Municipality of Chatham-Kent

Community Development

Planning Services

To: Mayor and Members of Council

From: Anthony Jas Planner I, Planning Services

Date: October 4, 2019

Subject: Heritage Act - Intention to Designate 21991 A. D. Shadd Road, Community of Raleigh

This report is for the information of Council.

Background

Our inheritance of architecture and cultural landscapes is an irreplaceable asset and resource. In Ontario, the task of conserving these important assets is primarily a municipal responsibility. The Ontario Heritage Act (the “Act”) provides a framework within which municipalities can act to identify and conserve properties of historical and/or architectural significance. Council has established the Municipal Heritage Committee to advise Council on heritage matters.

At its August 15, 2018 meeting, the Municipal Heritage Committee passed a motion recommending that the property known as the North Buxton Community Church, located at 21991 A. D. Shadd Road, in the Community of Raleigh (North Buxton), be designated under Part IV of the Act for its cultural heritage value or interest. Members of the Congregation of the North Buxton Community Church were in attendance at this meeting in support of the motion.

A Heritage Designation Report prepared to support the designation of this property is attached as Appendix A.

The North Buxton Community Church

The North Buxton Community Church was built in 1867 as a British Methodist Episcopal church and is an excellent surviving example of a restrained pre-Confederation rural Church. The rectangular frame structure with a medium pitched roof, simple Gothic- arched coloured glass windows and no steeple or bell tower and little exterior decorative elements is typical of 3rd quarter of the 19th century British/African Methodist Episcopal Churches in Ontario. Over the years, the church has undergone some renovations however the exterior appears much as it would have originally. Ontario Heritage Act - Intention to Designate 2 21991 A. D. Shadd Road, Community of Raleigh

In addition to the principal structure, the property has a high level of cultural heritage value for several reasons:

 Associations to an historically important religious movement that was unique to the early black settlements of ;

 Many historically significant figures have an association to the Buxton Church;

 The cemetery documents the chronology of the Buxton Settlement and provides an important genealogical and historical record of the settlement’s earliest residents, many of whom were refugees from slavery; and,

 As a still-functioning church, cemetery, and hall for the community, it is recognized as an important feature in the Parks Canada National Historic Site designation.

Comments

The direction of the Municipal Heritage Committee to move forward with the designation process for this property is being brought forward to Council in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act. However, the Committee’s advice is being received by Council, through Administration, as an Information Report with no recommendation. This approach is based on Council’s precedent that decisions to designate property be initiated and/or supported by the owner(s) of the property under consideration.

The owner on Title of the property is the British Methodist Episcopal Church (BMEC). In this case, the designation request was brought forward to the Municipal Heritage Committee by members of the North Buxton Community Church, who regularly use the building for services and other events.

Taking this into consideration, and to provide Council with more information on the matter, several attempts have been made requesting comment from the BMEC. Two of these attempts were made by email and included information regarding the advice to Council from the Municipal Heritage Committee recommending that the property be designated under the Act. The correspondence also included a copy of the Heritage Designation Report. To date, no comments have been received from the BMEC.

In terms of process, Council should be made aware that it is not a legislated requirement under the Act that an owner of a property initiate the designation process. Rather, it is entirely at the discretion of Council. This is pursuant to Section 29(1) of the Act, which states that a council of a municipality may, by by-law, designate a property within the municipality to be of cultural heritage value or interest if it meets one or more of the Criteria under Ontario Regulation 9/06. The Designation Report contains a statement explaining the cultural heritage value or interest of this property, and a description of the heritage attributes of the property.

Ontario Heritage Act - Intention to Designate 3 21991 A. D. Shadd Road, Community of Raleigh The following options are for the consideration of Council regarding this matter and include implications concerning the designation process with respect to this property:

1) Not to proceed with the designation – Council can receive this report as information only and not proceed with designation at this time. This will not preclude this property from being considered for designation in the future.

2) Pass a motion to proceed with the designation - Notice of Intention to Designate is then served in accordance with the Act. If there are no objection(s), the final request to designate comes back to Council. Should there be an objection(s), there is an objection process to the Conservation Review Board before the final request comes back to Council for final decision. Council can withdraw its Notice of Intention to Designate at any time.

Consultation

Municipal Heritage Committee

The Municipal Heritage Committee was consulted in accordance with Section 29(2) of the Act. The Committee supports the recommended heritage designation.

Prepared by: Reviewed by:

______Anthony Jas Ryan Jacques, MCIP, RPP Planner I, Planning Services Manager, Planning Services

Reviewed by: Reviewed by:

______Bruce McAllister, MCIP, RPP John Norton, General Manager Director, Planning Services Community Development

Attachments: Appendix A – Designation Report: 21991 A. D. Shadd Road, Community of Raleigh c Municipal Heritage Committee

P:\RTC\Community Development\2019\Planning Services\Nov 18-19 Ontario Heritage Act - Intention to Designate - 21991 A.D. Shadd Road.docx Appendix A

Designation Report

The North Buxton Community Church

Preamble:

The North Buxton Community Church was built in 1867 as a British Methodist Episcopal Church. It originally had a stone foundation, wooden lap siding, wood shingle roof and a brick chimney. It is possible that it also had return eaves at the gable ends in the Greek Revival style although by 1867, use of return eaves had largely fallen out of fashion. The front enclosed portico may be original as several other Ontario churches from this period had such a feature.

