Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
by Zach Collister
After investigating and writing about the forgotten and unknown Cold War
gun battalion in Lewiston, I have decided to seek out more untold history,
or history not so well known to the local community or tourists. In 1976
Jimmy Carter referred to Lewiston as the "most historic square mile in
America." There is so much more to that statement than us locals may
know. One of these lost stories is that of the Chapel on the river at Stella
Niagara and it's miracles!
Stella Niagara as we know it today, came into existence in 1907 with the purchase of the
Frederick March Estate, of which the main house still exists today and is known as The Pottery. The
buyers? Sisters of St Francis of Penance who's existence dates back to 1835 in the Netherlands, with a
North American presence since 1874. Stella was a result of the need to expand in Western NY as well as
for the establishment of a school. Stella Niagara is named after a Latin hymn "Ave Maris Stella,"
meaning, hail star of the sea. The hymn is in honor of Mary Mother of God (with whom Stella was
dedicated to) and may also hold a double meaning as the Star of the Niagara as it was a grandiose
structure for its time and remains so
today along the Niagara River!
The Chapel itself was
originally a stone block structure,
said to predate the War of 1812. Its
use then is unknown, however it sits
on the site of the British Landing on
December 19, 1813 when they
invaded the United States. From this
point, Col. Murray lead troops north
to capture Fort Niagara before
signaling for a second landing to
head south and burn Lewiston to the ground. When the sisters purchased the property, also known as
"Five Mile Meadows" for its location on the Niagara River and its unique low lands along the river bank,
one sister decided to build a chapel in honor of the Sorrowful Mother. They decided to use the block
house as the main structure for the chapel. As the story goes, when Brother Joseph Stamen heard of this
idea to construct the Chapel, he decided to assign a Mr. Heusinger to the job. Heusinger suffered a
diabetic illness, however as he proceeded with converting this block house into a little chapel he started
feeling better. Low and behold on September 15th, the Feast of the Sorrowful Mother, Heusinger was
finished and was also reportedly cured! Was this truly a miracle
on the Niagara?
The history of this Chapel doesn't stop with its
construction. The Chapel has performed another miracle
decades later! In 1955 the Lower Niagara River experienced an
ice jam like no other. Ice jams occur usually in spring when
frozen water ways begin to melt and flow. With the
temperature swings during spring, ice flows would flow down
river freely and "jam" into thicker, still frozen sections of ice,
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Franciscan Sisters arrived via ferry, which provides perfect water entry for kayaks or spot for fishing. It is
also the site of other memorials and shrines for praying.
So, there you go, the unknown and rarely told story of the Little Chapel on the Niagara. So much
has happened here; the War of 1812 invasion, the miracle of diabetes being cured while the Chapel was
being constructed, the miracle of ice surrounding, but not destroying, the Chapel during the 1955 Ice
Jam, the survival of two more ice jams, the famous Slawinski sgraffito artworks, and the future of the
Chapel being preserved for generations to come with it now being a part of a land conservancy. What do
you think? Miracles or not? It would make sense to me that these were miracles, after all they took
place in Lewiston, God's little Heaven on Earth!
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Photographs
Figure 1
Figure 2
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Figure 3
Figure 4
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Figure 5
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Figure 7
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By - Zach Collister
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