Ontario's Historical Plaques

at ontarioplaques.com

Learn a little Ontario history as told through its plaques

The Underground Railroad in Canada

Underground Railroad in Canada

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted June, 2009

Underground Railroad in Canada

Plaque Location

The County of Essex
The City of Windsor
At 200 Pitt Street East between
Goyeau Street and McDougall Avenue


Coordinates: N 42 19.186 W 83 02.211

Map

Plaque Text

From the early 19th century until the American Civil War, settlements along the Detroit and Niagara rivers were important terminals of the Underground Railroad. White and black abolitionists formed a heroic network dedicated to helping free and enslaved African Americans find freedom from oppression. By 1861, some 30,000 freedom-seekers resided in what is now Ontario, after secretly travelling north from slave states like Kentucky and Virginia. Some returned south after the outbreak of the Civil War, but many remained, helping to forge the modern Canadian identity.

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Josiah Henson (1789-1883)
Mary Ann Shadd Cary 1823-1893
The Buxton Settlement

More
Information

More
Black History





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