War of 1812 Member Trip
War of 1812 Bicentennial Trip
Sept. 24 through 29, 2012
On June 18, 1812, President James Madison and the U.S. Congress declared war on Great Britain. Battles raged throughout the continent for over two years before peace was negotiated. Experience the fight for control of the Old Northwest when you visit the War of 1812 International Heritage Trail. Your journey takes you to historic forts, battlefields and monuments that highlight the conflicts of the western theater of war. This broad area comprises what are now the states of Ohio and Michigan and the province of Ontario.
Itinerary
Day 1 – Monday, Sept. 24, Indianapolis-Sandusky
Depart Indianapolis by coach for Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial, established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie and to celebrate the long-lasting peace between Britain, Canada and the U.S. The Memorial, a Doric column rising 352 feet over Lake Erie, is situated five miles from the longest undefended border in the world. Stroll through the park's Visitor Center and discover how the courage and obstinacy of Commodore Oliver H. Perry changed the course of history. Stay overnight at Sandusky Sawmill Creek Resort; dinner at the resort.
7:30 a.m. Depart IHS by coach
Lunch on own en route
3 p.m. Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial, guided tour
5 p.m. Depart
6 p.m. Check in at Sandusky Sawmill Creek Resort - www.sawmillcreek.com
Dinner at resort, several entrée choices to preselect
Day 2 – Tuesday, Sept. 25, Sandusky-Erie-Lancaster-Niagara
Visit a replica of U.S. Brig Niagara, Perry’s flagship at Erie Maritime Museum. Starting with the War of 1812 through the present day, the Erie Maritime Museum takes you through time, the people and the events surrounding Lake Erie. Meet the commanders and the ships that fought the Battle of Lake Erie; come face-to-face with the power of artillery in naval warfare when you meet the Lawrence, Perry’s original flagship. The exhibit includes artifacts, as well as schematic drawings of the vessels engaged in the battle. The Niagara in Erie, Pa., is a reproduction of the relief flagship of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in a major naval battle of the War of 1812. On Sept. 10, 1813, nine small ships – six of them, including Niagara, constructed in Erie – defeated a British squadron of six vessels in the Battle of Lake Erie. A pivotal event in the War of 1812, it secured the Northwest Territory, opened supply lines and lifted the nation’s morale.
We continue on to the circa 1810 Hull House, the oldest stone dwelling in Erie County, N.Y., and a rare piece of early American architecture in western New York. Used as a place of refuge by citizens of Buffalo and Fort Niagara guarding the exit of the Niagara River, the Hull House harbors the story of the multifaceted cultural heritage of the Niagara Frontier. It is the story of the early settlement of Western New York, the westward migration of Americans and the Erie Canal. Here you will find links to the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and, consequently, to the tragic burning of Buffalo by the British in 1813.
Breakfast at resort
8 a.m. Depart
11 a.m. Visit replica of U.S. Brig Niagara, Perry’s flagship at Erie Maritime Museum
Lunch on own at museum
1 p.m. Depart
See Hull House, used as place of refuge by citizens of Buffalo
3:30 p.m. Visit Fort Niagara guarding exit of the Niagara River
(Historian joins us)
5 p.m. Depart
6 p.m. Check-in Ontario Radisson Fallsview (two nights)
7:30 p.m. Dinner at Elements of the Falls, Table Rock, overlooking Canadian Falls (choice of three entrees)
Day 3 – Wednesday, Sept. 26, Niagara Area
Visit Fort George National Historic Site of Canada. During the War of 1812, Fort George served as the headquarters for the Centre Division of the British Army. These forces included British regulars, local militia, aboriginal warriors and Runchey's corps of freed slaves. Fort George was destroyed by American artillery fire and captured during the Battle of Fort George in May 1813. The U.S. forces used the fort as a base to invade the rest of Upper Canada, however, they were repulsed at the Battles of Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams. After a seven-month occupation, the fort was retaken in December and remained in British hands for the remainder of the war.
See Brock’s Monument, Major General Sir Isaac Brock, “the savior of Upper Canada” served here until his death at the Battle of Queenston Heights in October 1812.Other sites include: Drummond Hill, most famously known as the battle grounds of the “Battle of Lundy's Lane,” as well as the burial site of Laura Secord; Battle Ground Hotel Museum which sits on the hallowed grounds of the War of 1812’s Lundy’s Lane Battlefield, a pivotal clash in which allied British, Canadian and First Nations troops withstood the last serious attempt at the invasion of Canada by American forces; Lundy's Lane and Niagara Historical Society Museums which offer a significant collection of 1812 artifacts; and the monument to Battle of Chippawa fought on July 5, 1814, the opening engagement of the Niagara campaign of 1814, the longest and bloodiest military operation of the War of 1812.
