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Born of a Loyalist family in the state of New York, Merritt became a pioneer merchant and industrialist on Upper Canada’s Niagara frontier. In 1818 he began to promote construction of the Welland Canal, of which he became the first general manager…

Born a slave in Virginia, Burns escaped from servitude in 1854 and fled to Boston, where he was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Abolitionists came to his defence and serious riots ensued. This was the last trial of a fugitive slave in…

A legendary conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman became known as the “Moses” of her people. Tubman was born into slavery on a Maryland plantation and suffered brutal treatment from numerous owners before escaping in 1849. Over the…

Born on a Maryland plantation, Harriet Tubman escaped slavery to become one of the great heroes of the 19th century. The most famous “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, she courageously led many of the people she rescued from American slavery on…

Salem Chapel, built in 1855, was an important centre of 19th-century abolitionist and civil rights activity in Canada. Harriet Tubman, the famous Underground Railroad “conductor”, lived near here from 1851 to 1858 and is traditionally associated with…