A sign shows where the short but bloody battle was fought, in which 700 British soldiers defeated and turned back a 3,000-man U.S. invasion force.

At the west end of Lake Ontario, just 60 km from Toronto, there's an almost-forgotten shrine of Canadian history. You might find it worth a family visit during next week's winter school break. Battlefield House and a 33-metre memorial tower mark the site of the Battle of Stoney Creek. Here, in June 1813, was fought a short but bloody battle in which 700 British soldiers, most of them from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, defeated and turned back a 3,000-man U.S. invasion force. It proved to be a decisive battle of the War of 1812 and saved Upper Canada from being overrun by the Americans.

Next week from Monday to Friday, staff and volunteers of Hamilton Civic Museums will re-enact some of the events surrounding the 1812 war with special programs at Stoney Creek's Battlefield House.

From 1796 to 1835, this historic dwelling was the home of the Gage family who had migrated here from New York state. The Gages first built a log house then the present handsome wooden frame mansion. They became prosperous farmers and merchants.

On June 4, 1813, they found themselves surrounded by a U.S. army that had crossed at Niagara and moved up the peninsula for a planned attack on British headquarters at Burlington Heights, on the edge of modern Hamilton. While the Gage family was confined to the cellar of their home, a Stoney Creek teen named Billy Green took a careful look at the U.S. force then rode his horse to warn the Brits at Burlington Heights.

Mustering 700 men, Lieut.- Col. John Harvey marched his troops through the night to attack the Americans before daylight. Defeated, but with heavy losses and demoralized by capture of their two top commanders, the American soldiers retreated back to Niagara.

Here's a list of next week's events at Stoney Creek:

MONDAY: The Battlefield Troopers present Three Kings And A Queen, a locally written play about the early 1800s with songs and country dances.

TUESDAY: Volunteers invite visitors to help create pioneer stencils and other house decorations.

WEDNESDAY: Decked out with shako hats, mock uniforms and wooden rifles, visiting kids join the British Army for the day.

Built on the highest point of the Stoney Creek Battlefield, the memorial tower overlooks the surrounding countryside.

THURSDAY: The Gage family comes back to life to demonstrate fireplace cooking and primitive household chores.

FRIDAY: Everyone plays games from the past.

On your visit to this fascinating pioneer house and museum, you'll learn a lot about Billy Green, boy hero of the War of 1812, and also about a determined woman named Sara Calder, granddaughter of James and Mary Gage. After Wentworth County men had refused to help, she led local women in 1899 to buy and preserve the Gage homestead and later to build the memorial tower that dominates Battlefield Park. The place is now a National Historic Site.

If the weather permits, you'll be able to climb the restored tower for a spectacular view.

Next week, the museum will be open everyday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. After that, it's closed on Mondays until the summer. For details, call curator Susan Ramsay or Marnie Hutchinson, 905-662-8458, or visit www.city.hamilton.on.ca. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children.