Over the years, the church has undergone some renovations. In the early 20th century, the exterior of the church was re-clad in insul-brick. Around 2000, the church was re-clad again in more appropriate wooden bevelled tongue and groove material. The chimney was removed when a modern heating system was installed to replace the wood stove. The original stone foundation was parged with cement at some point. The stained glass windows have been replaced with precise wooden replicas in the same glazing pattern with much of the original glass re-used. Entry doors are modern and the interior is largely renovated to accommodate the modern needs of a still-functioning church.

Other than these changes, the exterior appears much as it would have originally and it is typical of other BME churches built in Ontario in the 3rd quarter of the 19th century.

Appendix A

Designation Report

The North Buxton Community Church

Description of Property The North Buxton Community Church property is located at A.D. Shadd Road in the village of North Buxton, legally described as Pt. lot 10, Conc. 8, Village of North Buxton, Raleigh Township, Chatham-Kent

The property consists of an 1867 timber frame, wooden-clad church, modern community hall, and cemetery.

Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest

Historical/Associative (OHA Reg. 9/06): The principal structure was built as a British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church in 1867 on land purchased the preceding year from early settlers Jacob and Hanna Gunn. It is believed that this replaced an earlier BME church that was destroyed by fire.

The property has a high level of cultural heritage value for several reasons: i. It has associations to an historically important religious movement that was unique to the early black settlements of Canada.

The British Methodist Episcopal Church evolved in Canada from the African Methodist Episcopal Church, created and organized by people of African descent (most descended from enslaved Africans taken to the Americas) as a response to being denied the opportunity to pray alongside white congregants in the Methodist church. It was originally a conference of five churches founded in 1816 by the Rt. Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from several black Methodist congregations in the mid-Atlantic area. It was among the first denominations in the United States founded on racial rather than theological lines and it has persistently advocated for the civil and human rights of through social improvement, religious autonomy, and political engagement. The denomination then expanded west and south, particularly after the Civil War.

The evolution of the British Methodist Episcopal Church (BMEC) is strongly connected to the early residents of Chatham-Kent. Reverend Benjamin Stewart of Chatham, Ontario proposed that the AME churches in the British colonies separate from the U.S. association and form their own church. At an AME conference in Philadelphia in 1856, Stewart's proposal was adopted and the new church association was founded. The new church was named the British Methodist Episcopal Church in appreciation of finding a safe haven from slavery in British North America. By the end of the 1870s the BMEC had 56 congregations with about 3,100 members, most of its members being in the Caribbean. In 1880, there was a movement among the Caribbean groups to merge back with the AMEC which was ratified at a BMEC convention held at Hamilton in June 1881. A majority of the Ontario churches and preachers, however, sought to re-establish the Appendix A

BMEC and in 1886 the BMEC was reconstituted with Rev. Walter Hawkins of Chatham as its general superintendent. The BMEC has specific historic importance in Buxton. Historian Bryan Prince notes that “the Buxton founding families recognized the importance of allowing people to maintain the religious associations that they may have had previously. Despite having ’s Presbyterian Church in South Buxton, there was an interest, among the Black settlers, to establish Methodist and Baptist churches, and by 1852 there were about 30 people in the Elgin Settlement that were members of the AMEC”.

By 1857, a BME church had been constructed in the settlement but it is believed that this was destroyed by fire. Hence, in 1866, the trustees of the Bethel Congregation, BMEC purchased 9.5 acres from Jacob and Hanna Gunn for the purpose of establishing a cemetery and church/meeting hall. ii. Many historically significant figures have an association to the Buxton Church. George Richard Rev.

• Rev. Benjamin Stewart was stationed at Buxton at the time that the (now) North Buxton Community Church was established. In his early 40’s, Stewart and his family moved from Trenton, New Jersey to Canada following the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. It was Rev. Stewart who, in 1854, brought forward the proposal to separate the Canadian AME churches from those in the United States. This came to fruition two (2) years later when the newly renamed BME became independent. Stewart lived much of his remaining years in Chatham, dying there on March 11, 1901 at the age of 89. He was the first Grand Master of the Prince Hall Masonic Lodge in Canada

• Rev. Thomas Stringer had been born free in Maryland. He grew up in the free state of Ohio, where he became an AME minister and a Prince Hall Mason before moving to Buxton. He is credited with being a driving force in establishing Methodism in the settlement, as well as in other places in Canada and Ohio. He also acted as an agent for selling lots within the Elgin Settlement. He was a delegate at John Brown’s constitutional meeting in Chatham in 1858, where plans were made to overthrow slavery. After the Civil War, Stringer returned to Mississippi and was very influential in the Constitutional Convention of 1868 and was later elected as a state Senator. He helped establish schools for blacks. He also established Prince Hall Masonic Lodges in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. He was widely recognized and admired as an exceptional orator, minister, politician and physician.

