Chatham-Kent historic site added to U.S. network as questions swirl over slavery history preservation

Chatham-Kent’s Buxton National Historic Site has been accepted into the U.S. National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Chris Campbell reports.

A nationally significant Black historic site in southwestern Ontario is receiving rare international recognition, with the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum officially accepted into the U.S. National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

The designation, finalized late last year, formally verifies Buxton’s historical connection to the Underground Railroad and places it among nearly 800 recognized sites across 41 United States and the Caribbean.

Buxton is only the second site in Canada to receive the designation, joining Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Catharines.

“We are very excited and very proud to be listed by the U.S. Park Service,” said Michelle Robbins, curator of the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum.

“As a Black historic Canadian site, it’s important across North America to be able to share our Black history. We want to encourage people to come to Canada to learn about the history here as well.”

The Network to Freedom program requires sites to demonstrate a verifiable connection to the Underground Railroad through extensive historical documentation. Robbins said Buxton’s application process began before the COVID-19 pandemic and took several years to complete, noting it was Robbins’ aunt and former curator Shannon Prince who initiated the process.

“It’s a lot of time, a lot of work and a lot of effort, but it was definitely worth it,” she explained.

“For Buxton, it means our community is once again on another map, and that’s important to showcase.”

Founded in 1849 as the Elgin Settlement, Buxton became a destination for formerly enslaved people who went on to establish a self-sufficient Black community, owning land, building schools and creating lasting institutions.

“For the descendants and for the ancestors who worked so tirelessly to create this community, having this honour bestowed on us is extremely amazing” Robbins said.

“Canadian sites are just as important, and we want to be able to showcase our local history as well.”

The designation comes at a time when the preservation of slavery and Black history is drawing renewed attention in the United States. Earlier this month, the U.S. National Park Service dismantled a major slavery exhibit at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, prompting public reaction and debate about how such history is presented.

“You can’t erase history,” Robbins stated.

“We are stewards of this community and stewards of the history, and it’s important that we continue to share it before it gets lost. This is Canadian history, Black history — it’s all of our history.”

Robbins said Buxton’s story also highlights what came after the Underground Railroad journey ended.

“There was success. There were communities built here, all the way from Windsor-Essex to St. Catharines,” she said.

“Our hope is that people realize that there was much more to Canada other than the Underground Railroad.”

Chatham-Kent tourism officials say the designation is expected to raise Buxton’s international profile and draw more visitors from the U.S.

“This officially places Buxton on an international stage,” said Shannon Paiva, program manager of tourism development for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

“We are just so excited to see the onslaught of people who are going to come as we really get a new recognition of what Black history in Chatham-Kent is all about.”

Paiva said the designation also validates generations of stewardship by the Buxton community.

“They worked hard to earn this recognition,” Paiva told CTV News.

“It wasn’t just an application and a stamp. They had to earn it. This honours the legacy of the Elgin Settlement’s descendants, and we’re proud to see Buxton and Chatham-Kent put on the map in such a meaningful way.”