Sepia-toned photo of a Black woman in a dress and hat standing in front of the façade of a house with wooden siding, in front of which stand two large, leafy trees.

ONLINE EXHIBIT: Black Histories in Ontario: The Alvin D. McCurdy Collection

From slavery to settlement

The Alvin D. McCurdy fonds helps us trace the rich and complex history of Black communities in Ontario, from earliest presence and enslavement to emancipation and settlement.

Slavery to emancipation

In 1793, the Province of Upper Canada introduced one of the first prohibitions on slavery in North America, outlawing the importation of enslaved people and freeing their children at the age of 25. An order issued in 1819 by the Attorney General, John Beverley Robinson, declared all Black residents of Upper Canada to be free and protected by British law. Emancipation Day commemorates the 1834 abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire, freeing nearly one million enslaved people. Today, it is celebrated on August 1 in Amherstburg and other communities throughout North America.

Printed book opened to a two-page spread to reveal the text of a chapter with the title “An Act to Prevent the further Introduction of Slaves and to limit the Term of Contracts for Servitude.”

The Underground Railway

Slavery withered in Upper Canada but continued to flourish in parts of the United States. As early as the 1780s, those escaping slavery were smuggled into British-controlled territory. Many enlisted in Loyalist units and eventually moved to British North America. An informal network developed to help escapees move north, later known as the Underground Railway. Amherstburg, at the western tip of Upper Canada, became one of the key entry points for freedom seekers. This view of the town shows how the community looked in the last days of the Underground Railway.

Black-and-white photo of a street lined with low-rise wooden buildings. A small group of people can be seen in the foreground with a horse and cart next to a hitching post.

Voice of the Fugitive

The various Fugitive Slave Acts passed by the government in the United States made it a crime to aid enslaved people’s escape. As the penalties and risks increased, the Railway became more secret. But, once refugees reached Canada, they were beyond the power of American courts. Among the few direct sources of information about the Railway are contemporary newspapers like the Voice of the Fugitive, the first Black-owned and -operated newspaper in Ontario. Founded and published in Sandwich and Windsor by Henry Bibb (who escaped first to Detroit and then to Canada), it was published from 1851 to 1854.

Portrait of a freedom seeker: Levi Veney

Levi Veney was among the formerly enslaved people who made his way to Upper Canada. He found refuge in one of the houses established to provide shelter and immediate relief to those crossing the border. The Park House in Colchester South was an important way station for those entering the province.

Damaged black-and-white photo of a Black man in a suit and hat seated on a chair in a workshop, in front of a white backdrop being held up behind him by an unseen figure.

Black-and-white photo of a large white farmhouse approached by a curving gravel road.

Black military service and the Alvin D. McCurdy collection

Alvin D. McCurdy’s collection is important not only as a record of the activities of the Underground Railroad but of many overlooked Black histories—including military service. Many Black soldiers in Upper Canada supported the Crown in times of crisis, including the War of 1812, when they served at Queenston Heights, and the Rebellion of 1837, when a fear of annexation to the United States and a possible return to slavery reinforced Loyalist feelings within Black communities. McCurdy’s interest in history was driven by the failure of historians to record the participation of Black people in these conflicts.

Framed, sepia-toned studio portrait photo of three Black men, two of them standing in military uniform and one seated in a suit and tie.

Back to: Chapter 01

Portrait of a collector

Next up: Chapter 03

Economy, education, community and family

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