Underground Railroad - Education at Buxton Settlement
Spencer Alexander is a sixth generation Underground Railroad descendant and has done extensive research into his family history. His grandfather was a founder of the museum when it was established in 1967.
Mr. Alexander is the Assistant Curator of the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum. Mr. Alexander also does historical dramatic portrayals of prominent figures pertaining to the Underground Railroad and Canadian Black History as well as gives presentations to schools and other organizations in Canada and the United States.
As assistant curator he gives tours and presentations to visitors, conducts genealogical research for those interested in discovering their family history, assists university students and professors in their research into the history of the Elgin/Buxton Settlement, updates accession records, cares for the museum's artifacts and documents using museum conservation methods.
The Elgin Settlement, also known as Buxton, was one of four organized black settlements to be developed in Canada's early history during US slavery. The black population of Canada West and Chatham was already high due to the area's proximity to the United States. The land was purchased by the Elgin Association through the Presbyterian Synod for creating a settlement. Location: 12 miles south of Chatham, Ontario.
When news of the Elgin settlement spread, white settlers became worried, and attempted to block its development with a petition. Regardless of sentiment, plans for the settlement went ahead and many of Buxton's settlers feared for the life of William King due to the resistance of whites.
William King believed that blacks could function successfully in a working society if given the same educational opportunities as white children. Blacks are intellectually capable of absorbing classical and abstract matters.Being a reverend and teacher, the building of a school and church in the settlement was a necessity to him. The settlement also was home to the logging industry. George Brown, who later became one of the Fathers of Confederation, was a supporter of William King and helped build the settlement.
William King wanted a stable settlement for the black settlers. By requiring, the inhabitants to pay for their own property and possessions he hoped to instill a sense of pride in the community. The settlers also had to live on the land for ten years, which made many stay a reasonable length of time in Buxton. The rules paid off, as Buxton has been hailed the only successful black settlement in Canada.
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reporter: Ilona Kauremszky
video: Stephen Smith
North Buxton Park Black History
Reporter - Lauren Gaiswinkler
Shannon Price Buxton Heritage Site Ontario Canada
Buxton National Historic Heritage Site & Museum
Underground Railroad Stop
Visit Buxton Settlement of Descendants of Freed Slaves
Visit Buxton National Historic Site and Museum
North Buxton, Ontario, Canada
buxtonmuseum.com
Toronto Residents Tour Underground Railroad Sites
About 75 people from the Greater Toronto Area's black community spent two days touring the sites of the Underground Railroad, including Buxton National Historical Museum, Uncle Tom's Cabin and the North American Black Historical Museum.
Video by Blackburn News Reporter Dave Richie.
CFCO, CKSY, CKUE, CJWF, CHYR, CJSP
Lambton Kent District School Board Black Heritage Symposium
On May 2, the Lambton Kent District School Board, in partnership with the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, presented the first annual Black Heritage Symposium. Students and teachers explored Chatham-Kent’s rich Black heritage through interactive presentations and activities at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site and Lambton Kent Composite School.
Comfort Inn Chatham - Chatham Hotels, Canada
Comfort Inn Chatham 2 Stars hotel in Chatham, Canada Within US Travel Directory This non-smoking hotel is located within 3.2 km for downtown Chatham and is within a 10-minute drive of Chatham-Kent Museum. The hotel offers rooms with free Wi-Fi.Comfort Inn Chatham rooms include a 32-inch flat-screen TV, refrigerator and microwave.Guests at the Comfort Inn are provided with a daily buffet breakfast. Free weekday newspapers are available to guests.The Chatham Comfort Inn is within a 25-minute drive of the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, which is end point of the Underground Railroad.
RM Auto Restorations is 11.
3 km from the hotel.
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Comfort Inn Chatham - Chatham Hotels, Canada
Location in : 1100 Richmond Street, N7M 5J5 Chatham, Canada
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MPP Rick Nicholls Honours North Buxton's 89th Annual Homecoming
Chatham-Kent-Essex MPP Rick Nicholls recognizes North Buxton's 89th Annual Homecoming and the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum.
