"THE BUXTON SETTLEMENT 1849" - Ontario Provincial Plaques on Waymarking.com

In 1849 the "Elgin Association", founded by a Presbyterian minister, the Reverend William King (1812-95), purchased 1740 ha of land in this area on which were settled freed and fugitive Negro slaves. Under King's direction the settlement prospered, and in 1851 Buxton post office, named after Sir T.F. Buxton, the British emancipator, was opened. By 1864 the community contained about 1000 persons, a combined saw and grist-mill, a brickyard and other small industries. During the U.S. Civil War seventy Buxton settlers served in the Union forces. Following that conflict a number of the settlers returned to their former homes in the United States, but descendants of those remaining still live in this region.

At its peak, the Elgin Settlement became home to 1,200 fugitives who had escaped slavery in the United States and found freedom in Canada. You can learn more about the Elgin Settlement by visiting the nearby Buxton National Historic Site and Museum (visit link) Or check out this Waymarks:
The Elgin Settlement in Underground Railroad Sites (visit link)

Also, the original Elgin Settlement Liberty Bell, which hung in the settlement and was used to signal the arrival of each new fugitive slave, stands within the steeple of the adjacent St. Andrews United Church. A replica of the bell is on display at the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum:
The Liberty Bell, 1850 - Buxton Settlement, Raleigh ON in Bells (visit link)

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/01/2018 jiggs11 visited it