Former Dartmouth-based settlement, The Avenue, remembered as home to more than 60 Black families

First at Five: The Avenue Dartmouth’s historic Black settlement called The Avenue, dates back more than 200 years to the War of 1812.

When Carolyn Fowler looks across the front yard of her home on Crichton Avenue in Dartmouth, N.S., she's met with a wave of emotion, memories and nostalgia.

“I feel like my ancestors would be proud of me," said Fowler, who was raised there in a small Black community called The Avenue.

She now lives next door to where she grew up.

At one time, The Avenue was home to approximately 60 Black families living in homes at the end of Crichton Avenue.

“I still think it was pretty special," said Fowler.

Six old houses still stand including fowler's childhood home.

"The fact that I can remember the people who paved the way for me and remember the people that I paved the way for," said Fowler. "Makes me still feel pretty good about being born and raised in an all-Black community.”

Based on Kate Foster’s research, The Avenue had roots dating back to the war of 1812.

"The first person who I learned about living on The Avenue was a woman named Rebecca Cassidy," said Foster. "She and her husband owned land here. She was an escaped slave from the southern states.”

The Avenue had two churches, but both burned down.

There is a sign that commemorates The Avenue, but it’s located more than a kilometre away.

Historian David Jones wants more historic signage located at the actual location of The Avenue.

“I think it’s something really important for all Nova Scotians to learn about and to appreciate,” said Jones.

According to Foster, the people who lived there served as a testament to the struggles Black people faced on a daily basis and what they had to overcome in the 19th and 20th Centuries.

“Just to think that they came as refugees and they were able to build a church at the community and homes and fight for specific rights," said Foster.

Fowler wants more to be done to preserve the history of The Avenue.

“The fact that I am still here is really meaningful," said Fowler.

She says The Avenue is her home, where she’s proud to live and even prouder to have been raised.