Lauzon Sara

Article by Shannon Ferguson,
Special TOTC Media
Seaway News 28 July 2016

Cornwall's Little Historian, Sara Lauzon (centre) stands behind the stone monument
dedicated to the memory of 29 inmates- of the House of Refuge who were found
buried on the property in 1985. Lauzon raised $5, 000 over 11 months to fund the
monument.

CORNWALL, Ontario - Cornwall's Little Historian, Sara Lauzon, saw her hard work and dedication come full circle on Saturday, July 23 as a newly erected monument commemorating the lives of 29 House of Refuge inmates was unveiled to the public at St. Lawrence Valley Cemetery in Ingleside.

Lauzon, 26, raised $5, 000 over the course of 11 months to make the monument possible and ensure the remains were laid to rest and honoured properly. Her fundraising efforts included 15 Walking Tours of the downtown area, selling Christmas ornaments, holding lectures and giving presentations for donations, and a yard sale last August that was successful despite pouring rain on the day of the event.

"I'll never forget the community support until the day l die". I will remember this day and everyone who was here to support me through donations or just getting the story out and it's just literally incredible; '' said Lauzon.

Master of Ceremonies, Thom Racine; is a retired Sergeant with the Cornwall Community Police Service and met Lauzon when she first became involved in local history 10 years ago. Helping Lauzon with the House of Refuge Project was important to Racine and he assisted with double and triple checking facts.

"We really had to be careful because there's always going to be someone coming along with a different side to the story, so I was in essence a watch dog and I was happy to be there if she needed my help;' he said.

Cornwall's House of Refuge was built in 1913 after the Ontario government passed the Municipal House of Refuge Act in 1903 which was created to help remove severe cases of destitution from counties and towns across the region and country. As Lauzon's website describes, those who stayed in a House of Refuge were referred to as inmates, not because they were in trouble with the law but simply because that term was used in the early 1900's to describe someone who dwells with others in the same house.

During its years of operation 906 men, women, and children sought shelter at
Cornwall's House of Refuge.
As the monument describes, after the 1985 sale of the House of Refuge, which was located at 201 Eleventh St. East, the remains of 29 unidentified former residents
were locate d on site having not been given a proper burial, it was important to Lauzon that the community remembers them respectfully.

A short ceremony was presided over by local priest and chaplain, Father Claude Halle and members of local government were also on hand to commemorate those who were lost. MP Guy Lauzon, MPP Jim McDonnell, and City Councilor Justin Towndale each thanked Sara for her dedicated research efforts with MP Lauzon stating "Without this young lady, these people would have been forgotten and it is thanks to Sara that we can remember them.''

As she put it during her speech, Lauzon was clear about one thing ''today we changed a piece of Cornwall's history.''

For more information on Sara Lauzon or the House of Refuge you can visit her website at
www.sarahloveshistory.com.