Chatham-Kent Travel Guide 2008

A Visit to Chatham-Kent’s historic sites on the Underground Railroad is a peek into the past when this area of Canada opened the door to freedom for fugitive slaves. Artifacts, original structures and memoirs preserve this time period and invite the visitor to appreciate freedom struggles and triumphs. Once home to the highest population of former slaves, Chatham-Kent’s national treasures of black history offer some of the best insight into this time. experience Underground R a i l r o a d / To u r Black Mecca: The Story of Chatham’s Black Community Presented in an engaging, easy-tofollow narrative, this self-guided exhibit highlights the struggles and achievements of blacks during the days of slavery, early settlement in Chatham, the Civil Rights movement and modern times. Buxton National Historic Site and Museum The oldest standing log cabin built in 1852 by a former slave is the newest addition to the everexpanding living history experience at this nationally recognized exhibit in North Buxton.Visitors tour original structures built by slaves including an 1861 school, 1852 log cabin, two churches, a cemetery and museum with a vast collection of artifacts. The museum complex showcases one of the most successful settlements started for slaves that remains one of the few inhabited Black Canadian settlements. Be sure to visit three local sites: Black History at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site The real-life story of one of history’s most famous former slaves, Rev. Josiah Henson, is told in a newly expanded and redesigned exhibit titled, “I’ll Use My Freedom Well.” Newly uncovered information about this man whose memoirs inspired the antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is shared through artifacts and interactive exhibits.Visitors learn about Africa, The Dark Continent, to the Middle Passage to Henson’s life of slavery in Kentucky and Maryland and his journey to freedom. The museum also showcases the work of other abolitionists to establish the Dawn Settlement where Henson enjoyed freedom. Buxton National Historic Site & Museum 519-352-4799 • 21975 A.D. Shadd Rd., North Buxton www.buxtonmuseum.com (see ad page 44) Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society 519-352-3565 • 177 King St. E., Chatham www.ckblackhistoricalsociety.org (see ad below) Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site 519-683-2978 • 29251 Uncle Tom’s Rd., Dresden www.uncletomscabin.org (see ad back cover) Dawn Settlement Tour “a coloured man’s paris” Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society Artifacts 10 am. - 4 pm. Mon. - Fri. T Appointment This two-hour guided bus tour around Dresden supports and enhances the story told at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site. Featuring 17 places of interest including original churches, early farms, homes and locations of former structures, this tour highlights recent discoveries about the earliest planned black settlement in Kent County. Visitors learn about the contributions of some of the Dawn Settlement’s most proactive individuals to their community and their nation. John Brown Festival y, heritageroom@hotmail.com 519-352-3565 www.ckblackhistoricalsociety.org 177 King Street East (W.I.S.H. CENTRE) Ch ath am -Ke nt To ur i sm 1-800-561-6125 explore 19 http://www.buxtonmuseum.com http://www.ckblackhistoricalsociety.org http://www.uncletomscabin.org http://www.ckblackhistoricalsociety.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Chatham-Kent Travel Guide 2008

Chatham-Kent Travel Guide 2008 Contents Travel Tips Birding Camping Classic Cars Fishing Genealogy Golf Hunting Kite & Wake Boarding Scuba Diving Skateboarding Underground Railroad Tour Blenheim Blenheim Bothwell Chatham Chatham Map of Chatham-Kent Dresden Erieau Erieau Lighthouse Cove Mitchell’s Bay Morpeth North Buxton Ridgetown Ridgetown Rondeau Rondeau Thamesville Tilbury Wallaceburg Wallaceburg Walpole Island Wheatley Accommodations & B&Bs Accommodations & B&Bs Camping Farm Markets Golf Marinas Restaurants Shopping Transportation

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