Breakfast at hotel
8 a.m. Depart hotel with historian guide
8:40 a.m. Visit Fort George
10:45 a.m. Depart
11 a.m. Niagara Historical Society Museum
12:10 p.m. Depart
See Brock’s Monument (British general killed in battle)
12:30 p.m. Lunch at Queenston Heights Restaurant
2 p.m. Depart
2:45 p.m. Visit Fort Erie, oldest British fort, circa 1764, site of bloodiest battle
5 p.m. Depart
5:45 p.m. Return Niagara Falls Radisson Fallsview
Dinner on own at hotel restaurant or nearby
Day 4 – Thursday, Sept. 27, Niagara-Hamilton-Toronto-Southwestern Ontario
Visit Fort Erie, site of the bloodiest battlefield in the history of Canada. This new fort was unfinished when the United States declared war on June 18, 1812. Part of the garrison of Fort Erie fought at the Battle of Frenchman's Creek against an American attack in November 1812. See Battlefield House Museum, a rural Upper Canada home originally built on the banks of the creek in Saltfleet Township around 1796. It was here on June 6, 1813, that the Battle of Stoney Creek took place.
Breakfast at hotel
8 a.m. Depart with historian guide
8:30 a.m. Battle of Chippawa including Willoughby Historical Museum
9:30 a.m. Depart
9:45 a.m. Drummond Hill Cemetery, Battle Ground Hotel Museum, Lundy’s Lane Museum
11 a.m. Depart – snacks en route
12 p.m. Battlefield House Museum
1:30 p.m. Depart, historian also departs group
2 p.m. Lunch at The Old Ancaster Mill - www.ancastermill.com
3:30 p.m. Depart for Cambridge
4:30 p.m. Check-in Cambridge Hotel
Dinner on own (hotel restaurant)
Day 5 – Friday, Sept. 28, Southwestern Ontario-Windsor-Detroit
Visit Fort Malden at entrance to Niagara River. This post was the headquarters for the British forces in southwestern Upper Canada during the War of 1812 and had a dockyard for Upper Great Lakes. Depart for Detroit area for overnight and dinner.
Breakfast at hotel
8 a.m. Depart
Lunch on own en route
1 p.m. Fort Malden at entrance to Niagara River
3:30 p.m. Depart
5 p.m. Dinner and tour at Edsel and Eleanor Ford House – www.fordhouse.org
8:30 p.m. Depart
9 p.m. Check-in Best Western, Greenfield Inn, Allen Park, Mich.
Day 6 – Sept 29, Detroit-Perrysburg-Indianapolis
Before departing for Indianapolis, visit the site of Battle of River Raisin Basin. From Jan. 18 to Jan 23, 1813, the north bank of the River Raisin became a battleground where the forces of the United States and Great Britain fought each other for the control of all of Michigan and the Lower Great Lakes. At stake was the destiny not only of the two countries, but also the future of Frenchtown, known today as Monroe Michigan, of Canada and of Tecumseh's alliance of Native-American tribes. The British and Indian victory at the River Raisin destroyed an entire American army and upset their campaign to recapture Detroit, which had fallen to the enemy early in the war. It raised Native-American hopes that their alliance with the British would result in the preservation of their lands, while it brought grief to hundreds of families in Kentucky who had lost their sons during the bloody battle and its aftermath.
Visit Fort Meigs, the largest reconstructed, wooden-walled fort. Fort Meigs stood at the center of American military operations in the Northwest Territory. Between June 1812 and February 1813, the United States lost Fort Mackinac and Fort Detroit in the Michigan Territory and Fort Dearborn in the Illinois Territory, as well as a major defeat at the Battle of the River Raisin in Michigan. Only Fort Wayne, in the Indiana Territory, withstood British attack. Gen. William Henry Harrison established a fort on the south side of the Maumee River on Feb. 2, 1813. The fort was to serve as a temporary supply depot and staging area for an invasion of Canada.
Breakfast at hotel
8:30 a.m. Depart
9 a.m. Battle of River Raisin Site (army of Kentuckians fought to recapture Detroit)
10:30 a.m. Depart
11:30 a.m. Fort Meigis, largest reconstructed wooden-walled fort
1 p.m. Depart
Lunch en route
7 p.m. Arrive IHS
Prices
Double Occupancy:
$1,725 member / $1,850 nonmember
After June 1: $1,975 member / $2,100 Nonmember
Single Occupancy:
$2,020 member / $2,145 Nonmember
After June 1: $2,270 member / $2,395 Nonmember
A $500 deposit is due with registration. Travel insurance for the trip can be purchased at the rate of $121 per person, double occupancy registration or $144per single occupancy registration.Final payments are due on August 1, 2012.
Download the registration form. For more information, call Jennifer Hiatt at (317) 234-2670.
