Uncle Tom's Cabin
Based on the Novel that started The Civil War! Al Adamson Cult Classic!
Underground Railroad -
Education at Buxton Settlement
Spencer Alexander is a sixth generation
Underground Railroad descendant and has done extensive research into his
family history. His grandfather was a founder of the museum when it was
established in 1967.
Mr. Alexander is the Assistant Curator of the Buxton National Historic
Site & Museum. Mr. Alexander also does historical dramatic portrayals of
prominent figures pertaining to the Underground Railroad and Canadian
Black History as well as gives presentations to schools and other
organizations in Canada and the United States.
As assistant curator he gives tours and presentations to visitors,
conducts genealogical research for those interested in discovering their
family history, assists university students and professors in their
research into the history of the Elgin/Buxton Settlement, updates
accession records, cares for the museum's artifacts and documents using
museum conservation methods.
The Elgin Settlement, also known as Buxton, was one of four organized
black settlements to be developed in Canada's early history during US
slavery. The black population of Canada West and Chatham was already
high due to the area's proximity to the United States. The land was
purchased by the Elgin Association through the Presbyterian Synod for
creating a settlement. Location: 12 miles south of Chatham, Ontario.
When news of the Elgin settlement spread, white settlers became worried,
and attempted to block its development with a petition. Regardless of
sentiment, plans for the settlement went ahead and many of Buxton's
settlers feared for the life of William King due to the resistance of
William King believed that blacks could function successfully in a
working society if given the same educational opportunities as white
children. "Blacks are intellectually capable of absorbing classical and
abstract matters."Being a reverend and teacher, the building of a school
and church in the settlement was a necessity to him. The settlement also
was home to the logging industry. George Brown, who later became one of
the Fathers of Confederation, was a supporter of William King and helped
build the settlement.
William King wanted a stable settlement for the black settlers. By
requiring, the inhabitants to pay for their own property and possessions
he hoped to instill a sense of pride in the community. The settlers also
had to live on the land for ten years, which made many stay a reasonable
length of time in Buxton. The rules paid off, as Buxton has been hailed
the only successful black settlement in Canada.
Buxton Museum Tour
THE BUXTON MUSEUM, officially opened in 1967, was Raleigh
Township's Centennial Project as a memorial to the Elgin Settlement,
haven for the fugitives of the American system of slavery in the
pre-Civil War years.
This comment system requires
you to be logged in through either a Disqus account or an account you already
have with Google, Twitter, Facebook or Yahoo. In the event you don't have an
account with any of these companies then you can create an account with Disqus.
All comments are moderated so they won't display until the moderator has
approved your comment.