August 18, 2007
For immediate release

LAKESHORE – Today, the Ontario Heritage Trust, the Lakeshore Black Heritage Committee and the Town of Lakeshore unveiled a provincial plaque to commemorate the Puce River black community.

"As a result of the hope and determination of their ancestors, descendants of this community have gone on to lead successful lives across North America," said The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, Chairman of the Ontario Heritage Trust. "This provincial plaque will help to share this inspiring story with future generations."

The Puce River black community is significant to Ontario's heritage for its associations with early black settlement and the struggle for freedom. The provincial plaque was developed with funding support from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, as part of initiatives commemorating the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade.

"This provincial plaque commemorates a community built by former slaves whose quest for freedom led them to settle in Ontario," said Caroline Di Cocco, Minister of Culture. "As we mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade, this is a time to recognize and celebrate these significant events in Ontario's history."

The black community in Puce River grew as a result of support from the Refugee Home Society, an abolitionist organization founded in the early 1850s. The society gave former slaves and their families the opportunity to purchase 25-acre farms in Sandwich and Maidstone townships, ultimately helping more than 60 black families who had escaped slavery to settle in the Puce River area.

"Fugitive slaves travelling north on the Underground Railroad found a home in the Puce River area," said Bruce Crozier, MPP for Essex. "Here, they flourished in independence, contributing to the growth and development of this province."

The Refugee Home Society also set aside a portion of lands in the area for the construction of schools and churches. A British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church and Cemetery were established in 1872. An African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and a Baptist Church also existed in the community.

"As a part of the Refugee Home Society settlement, this was once home to two of the three earlier black churches in the Puce River area; the AME and BME churches," said Glen Cook, Chairman of the Lakeshore Black Heritage Committee. "Within the cemetery site rest many former slaves and their families who came to the area as part of the Underground Railroad movement. With their freedom realized, they created a pathway of freedom for future generations, while contributing to their families, religion and development of the area."

One tombstone in the BME cemetery is the only physical reminder of the Puce River black community. As part of today's plaque unveiling visitors toured the historic cemetery site, which is being preserved by the Lakeshore Black Heritage Committee and the Town of Lakeshore, with the support of many community partners and volunteers.

"The Town of Lakeshore is proud of its role in the preservation of local history," said Tom Bain, Mayor of the Town of Lakeshore. "We have been working with the Lakeshore Black Heritage Committee, volunteers throughout the community and local citizens actively involved in historical preservation. The Town has developed a strong bond with these groups and is proud to recognize and celebrate the many volunteers involved in the preservation of this historic cemetery site, which is of local and national significance."

This unveiling is part of the Trust's Provincial Plaque Program that commemorates significant people, places and events in Ontario's history. Since 1953, over 1,200 provincial plaques have been unveiled.

The Ontario Heritage Trust is an agency of the Government of Ontario, dedicated to identifying, preserving, protecting and promoting Ontario's heritage.

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Contact:

Catrina Colme
Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Ontario Heritage Trust
Telephone: 416-325-5074
E-mail: catrina.colme@heritagetrust.on.ca