The small church in St. Catharines - once the home congregation of abolitionist Harriet Tubman - has been a special place for Black Canadians for decades, and renovations that are nearing completion mean it can soon share its history with others again.
“Black people celebrated here,” said Smith, a member of the church and a descendant of the freed slaves who prayed there. “It's a really special feeling.”
“I would love for every Canadian to know about this chapel and the history of the Underground Railroad in Canada, which is often forgotten,” said Bush. “In Canada, once you were out of the southern states, you were traveling by foot, by carriage, but most times by train. You would cross the suspension bridge , and then you would get out at the depot in St. Catharines,” Bush said.Bush said one of her ancestors was the minister in charge of the Salem Chapel around the time Tubman was travelling to southern states, into dangerous territory, and bringing back freed men and women to St. Catharines.
Tubman eventually brought her mother, father, three brothers and other loved ones to Canada, Bush said. The famous abolitionist's descendants live in British Columbia, she said.
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