Freedom Park, Fort Erie
Freedom Park, Fort Erie
Set along the Niagara Parkway, Freedom Park commemorates the main terminus where fugitive slaves began their journey out of Buffalo into Upper Canada along The Underground Railroad.
To many living in the southern United States during the 1700's, Canada was the "cold and distant North". But for African slaves looking to escape horrifying oppression, Canada became the "North Star," a place where they could live as free persons. From 1840 to 1860, the Underground Railroad - a network of safe houses and secret routes - was utilized by fugitive slaves and abolitionists to find such freedom.
Caves, churches, houses, and barns - the route to freedom was perilous. Bounty hunters and marauders tracked them, unsympathetic people shunned them and tried to turn them around. Not everyone who tried survived the journey. But the history of the Underground Railroad holds remarkable success stories - from its crossings near Fort Erie. One need not look any further than the life of Harriet Tubman, courtesy of Salem Chapel in St. Catharines.
Today, historic sites, cemeteries, heritage buildings and museums remain to remind visitors of the immense cost that came with the struggle for equality. Slavery remains a blight on humanity's history, but the Underground Railroad shines light into such darkness. The Underground Railroad Niagara tour traces the path inland from the Slave Crossing at Freedom Park along the Niagara River to Bertie House, and further into Niagara. Visit historical sites and museums dedicated to preserving this important, distinctive part of Ontario's history.
To accompany this tour, we've chosen two books that are great reads for the entire family: Morning Star by Judith Plaxton - a Young Adult novel that tells the story of two girls at opposite ends of history, and Hurry, Freedom by Frieda Wishinksy - a childrens' adventure book that takes readers along the Underground Railroad.
Related Tours:
The Underground Railroad - Southern Ontario
Set along the Niagara Parkway, Freedom Park commemorates the main terminus where fugitive slaves began their journey out of Buffalo into Upper Canada along The Underground Railroad.
One of the numerous safe houses along the Underground Railroad, Bertie Hall stands as a living landmark to the long, dangerous journey of fugitive slaves into Canada. Set right on the Niagara River, it became known as a refuge from bounty hunters who lurked on the banks of the opposite shore.
Operated by the BME Church in Niagara Falls, the Norval Johnson Heritage Library is a full-lending library containing over 1,000 volumes that provide valuable information concerning the history of the Black community in Canada, United States, Caribbean, Africa and England.
A virtual tour of the heritage museum can be found HERE.
Located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Negro Burial Ground was once home to the Niagara Baptist Church founded in 1830. When Upper Canada passed an act in 1793 forbidding the introduction of slaves and freeing the children of those in the cology at twenty-five, the Niagara region attracted refugee slaves from the United States. Some are buried here at this burial site.
The history of St. Catharines comes to life through exhibits, such as the award-winning Follow the North Star, which chronicles the journey of runaway slaves to Canada, the Welland Canals exhibit and Interactive Centre, the Sports Hall of Fame, Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame & Museum, and special travelling exhibits.
A long-standing landmark to the Underground Railroad, the Salem Chapel is associated with Harriet Tubman, a fugitive slave and abolitionist whose legendary excursions along the network of safe houses to rescue friends, family and other fugitive slaves made her a symbol of civil rights during the long fight for equality and freedom.
Enrich your experience by reading books about the places on your tour!
Cryptic Canada helps curious readers to discover seven of Canada's most interesting unsolved mysteries with stories of buried treasure to ice mummies. Through delightful story-telling and illustrative pictures, Cryptic Canada takes young readers on a journey through Nova Scotia and the treasure of Captain Kidd, to Nunavut and the discovery of the mummified Franklin Expedition, to the Great Lakes and all they hold in mystery.
The Black pioneers (1839-1865) who cleared the land and established the Queen's Bush settlement in that section of unsurveyed land where present-day Waterloo and Wellington counties meet, near Hawkesville, are the focus of this extensively researched book. Linda Brown-Kubisch's attention to detail and commitment to these long-neglected settlers re-establishes their place in Ontario history.
The St. Lawrence River forms part of the boundary between Canada and the United States and connects the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. This informative book follows this important commercial waterway across the provinces of Ontario and Quebec to where it reaches the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
This is the dramatic story of the Underground Railroad as seen through the eyes of two young girls ? Eliza, a runaway slave from a plantation in Virginia, and Johanna, whose family gives her refuge in St. Catharines, Canada West (now Ontario). In a unique mix of fact and fiction, each chapter is followed by background information and hands-on activities.
A story told through the perspective of 12-year-old Guy and his family, this Wow Canada! 10th Anniversary book takes us on a journey throughout the country and its many splendors. Guy and his family travel across the country and discover hidden gems and informative fact about Canada and all that it has to offer.
Morning Star is the story of how the Underground Railroad linked two girls living more than a century apart:
Flower, her parents, and her baby brother have escaped from the plantation where they were kept as slaves and are making their way north to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Their journey is dangerous and often desperate, as they are helped and sheltered by some, and hunted by others. Flower?s courage helps her family through illness, re-capture, and to escape again to safety.
