Buxton Museum
21975 A D Shadd Road N0P1YO Chatham, ON, Canada

A thank you to Irene Moore Davis for sharing this exciting news about the Black & Rural Project! https://www.wearestoryfolk.com/blackrural

Mark your calendars - share cheer with those who need it most!

Lest We Forget.

This is the Civil War service record for Jeremiah N. Freeman from Canada who joined the 10th regiment of United States Colored Troops, Company F; was 28, 5 ft 8" when he was mustered into service at Auburn, New York on April 3, 1865. Note that Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865 (and Abraham Lincoln was shot April 14th, 1865), so Freeman never had a chance to join his regiment. Interesting note on another page where Freeman swears that he is a subject of Victoria, Quee...n of Great Britain. He was paid by Edgar Sitzer to be a substitute because Sitzer had been drafted and did not wish to serve. Talk about great timing for Jeremiah presumably he got the money from Sitzer but never had to go to fight. His regiment was disbanded in May, 1865. Discovered and shared by local historian and author, Bryan Prince

All of Buxton is proud of 'Bub' Lester Brown's service, but none as proud as his family...

Thank you for your service, Usher -

A much harder guessing game for today! While we have absolutely posted these Unknown Faces photos before, we're constantly getting new eyes on our page. Do you recognise anyone in these pictures? Do you have any guesses we can look into? They were entered into our collection in the year 2000, though beyond that, information on where, when and who is lacking. Thanks for tackling this mystery with us!

We played this game yesterday, and you all did very well with your guesses! Can you go for round two?

Hello everyone! Today we're announcing going to our seasonal hours of Monday - Friday. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BOOKED A TOUR ON THE WEEKEND, YOUR TOUR WILL STILL BE HONOURED! Continue reading below for how to make an appointment for a visit! First, you will need to BOOK AHEAD OF TIME either through here on Facebook, our number at 519-352-4799, or our email at [email protected]. For September, we will be opened Wednesday Sunday, and will have three bookable slots per day. T...hese time slots are 10:30, 12:30, and 2:30. Tours will last 50 minutes maximum and you will be with a guide for the entirety of your visit here. At this time, we will take tours with no more than ten people. When you are booked in, we will ask you a small series of questions, including ways to contact you and where you will be visiting from. WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING WALK-INS AT THIS TIME! Secondly, masks will be mandatory for all visitors! If you do not have a mask, one will be available to purchase for $3. Sanitization stations will be made available throughout the museum. Debit or credit is preferred. Your safety and the safety of our staff is paramount!

Those of you who have visited us before likely recognize a number of these artifacts from our cabin. You might even know what all of them are! But do any of them stump you? Let us know down below!

We're honoured this week to make sure we recognize many of those from Buxton who decided to take the step to fight for their country. Between profiles, pictures, or something as simple as putting their name out there, we hope you will celebrate alongside with us! And, to start us off this year: James Newby!

We hope everyone had a fun and filling Thanksgiving day yesterday! Today we're back and digging into some pictures - are you a Shreve or can you trace your history to this large bunch? You might recognise a name and face or two! Pictured: Harriet Shreve Dyke (North Buxton's Post Mistress!), Lovie Shreve, Elizabeth Dyke Shreve and Fern Shreve.

Just one unknown photo today - this time a precursor to the highlight of some Buxton soldiers to celebrate Remembrance Day. We will see you all next week, and wish everyone a safe weekend!

Uncover the truth of the transatlantic slave trade with Samuel L Jackson. Watch ‘Enslaved’ Sundays at 9PM on CBC & CBC Gem.

Visiting google.ca today will bring you a familiar face. Those of you who have visited us before have likely heard about Mary Ann Shadd Cary - and for those of you who haven't, read below for just a bit more information! Mary Ann Shadd Cary was one of A.D. Shadd’s daughters. She became the first female newspaper editor/publisher in North America. She was born in Delaware in 1823 and when the Fugitive Slave Law came into effect in 1850, she and her brother Isaac moved to Winds...or, where she founded a racially integrated school with the support of the American Missionary Association. Mary Ann edited the Provincial Freeman from 1853 to 1857; the main voice for Canada’s Black communities and a forum for abolitionist strategies. During the Civil War, she recruited Black volunteers into the Union Army in Indiana. In 1856, she married Toronto barber Thomas F. Cary, and after his death in 1860, returned to the U.S. Later, she attended the Howard University School of Law, graduating at age 60 in 1883, and becoming the second Black woman in the U.S. to earn a law degree. She joined the National Woman Suffrage Association with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, testifying before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives. She also became the first Black woman to cast a vote in a national election.

And now a proper Throwback Thursday! Do you recognise the building behind Earl Prince?

