The Elgin Settlement
In 1849, Reverend William King established the Elgin Settlement in Raleigh Township. The community organized resources from the Presbyterian Synod and other Christian organizations to form the Elgin Association that funded the development and activities of the Elgin Settlement.
Early on, the settlement met resistance from the surrounding communities. Edwin Larwill was the representative for Kent County in the Legislative Assembly in the Province of Canada West. He attempted to block the development of the settlement and attempted to impose rules and regulations on the community. His proposed regulations included barring Black people from public schools and public office, forcing Black people to pay additional taxes, adding barriers to Black people voting, and even forcing Black people to post bonds if they wished to remain in Canada.
Thankfully, Larwill’s efforts were not successful. The Elgin Settlement flourished and became the most successful Freedom Seeker settlement in Canada. The community’s success is, in part, credited to the Buxton Mission School established in 1850. Daytime classes taught children the standard classical subjects while evening classes for adults were taught by Rev. King. The Elgin Association recruited excellent teachers for the school and the quality of education exceeded that offered by the Common Schools in the area. The school’s popularity resulted in the Elgin Settlement becoming known more commonly as simply Buxton.
According to the Western Planet newspaper, American abolitionist Frederick Douglass was amazed with what he saw, reporting:
“He was proud of his race to-day, when visiting the Elgin Association of Buxton, he saw men, women and children who but a short time ago were under the rod of the slave driver, engaged in peaceful and noble pursuit of agriculture. . . Administering to their own comforts, and growing in intelligence and wealth. The efficiency of the common school, where the higher branches of education are taught, and eagerly acquired, did his heart good, and filled with him hope for the future”
Abraham Doras Shadd
Abraham Doras Shadd was born a free person in 1801 in the United States. While living in America, he was prominent in the abolitionist movement and was a station master on the Underground Railroad.
Due to the Fugitive Slave Act, Shadd and his family immigrated to Canada and settled near the Elgin Settlement in the early 1850s. By 1859, he was the first Black man to serve in Canadian public office when he was elected a Counselor in Raleigh Township. He was a leader in the Buxton community, specifically sharing his knowledge of agriculture and developing a loan system for his farm equipment to assist other farmers.
Shadd strongly believed in education as a foundation for building Black communities. Before his immigration, he ensured all of his 13 children could attend school – many of them went on to pursue higher education and became lawyers, teachers, and even a doctor. In the Elgin Settlement, he actively supported the Buxton Mission School.