In April 1813 the Americans launched a new campaign to conquer Upper Canada, after their failure to do so in 1812. However, following initial victories, the U.S. assault stalled as a combined force of British regulars, Canadian militia, and Native allies counterattacked, throwing the Americans entirely onto the defensive by the end of June. During the next six months, this seesaw of military advantage was repeated again and again as each side escalated its commitment of men and resources and fought to gain the "final" victory.
Ronald J. Dale's richly-illustrated book provides insight into aspects of Niagara-on-the-Lake?s history often unknown to visitors. From its establishment as the first capitol of Ontario, to the founding of the province?s first newspaper, to the auspicious and renouned Shaw Festival - the book contains helpful information along with excellent suggestions of landmarks for you to discover. A perfect companion for your visit to one of Southern Ontario's most picturesque towns.
Another brilliant part of the Wow! Canada series, Only in Canada is a funny, fascinating and fact-filled example of what makes Canada interesting. Told through the hilarious voices of Moose and Goose, the readers are taken on a journey through Canada and all of the interesting, weird, strange and educational facts that define the nation.
The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Toronto!, a richly illustrated book, examines the urban connection of the clandestine system of secret routes, safe houses and "conductors." Not only does it trace the story of the Underground Railroad itself and how people courageously made the trip north to Canada and freedom, but it also explores what happened to them after they arrived.
From the first Black person who came to Canada about 400 years ago to the most recent wave of African immigrants, Black Canadians have played an important role in our country's history. In this informative overview, kids will discover the inspiring stories and events of a people who fought oppression as they searched for a place to call their own.
Featuring fact boxes, mini-profiles, a timeline and more, this book in the acclaimed Kids Book of series offers a glimpse into an often-overlooked part of Canadian history.
Throughout 1812 and 1813, Upper Canada had been the principle target for a succession of American invasions and attacks. Fortunately they all had been repulsed, but at a high cost in lives and the devastation of property on both sides of the border. By the beginning of 1814, both sides were determined to bring the war to an end with a decisive victory through an escalated commitment of men and military resources.
In Acts of Courage, Connie Brummel Crook dramatizes the life of one of Canada?s most enduring heroines, Laura Secord. from young Laura Ingersoll?s early days in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, amidst the turmoil that followed the American Revolutionary War, the story outlines her father?s difficult decision to move his family to Upper Canada.
From its inception as a horsecar line in 1874, the Niagara, St. Catharines, & Toronto Railway is one of the foremost examples in Canada of an intensively developed and closely integrated transportation system. It operated local street railways, interurban lines, carload and less-than-carload freight, lake steamers, a large motor coach system, and even a circle trolley line around the Niagara Gorge.
The Call to Arms is the first of six books in the series Upper Canada Preserved ? War of 1812. Each book in this battlefield-based chronicle combines the best of modern historical research with extensive quotations from original official documents and personal letters to bring to life this crucial period of Canada's early history. Numerous historical images of locations are counterpointed with comparable modern perspectives to give a true then-and-now effect.
In his second of six books in the series Upper Canada Preserved ? War of 1812, author Richard Feltoe continues a battlefield chronicle that combines the best of modern historical research with extensive quotes from original official documents and personal letters, bringing to life the crucial first six months of the 1813 American campaign to invade and conquer Upper Canada. The Pendulum of War documents the course of more than seven major battles and over a dozen minor engagements that were fought on the St.
There are many great Canadians who deserve recognition for what they have done for the nation and its people. This book profiles ten of these individuals who rose above with their courage and compassion, protecting the things that we as a community and as a nation hold close to our hearts. These heroes are men, women and even children throughout four hundred years of this nation's history who deserve our attention and our admiration.
The sixth and final book of the Upper Canada Preserved ? War of 1812 series, The Ashes of War examines in detail the closing stages of the war on the Northern Frontier, including the two-month siege of Fort Erie, the engagement at Cook?s Mills, the American attempt to recapture Michilimackinac (Mackinac), the tale of the Nancy, and the American raids into southwestern Upper Canada.
This is the remarkable story of Phillis Wheatley, who is born into an African family of griots, or storytellers, but captured by slave raiders and forced aboard a slave ship, where appalling conditions spell death for many of her companions. Numerous sharks follow the ship, feeding on the corpses of slaves thrown overboard.
Weakened by the voyage and near death in a Boston slave market, Wheatley is bought by a kind family who nurses her back to health and teaches her to read and write. Soon her mistress recognizes that the girl is a quick learner and talented.
Ontario's African-Canadian Heritage is composed of the collected works of Professor Fred Landon, who for more than 60 years wrote about African-Canadian history. The selected articles have, for the most part, never been surpassed by more recent research and offer a wealth of data on slavery, abolition, the Underground Railroad, and more, providing unique insights into the abundance of African-Canadian heritage in Ontario.
A part of the Canadian Flyer childrens chapter book series. In Hurry, Freedom Emily and Matt embark on their most important journey yet ? to the Canada-U.S. border in 1858 to travel along the Underground Railroad. They befriend famous abolitionist Dr. Alexander Ross and a group of runaway slaves he?s helping escape to Canada. With slave catchers in close pursuit, will Emily and Matt be able to help their new friends cross the Niagara River to safety?