Plaques detailing local Black history receive a rewrite
Inappropriate language removed, Black voices gain recognition on new displays
A provincial agency tasked with preserving Ontario’s history and diversity has updated several plaques commemorating significant events from Niagara’s Black history.
According to the Ontario Heritage Trust, the original plaques, created between 1957 and 1966, reflected the biases of the time. The plaques have been rewritten to remove inappropriate language and to highlight the voices of Black individuals who were previously excluded.
“The Ontario Heritage Trust cares for the province’s incredible and inspiring stories,” said chair John Ecker.
“These plaques will more accurately portray the stories of freedom-seekers and early Black communities that helped to shape our province.”
In Niagara-on-the-Lake, an updated plaque will be installed at the site of the former Niagara Court House and Gaol that commemorates the Solomon Moseby Affair of 1837.
In the spring of 1837, Moseby stole his enslaver’s horse and escaped, settling in Niagara. A few weeks later, his newfound freedom was threatened when his enslaver arrived with an arrest warrant and extradition papers.
Moseby was detained while awaiting an extradition decision. More than 200 Black community supporters camped outside the jail to protest his possible return to slavery and harsh punishment in the United States.
Two men were killed during the incident, which historians say helped to establish Canadian extradition and refugee policies still used today.
Also to be replaced is a plaque at the Niagara Baptist Church burial ground, formerly known as the Negro Burial Ground, also in Niagaraon-the-Lake.
The church congregation was established in 1829. Initially, the congregation mainly consisted of colonists, with a small number of Black members. By the late 1840s, the church’s membership was predominantly Black.
Historians say there are at least 15 burials in the churchyard — including the two men who were killed at the protest at the jail — but only three headstones.
A project is underway to locate the unmarked graves at the 0.4-hectare site on Mississauga Street.
Ontario Heritage Trust, an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, began reviewing its provincial plaque portfolio in 2014 and found many older plaques presented an outdated version of events, excluded the perspectives of women, Black, Indigenous and Asian communities, or used language now considered inappropriate or racist.
The updated plaques will be permanently installed later this year.