As we inch closer to Remembrance Day, let's take a quick look at Civil War veteran Horace Black! Born Horace Lee, a slave in Fayette County Kentucky, eighteen year old Horace was drafted into the Union army on May 8 1864 when he took the place of his master (who received $300 for "compensation for service of a slave"). By August 19, 1864, Horace was promoted to corporal of Company C, which saw him defending Nashville and the Northwestern Railroad. Horace would receive a rela...tively minor injury in the Battle of Nashville, wherein he was recovering for slightly less than a month. Horace was released from service on December 26, 1865, and made his way to the Raleigh Plains in Kent Country (around Concession #5 today), where his parents were already living. He followed in their footsteps, changing his name from Lee to Black, and would spend the rest of his life in Raleigh Plains. He went on to become a wealthy landowner with hired men to help take care of his farm, and would father six children with his first wife, Maria Poindexter, and then nine more with his second wife, Julia Watts (pictured), after Maria passed away. Both Horace, and then Julia after his death, received pensions from the U.S. government thanks to his service.

Throw back... Wednesday - to 1964, when the first hint of the museum found its way into the Homecoming booklet for that year! Look how much we've grown! Poem by Arlie Robbins.

Our obsession with the museum's book collection continues this week with a 1949 school book! They don't look so different from the questions that would have been posed to us in school, do they? We love the word problem based math questions especially.

A book from Reverend William King's personal collection titled "The Ready Reckoner; For Ship Builders, Boat Builders and Lumber Merchants" harkens back to the settlement in March of 1852. One of the first jobs facing new settlers to the Elgin Settlement was the clearing of land. The heavy excess of valuable timber brought about some of the first industries to the settlement - the saw mill, the manufacture of pearl ash and potash as well as the brickyard. The Canada Mill and M...ercantile Company was formed to raise money for the establishment of these industries, with three thousand dollars being raised among supporters in Toronto and Buffalo. In order to ship the manufactured materials across Lake Erie and beyond, the first road was cut across the settlement down to the lake shores. While we can't say Rev. King spent his nights pouring over this book to help the fledgling businesses, it is a neat find to connect to something that would eventually thrive here.

"The longer I live, the more I am certain that the great differences between men, between the feeble and the powerful, the great and the insignificant, is energy - invincible determination - a purpose once fixed, and then death or victory. That quality will do anything that can be done in this world; and no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities, will make a two-legged creature a man without it." - extract of a letter from Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (after whom our settlement is named). Book from our collection.

By now, most of us have seen the three sculpted figures in front of the museum that were carved out of the giant oak tree that once grew behind the school, which were unveiled on Labour Day. These figures Rev. William King, Eliza, and Solomon were brought to life by the artistry and imagination of Robbin Wenzoski of Robbins Amazing Art. While Rev. King’s story is well known, that of his two former slaves is not. Here is a little background on them. The slave Eliza was gi...Continue reading

These two stoic looking men braved hopping across country borders to join in on the American Civil War. William Hooper (left) of Buxton enrolled as a substitute in the on November 15th, 1864. He was placed in the 14th United States Coloured Troops of Tennessee and survived the Union victory at the Battle of Nashville in December 1864. Bateman Crosby (right) also served, coming back home to Buxton and his wife, Talitha Scott.

Standing left to right: Morris Harding, Prince Chase, Wm. Robbins, Peter Riddle, John Wallace, Herb Morris, Fred Slade, John Hawley Kneeling left to right: Fred Holland, Ephraim Wallace, Cliff Hitchcock, Arthur Riddle, Robert Enos, Andrew Enos This picture was taken in 1908 on the Fred Slade Farm. Please note some of the picture is missing and some people named are absent.

Buxton’s Next Generation & the Prince family community captains have something to say!

Amazing read: A black teenager's account of visiting the Underground Railroad in Chatham-Kent. Join 15 year old Cameron Davis as he shares this vivid account. #...VisitCK #SeeYouinCK https://www.ontariossouthwest.com//a-trip-to-chatham-kent/ Buxton Museum Ontario Heritage Trust Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum Southwest Ontario Tourism Corporation

Always happy to make it on a list - and one of such great purpose as well! https://www.cbc.ca//5-small-canadian-towns-that-once-serve

We talk a lot about all the businesses of Buxton, and those professionals needed to learn from somewhere. We have in our collection a wide variety of books, many of them donated by local families. With titles such as Boot Making and Mending: Repairing, Lasting and Finishing (1895), Practical Bricklaying (1917) and Radford's Details of Building Construction (1913), we're sure the books came in handy for those looking to study from them!

Check out this Virtual Tribute for Artis Lane! She is truly an amazing soul and we are lucky to see some Buxton Swag!

Fall is well and truly here. Stay warm, stay safe, and stay healthy!

How about this handsome trio for today's posting? Say hello to this gorgeous painted picture of Theodore, Alpheus and Thomas Prince!