Norval Johnson Heritage Centre

Whether you are passing through the Niagara region or making it your destination, you wouldn’t want to miss the Niagara Freedom Trail Tour.

This tour has been developed to promote an understanding of Black Culture. For almost two centuries (the 1700s and the 1800s), Niagara was the crossroads of North America. Explorers came through here on their way west and south. As well, wars were fought for the control of America on this frontier.

The Freedom Trail Tour is an attempt to explore the Black History of the Niagara Region. It is a full day tour that extends from Fort Erie to St. Catharines. The tour can be adjusted to suit the needs of your particular group. Lunch arrangements are optional.

Location Fort Erie, Ontario:

The Crossing

The majority of Black slaves who came to Canada from the United States finally reached free soil after crossing the Niagara River, which stretches from Fort Erie to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Niagara Freedom Trail Plaque at this site describes the ferry system that escaping slaves used to cross into Canada. It also illustrates a ferry, circa 1895, which aided many Blacks in their escape to freedom near here.

Bertie Hall

This house was said to contain a secret underground tunnel in the basement leading from the riverbank. Many escaped slaves made their way into Canada avoiding American bounty hunters by secretly entering this safe house via the tunnel. Bertie Hall also houses the Mildred M. Mahoney Silver Jubilee Dolls' House Gallery.

Little Africa

Now a marina, this site was originally the export point for lumber coming from "Little Africa". An area bounded by Ridgemount Road and the Millers Creek ship­yard, Little Africa grew in size from 80 people in 1840 to 200 forty years later. Many Blacks made their living supplying lumber to local railroad and ferry operations. The development of the Canadian Southern Railway meant increased access to the province's interior, and by the turn of the century, Little Africa was a thing of the past.

Location Niagara Falls, Ontario:

R. Nathaniel Dett British Methodist Episcopal Church
& Norval Johnson Heritage Library

The Niagara River provided a relatively accessible border crossing for refugees fleeing slavery in the United States, and many made their way to the Niagara Peninsula. Constructed in 1836, this building was originally in the area of present-day Niagara Falls, then known as Fallsview. Oliver Parnell, a successful refugee settler, donated the land on which the church is currently located, and it was rolled here on logs to remove it from its damp and chilly location. The church was designated a national historic site in 2001. The Chapel continues to be the spiritual and cultural center of the black community. It was named in honour of native-born, world-renowned musician and composer of sacred music, Robert Nathaniel Dett, who, from 1898 to 1903, was the church organist.

In March 1991 this Library of Black History was opened in memory of Mrs.Norval Freeman Johnson. The full lending Library is open to the public and houses over 1,000 volumes. Mrs. Johnson was a lady who spent nearly 50 years serving the community of Niagara Falls. Young people were her "special projects", and she enjoyed many years teaching music and the Sunday School choir. She was an untiring worker and at times single-handedly kept the BME Church in operation.

Location Queenston, Ontario:

Queenston Heights Park is the site of the Colored Corps plaque. Anxious to preserve their freedom and prove their loyalty to Britain, many freed Blacks joined the militia with the start of the War of 1812. Ultimately Ontario's first Colored Corps was established, setting the precedent for black units in the Canadian military in the province's formative years.

Location Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario:

Parliament Oak School – the site of the signing of Upper Canada’s Anti Slavery Act of 1793.

Negro Burial Ground

Marked by a provincial historic plaque, this is the site of a former Baptist Church erected in 1830 through the efforts of John Oakley, a former British soldier who, although white, became pastor of a predominantly black congregation.

Location St. Catharines, Ontario:

St. Catharines Museum at the Welland Canals Centre.

The St. Catharines Museum's award-winning exhibit, Follow the North Star, explores the black experience along the Underground Railroad and recounts the rich legacy of Niagara's African Canadians. It also examines the Colored Corps, a corps of black militia who served the Crown. In 1849 they were called out to help keep the peace between different Irish factions working on the second Welland Canal.

Anthony Burns Grave Site

The provincial historic plaque at this site honours the memory of Reverend Anthony Burns, the last person tried under the Fugitive Slave Act in Massachusetts. A verdict, which returned him to slavery, incited street riots. Boston abolition­ists bought his freedom and educated him before he settled in St. Catharines and successfully ministered at Zion Baptist Church.

Richard Pierpoint

A provincial historic plaque honours this freedom seeker, Richard Pierpoint, who received a land grant in St. Catharines in recognition of his military service to the Crown during the American Revolutionary War, when he served with Butler's Rangers. Disbanded at Niagara, "Captain Dick" settled near here and joined the Colored Corps at the outbreak of the War of 1812.

St. Catharines British Methodist Episcopal Church (Salem Chapel)

Its proximity to the border, access to rail lines, and employment opportunities, established St. Catharines as a large refugee centre. In 1855 their first small log church was replaced with this larger, more finished building. Its open hall plan includes a three-sided balcony, providing seating capacity for the large number of people who regularly attended, often including the famous Harriet Tubman and the newly arrived refugees whom she had led to freedom.

Site Admission Fees Info

SITE ADMISSION FEES - 2008 (Call for 2009 price updates)

(Fees are payable in cash or by cheque at each individual site)

B.M.E. Church, Niagara Falls, Ontario

$3.00 (CDN) per person
(Make donation cheque payable to: Nathaniel Dett Chapel, B.M.E. Church)

Bertie Hall

$5.50 (CDN) per adult. $4.50 (CDN) per senior.  $3.50 (CDN) per student.
(Make cheque payable to: Mahoney’s Doll House)

B.M.E. Church, St. Catharines

$3.00 (CDN) per person
(Make cheque payable to: Salem Chapel, B.M.E. Church)

TOUR GUIDE FEE: $150.00 full day tour……$75.00 half day tour

Terms and Conditions:

Niagara Freedom Trail Tour

1. All prices are in Canadian currency. Exchange is given on US currency. Prices are subject to change without notice.
2. A booking will be guaranteed with a deposit of $25.00. Forty-eight (48) hours notice is required for all cancellations. If a booking is cancelled less than 48 hours before the tour, the deposit will not be refunded.
3. Site admission fees are payable in cash or by cheque at each site.
4. Tour Guide Services fees are payable in cash or by cheque made payable to Nathaniel Dett Chapel, BME Church.
5. Groups are given two (2) complimentary admissions for the tour escort/driver.
6. Group rates apply to groups with a minimum of twenty (20) person