneer farmer, fruit grower, and industrialist.
this page online
After the war he restored and developed this property and the area became the Hamlet of DeCew Town now DeCew Falls. He advocated and became a director of the first Welland Canal. When the route was changed, leaving his mills without water power, he became an opponent of the scheme. Because of the diversion of water from his mills John DeCou sold this place in 1834. The purchaser, David Griffiths, and his descendants occupied the house until 1942. It was then acquired with the surrounding property by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario for the extension of the DeCew Falls Generating Station which originally had been created by the diversion, to the stream of John DeCou, of additional water from the third Welland Canal. In 1950, while unoccupied, it was destroyed by fire believed to have been of incendiary origin. It was preserved in its present state and this tablet erected in 1952 by the Hydro-Electric
Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012
2. DeCou House Monument Marker
View of the featured marker and a secondary marker affixed to the inside back wall of the DeCou House.
Erected 1952 by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the The Welland Canals series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 27, 1813.
Location. 43° 6.467′ N, 79° 15.016′ W. Marker is near Thorold, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It is on DeCew Road 1.5 kilometers west of Merrittville Highway (Ontario Highway 50), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2350 DeCew Road, Thorold ON L0S 1E6, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe and in Niagara Canada. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8
Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012
3. DeCou House Monument Marker
View of the front side, of what remains of the De Cou House, with a distant view through the front entrance, of the featured historic marker affixed to the back wall of the structure.
More about this marker. In his book, "Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812," Gilbert Collins states, "Unfortunately De Cew's House, which had stood for over one hundred years, has been destroyed. In 1950 the unoccupied house was burned down under mysterious circumstances. The above-ground remains are located on De Cew Road, not far from the De Cew Falls, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara." (page 131)
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012
4. DeCou House Monument Marker
A close-up view of a secondary historic marker that is also affixed to the back, inside wall of the DeCou House.
Also see . . . Decew (deCou) House. This is a link to information provided by Exploring Niagara. (Submitted on June 26, 2012, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.)
Photographed by Dale K. Benington, June 11, 2012
5. DeCou House Monument Marker
View of the secondary marker that is affixed to the stone column that marks the entrance to the De Cou House.
Photographed by Colborne Powell Meredith
6. DeCou House in 1925
Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2012, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,230 times since then and 112 times this year. Last updated on July 29, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 27, 2012, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. 6. submitted on July 29, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
