Congregation rallies to save chapel
Built in 1855, church was where Harriet Tubman worshipped in St. Catharines
ST. CATHARINES, ONT.— The 1855 chapel where Harriet Tubman prayed is in dire need of repair, and the congregation is raising money in hopes of saving it.
The Salem Chapel, British Methodist Episcopal Church in St. Catharines is a cornerstone of history as a National Historic Site of Canada. Tubman, the escaped slave who helped others to freedom along the Underground Railroad, worshipped there, and abolitionists Frederick Douglass and John Brown visited.
In hopes of preserving their place of worship and the history enshrined in it, the congregation of 11 is fundraising for emergency repairs.
“It still makes my hair stand, just thinking about the courage of these folks and what they were actually doing, what their mission was,” said Rochelle Bush, church historian and one of its trustees.
“The general plan was freedom, to overthrow slavery. So many moved here because they wanted to secure their safety and freedom, but they never forgot about the loved ones they left behind. But they all had one goal in mind, and that was to stop slavery.”
Bush and her fellow trustees have their own goal in mind — raising at least $100,000 for “emergency repairs” needed to keep the church maintained. A yearlong GoFundMe campaign has been set up to raise money for cable wires to secure the church’s log frame, replace the front awning and fix the window sills. So far, they’ve raised $30,291. When the Star visited, it was apparent that the chapel was well-maintained. The rooms are clean and orderly, with museum-esque attention paid to memorializing the chapel’s history.
But age is catching up with the structure. The awning over the front door is deteriorating and some of the windows sills are damaged.
But the emergency repairs are only a fraction of the dream.
Black refugees designed and built the church in the 19th-century southern Baptist style. Bush’s wish is a complete restoration of that church — restored hardwood floors, removing the exterior stucco, removing the basement wall panels — “the whole nine,” Bush says.
Smaller projects also need to be completed, such as replacing two steps on the staircase. The “major project,” Bush says, is adding an elevator for accessibility.
The restoration has a $2.5-million price tag.
“It’s privately owned, which means that it’s up to us to maintain it,” Bush said. “We’ve never had the match money — the government offers all kinds of grants — but we’ve never had the match money. Through the GoFundMe, we’ll have the match money to apply for the grants.”
Bush said there is “nothing greater” than having the national designation.
“There’s nothing bigger than that,” she said. “Every day it’s like, this is the church I grew up in, but it’s a National Historic Site.
“I’m honoured that others are honouring my ancestors.”
Five generations of Bush’s family have attended the church. Her three- time great-grandfather, Reverend James Harper, was minister-incharge for a period of time when Harriet Tubman attended. When Tubman worshipped at the chapel, she would sing alto with her “outstanding voice,” Bush said. She would often fall asleep in the pews, the result of a head injury sustained during her enslavement.
Tubman’s profound personal faith would have found a home in the church, said Kate Clifford Larson, a historian based near Boston.
“Her god was very personal,” Larson said. “It was very organic; it was there in the landscape. It was in the air, it was everywhere around her.”
Today, Tubman’s popularity is growing in the United States.
“People are appreciating her, honouring her in amazing ways,” Larson said.
“And I think Canada can do the same by protecting that church, that solid, still-standing link to Harriet Tubman.”