Sean Allen
BRANT NEWS

The unheard stories of the War of 1812 were the focus of the 15th annual Heritage Day Workshop in St. George last Friday.

More than 200 people attended at the South Dumfries Community Centre to hear from presenters who are researching different aspects of the military conflict between the United States and British Empire that had a huge impact on what is now southern Ontario.

“The War of 1812 comes across as a cartoon conflict most times,” local historian Bill Darfler said. “But if you think about 7,300 refugees streaming across what is now southern Ontario, that is just one example of what you won’t find in the popular history of the war.”

Darfler said there are stories of refugees, turncoats and mass hangings that have not been chronicled. He is working on a documentary project with Brantford filmmakers Zach Melnick and Yvonne Drebert titled “A Desert Between Us and Them: Raiders Traitors and Refugees in the War of 1812.”

Scheduled for release next spring as part of ongoing bicentennial commemorations of the war that lasted from 1812 to 1814, the film features local stories not told before.

“These incredible stories have presented real challenges in finding voices to tell them,” Darfler said. “I’ve been learning a lot about the structure of history and which stories get told compared to which don’t. These stories all exist on a local level.”

The heritage workshop, hosted by Brantford, the County of Brant, Grand River Conservation Authority and Grand Strategy Heritage Working Group, also featured presentations by Six Nations researcher Rick Hill and Jonathan Seiling, a Toronto historian researching the Mennonite and Quaker communities during the war years.

Darfler and Melnick said work on their documentary is still in full swing with the support of 12 area municipalities and using a community focused production model.

He said they have identified about 75 per cent of the more than 400 actors they will need for the project, but are still looking for more.

“Specifically, we are looking for more young men to take part,” Melnick said. “Most of the parts are volunteer, but there are a few paid ones if you want to get in touch with us.”

For more information about the film, e-mail mail@visualheritage.ca.

The team expects TVO to pick up the documentary when it is complete. It will also be distributed to schools with educational material.

There will be other events to commemorate the War of 1812 in Brant region. In March, the Canadian Military Heritage Museum will open it’s 1812 exhibit. April will see the Brant Museum and Archives host a War of 1812 exhibit. Doors Open Brant will have an 1812 theme this September. In November, Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant will feature an 1812 exhibition.