• Rev. George Blount was a runaway slave in 1854 from Baltimore area of Maryland. After establishing himself as a free man and a waiter in a Toronto hotel, Blount became a minister and apparently an activist in the . The 1861 census for Welland County in the Niagara Peninsula reveals that Blount had a house full of recently runaway slaves. The first-hand accounts of these slaves are revealed in William Still’s seminal work The Underground Railroad. Blount was a dedicated pastor, serving in many locations across the province, including Drummondville, Brantford, St. Catharines, London, Chatham, Woodstock, as well as Buxton.

Appendix A

According to a letter dated February 23, 1865 that appeared in the Philadelphia newspaper “The Christian Recorder” a gentleman from Chatham wrote: “Mr. Editor – Dear Brother – I will now inform you what is going on in this part of God’s moral vineyard. For the last six or seven weeks. A revival has been going on in Buxton, some nine or ten miles from Chatham, under the pastoral charge of Rev. George Blount. One hundred and forty-one souls have found the Pearl of Great Price, and there are some thirty more still crying for mercy, while mercy may be found on the terms of the gospel…The Lord is on the giving hand, and sinners are falling and crying for mercy. They are flocking to the anxious seat as doves to their windows…The battle is getting hotter every day, and sinners can’t stand the fire.” iii. The cemetery documents the chronology of the Buxton Settlement and provides an important genealogical and historical record of the settlement’s earliest residents, many of whom were refugees from slavery. iv. The Buxton Community Church property is also recognized as an important feature in the Parks Canada National Historic Site designation. As a still-functioning church, cemetery, and hall for the community, it contributes to one of the most important aspects of the National Historic Site in that “the Buxton Settlement survives today as a distinct cultural landscape, one that continues to function as a community while preserving tangible survivals from its historic past.”* Design/Physical (OHA Reg. 9/06):

Church: The North Buxton Community Church property contains an excellent surviving example of a restrained pre-Confederation rural church. The rectangular frame structure with a medium pitched roof, simple Gothic-arched coloured glass windows and no steeple or bell tower and little exterior decorative elements is typical of British/African Methodist Episcopal Churches in Ontario

Cemetery: The cemetery contains the headstones in a variety of period styles dating back to 1866.

Contextual (OHA Reg. 9/06):

The church and cemetery are in a highly visible location within this important Black Heritage community, being situated on the main street of the village (A.D. Shadd Road) and are important local landmarks.

The Parks Canada National Historic Site Designation incorporates the church property within the greater context of the settlement: Character-Defining Elements Elements which characterize the heritage value of the Buxton Settlement as an UGRR block settlement include: the agricultural land-use patterns expressed through open spaces with field plots demarcated by hedgerows, lilies, tree lines, or differing planting patterns and remnants of the original planned settlement seen in surviving 50-acre (20.2 hectares) plots the road grid following originally surveyed north-south roads and east-west concession lines the settlement nodes of North and Appendix A

South Buxton characterized by low-density, small-scale housing and modest institutional buildings set amongst outbuildings, lawns, and trees scattered homesteads along roadways scattered woodlots system of drainage ditches paralleling the road grid graveyards and cemeteries associated with churches and/or homesteads surviving landscape elements including North Buxton mill pond, archaeological remnants of former industrial buildings, the first railway line, tramway and lakeshore loading site the sentinel Pear Tree associated with traditional homecoming in North Buxton.

Built Resources: Churches rectangular massing under front-gabled, pitched roof wood-frame construction open plan minimal decorative elaboration.

Description of Heritage Attributes/Character Defining Elements:

Church: Exterior • Footprint • Roof line • Stone foundation (presently parged) • Window placement • Window casements and trim • Door placement • Door casements and trim • Window sash including stained glass windows and glazing patterns

Church: Interior • Flooring • Front Railing • Balcony railing • Tongue & groove wooden ceiling • Decorative exposed beams and brackets

Cemetery: • Head stones and their placement

Contextual: Key elements of the North Buxton Community Church that support its contextual significance are:

• Location along the main thoroughfare in North Buxton (A.D. Shadd Road) • Location in proximity to Buxton Schoolhouse, museum, and Henderson log home creating an historic “cluster”.

Appendix A

Sources: • Historical information courtesy of Mr. Bryan Prince, North Buxton.( Author: A Shadow On The Household ; I Came As A Stranger: The Underground Railroad; One More River To Cross and My Brother's Keeper: African Canadians and the .) • Robbins, Arlie C., Legacy To Buxton. North Buxton ON., 1983.

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