The BME Freedom Park On the Underground Railroad Ontario Canada
Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society presents The BME (Black Methodist Episcopal) Freedom Park
Blair Newby, Executive Director
Chatham-Kent Black Mecca Museum
17 King St. East
Chatham, ON Canada N7M 3N1
ckblackhisroricalsociety.org
The Skychi Travel Guide
Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site
Josiah Henson's cabin at the end of the underground railroad is explained by Steven Cook the curator and manager of Uncle Tom's Cabin and Historic Site in Dresden, Ontario.
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the most famous book of the day Uncle Tom's Cabin based on Josiah Henson's autobiography The Life of Josiah Henson.
This cabin was home to Josiah Henson during much of his time in the area (1841 until his death in 1883). The cabin takes its name from the Stowe's famous novel.
The cabin has remained on the original Dawn Settlement lands and first opened as a museum in the 1940s, it was moved to its present location in 1964, and restored to an 1850 appearance in 1993.
The historic site includes: Josiah Henson's House (Uncle Tom's Cabin) outbuildings: a sawmill, smokehouse, and a pioneer church—including the pulpit from the original church from which Rev. J. Henson preached in Dresden.
reporter: Ilona Kauremszky
video: Stephen Smith
Beginning of the Underground Railroad to Canada | 2015 |TD Gallery
The Beginning of the Underground Railroad to Canada presented by Afua Cooper, Ph.D., Jamer R. Johnston Endowed Black STudies Professor, Dalhouse University, Halifax, Canada. Presented in conjunction with the TD Gallery and Toronto Public Library's exhibit Freedom City: Uncovering Toronto's Black History Jan 31 to March 29, 2015
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chatham South - Chatham, Ontario
Hotel and Resort photography & video by PhotoWeb (photowebusa.com)
In the southern region of Ontario and near the United States-Canada border, the Holiday Inn Express® Chatham South hotel's address in Chatham, Ontario is ideal for every traveler. Surrounded by majestic conservation areas teeming with wildlife, the location provides both beauty and convenience for visitors.
Business travelers are well accommodated here in Chatham, Ontario. The hotel's patrons enjoy proximity to downtown Chatham and a number of companies like Union Gas, Greenfield Ethanol, Martinrea Fabco, TekSavvy and ArvinMeritor. Highway 401 is located nearby and provides guests with an easy way to commute to business destinations in the area around Chatham, Ontario.
The hotel's leisure visitors enjoy a number of entertainment opportunities, as well. The Chatham Capitol Theatre allows guests to enjoy live shows in an historic setting. Patrons can visit Uncle Tom's Cabin or the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum to learn about the struggle of African Americans to overcome adversity. The conservation areas in Erieau also provide breathtaking scenery and excellent outdoor activities.
The Holiday Inn Express® Hotel & Suites Chatham South includes both a Business Center and Fitness Center for more convenience. The indoor pool is a great place to relax after using free Wi-Fi access to catch up on email. Visit Chatham and experience all of the history and beauty for yourself.
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Hotel and Resort photography & video by PhotoWeb (photowebusa.com). PhotoWeb's Virtual Tours, videos, Digital Stills & Worldwide Distribution allow clients to put their most powerful media where the booking decisions are being made. With superior technology and the highest quality custom content available, viewers are guaranteed to be impressed. Photo Web has been providing cutting edge imaging services since 1996. With offices in the US, UK, Australia, Japan, India, and Colombia, PhotoWeb provides services worldwide. For further information, please contact sales@photowebusa.com or tel: 614-882-3499.
C-K Police - 613, North Buxton Homecoming Parade 2012
Chatham-Kent Police Service, traffic unit 613 leading the 2012 Homecoming Parade in North Buxton.
MyOntario: Josh Alward
On May 2, the Lambton Kent District School Board, in partnership with the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, presented the first annual Black Heritage Symposium. Students and teachers explored Chatham-Kent’s rich Black heritage through interactive presentations and activities at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site and Lambton Kent Composite School.
Hear from principal Josh Alward in this #MyOntario video.
C-K Police - 611, North Buxton Homecoming Parade 2012
Chatham-Kent Police Service, traffic unit 611 taking the trailing position in the 2012 Homecoming Parade in North Buxton.
