Buxton National Historic Site and Museum
Encyclopedia
The Buxton National Historic Site and Museum is a tribute to the Elgin Settlement, established in 1849 by Rev. William King and an association which included Lord Elgin, then the Governor General of Canada. King, a former slave owner turned abolitionist, purchased 9000 acres (36 km²) of crown land in Southwestern Ontario
and created a haven for fugitive slaves and free Blacks. King brought 15 of his former slaves with him where they could live a free life. The Elgin settlement was divided into 50 acres (202,343 m²) lots and sold for $2.50/acre with six percent interest and could be paid over the course of ten years. For many runaway slaves, the Buxton settlement was the final stop on the Underground Railroad
.
Opened in 1967, the museum includes the main building with exhibits about the community and its history, an 1861 schoolhouse, an 1854 log cabin and a barn. Local historic church cemeteries are adjacent to the museum. The museum is located in North Buxton, Ontario, near South Buxton
in Chatham-Kent
.
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
and created a haven for fugitive slaves and free Blacks. King brought 15 of his former slaves with him where they could live a free life. The Elgin settlement was divided into 50 acres (202,343 m²) lots and sold for $2.50/acre with six percent interest and could be paid over the course of ten years. For many runaway slaves, the Buxton settlement was the final stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
.
Opened in 1967, the museum includes the main building with exhibits about the community and its history, an 1861 schoolhouse, an 1854 log cabin and a barn. Local historic church cemeteries are adjacent to the museum. The museum is located in North Buxton, Ontario, near South Buxton
South Buxton, Ontario
South Buxton is an unincorporated community in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. The population is approximately 78. The majority of the population is retirees. South Buxton has only two roads and a single church. It is near the South Buxton raceway...
in Chatham-Kent
Chatham-Kent, Ontario
Chatham–Kent is a unitary authority in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Mostly rural, its centres of population are Blenheim, Chatham, Dresden, Ridgetown, Tilbury and Wallaceburg. Modern Chatham–Kent was created in 1998 by the merger of Kent County and its municipalities.- History :The former city of...
.