Traveling the Underground Railroad from Virginia to Ontario (part 3 of 4)
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World Footprints travels along one path of the Underground Railroad starting in Norfolk, Virginia and finishing in Buxton, Ontario. We also stop along the way in Gettyburg, Pennsylvania and Lewiston, New York on this road to freedom. We'll share stories about some of the actors involved Underground Railroad movement and a Destination Spotlight will shine on the Faukland Islands and Romania.
The City of Norfolk, Virginia is an important 400-year-old port city and home to the largest naval base in the world. But, surprisingly as a southern mid-Atlantic city, Norfolk also played a crucial role in the Underground Railroad as one of the last port stops on the road to freedom north. Much of this history is now being shared through Norfolk's self-guided Waterways to Freedom Tour that our guest, Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander from Norfolk State University helped to create.
Historian and author Debra Sandoe McCauslin has deep roots in Gettysburg and Adams County, Pennsylvania. We learned about her family history and, in our car ride with her along the Underground Railroad, Debra brought to life the voices of some fugitive slaves and the Quakers who helped them.
Lewiston, New York was the final stop for runaway slaves from the South who sought to cross the border into Canada to freedom. Once slaves reached Lewiston, locals helped them cross the Niagara River by boat or by foot when the river was frozen. But as Eva Nichlas and Tim Henderson from the Lewiston Council on the Arts tell us, slaves and the citizens who helped them faced threats from bounty hunters and slave catchers who trolled the area known as Freedom Crossing.
After the War of 1812, Canada's reputation as a safe haven for fugitive slaves grew because of the development of settlements like the Southern Ontario farming community of Buxton, formerly the Elgin Settlement. Buxton was one of four planned settlements for former and runaway slaves and its founder, Reverend William King, a white man, fought other white settlers to establish the area. Buxton is still a viable community and long-time residents, Bryan and Shannon Prince still farm the land given to their ancestors. The couple also helps to preserve Buxton's history through their work with the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum.
MyOntario: Colin Pattison
On May 2, the Lambton Kent District School Board, in partnership with the Ontario Heritage Trust and the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, presented the first annual Black Heritage Symposium. Students and teachers explored Chatham-Kent’s rich Black heritage through interactive presentations and activities at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site and Lambton Kent Composite School. Hear from teacher Colin Pattison in this #MyOntario video.
MyOntario – A vision over time is a conversation about our experiences, identities, values and aspirations. Learn more and share your story:
Comfort Inn Chatham
General Manager, Sheila Bateman, welcomes you to the Comfort Inn in Chatham conveniently located off Highway 401 and near Buxton National Historic Site and Museum. This newly renovated hotel features many amenities, including free buffet breakfast, free daily newspaper, free local calls, and free wireless high-speed Internet access. Whether traveling on business or just having some fun, the Comfort Inn hotel in Chatham will offer you all of the conveniences of home.
BUXTON-GOLF-TOURNAMENT-2011.wmv
2nd Annual Golf Tournament to raise funds for the Buxton Museum in North Buxton, Ontario. The museum is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of the Elgin Settlement, which was the last stop for many who made the perilous journey on the Underground Railroad in their quest for freedom from slavery.
Remembering My Roots
In 1853, Mary Ann Shadd Cary became the first black woman in all of North America to own a newspaper. Blair Newby, Special Events Assistant at Black Creek Pioneer Village, is seventh generation African-Canadian, and the fourth great niece of Mary Ann Shadd. Blair talks about the history of this early entrepreneur and anti-slavery activist in this video.
See more about Black Creek Pioneer Village at
Episode 20 - Plugged In Chatham-Kent: SPARK Program
Ontario Tourism Innovation Lab and Chatham-Kent Tourism sit down with us to discuss the new SPARK Program: a $3000 grant and mentoring program!
Learn about the program and how to apply ASAP
tourisminnovation.ca/chathamkent
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The Chatham-Kent Economic Development Podcast is a way to share information and business news from across the region.
Check out Chatham-Kent Economic Development at investck.ca