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there, and local history recounts that refugees would use the church as a hiding place to evade slave-catchers. Although there is little concrete evidence of the latter (which is not unexpected due to the secretive nature of the work), architectural features of the church such as its many crawlspaces and a former
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Like other Black churches along the
Ontario–United States border, the Sandwich church provided social and political support for those fleeing slavery and racial oppression on the Underground Railroad. The church was heavily involved in activism against slavery: monthly anti-slavery rallies were held
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in 1999. It continues to function as a church while attracting visitors interested in its history; it is estimated that 14,000 tourists visited the site in 1996. In 2020, the church received a grant to finance the establishment of a museum dedicated to the
Underground Railroad. The church's history
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for the purposes of constructing a church and a graveyard. The labour force consisted of the able-bodied members of the community; many of them made bricks from the
Detroit River's clay by hand, while wealthier community members bought bricks from the Robinette Brickyard. Trees from the area were
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area served as a refugee settlement and housed many people who had fled slavery in the United States. Around 600 people of colour lived in the area as of 1827. While
Baptists had lived in Sandwich beginning no later than 1826, the First Baptist Church was only founded in or around 1840. The
232:, the ARMBA (originally the Baptist Association of Colored People) sought to represent the interests of Black baptists and would later go on to organize extensive anti-slavery activities. By 1861, the association's membership had grown from 47 to over 1,000 congregants.
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decorations, such as arches and pointed windows, were gradually added, and an extension was made to the rear of the church at an unknown date, though the main auditory hall was mostly left unmodified.
244:
also used as building materials. Though the cornerstone was laid in 1851, the building remained unfinished as of 1852, and church members had to solicit donations to complete its construction.
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tower stands at the entrance of the church; this was not part of the original design, but was added in 1920 to replace the old wooden entrance which had fallen into disrepair. Other
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congregation initially met in the homes of members and later in a small log cabin that was constructed in 1847. Madison J. Lightfoot, who had previously helped to establish the
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Frost, K (2013). "African
American and African Canadian Transnationalism along the Detroit River Borderland: The Example of Madison J. Lightfoot".
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The church building is a small and "unpretentious" structure. It is similar in design to other early Black churches in
Ontario, with a
228:, the Sandwich church was a founding member of the Amherstburg Regular Missionary Baptist Association (ARMBA). Established in 1841 in
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and a rectangular floor plan, but distinguished by its use of brick as a building material. The church's wooden floors, ceiling, and
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192:. The congregation was founded around 1840, and the current church building was constructed in 1851. It was designated a
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Religious life of fugitive slaves and rise of coloured
Baptist churches, 1820–1865, in what is now known as Ontario
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Following fund-raising efforts, the church was constructed in 1851 on a 0.5-hectare (1.2-acre) patch of land
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188:, Canada. It was established to serve a community of refugees who had fled slavery on the
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Thomas, O (1999). Underground
Railroad Terminals: Border Churches in Canada (Report).
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were fashioned by hand. In 1868, a coal-burning stove was purchased and installed.
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526:"Free to Worship. Eleven Former Slaves Founded Sandwich First Baptist Church"
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682:"Local Black history documentary recognized with Ontario heritage award"
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649:"Gordie Howe bridge announces $ 100K in funding to community groups"
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An early photo of the First
Baptist Church, taken no later than 1909
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Photograph of the log cabin church ― Parks Canada
Virtual Museum
581:"Sandwich First Baptist Church National Historic Site of Canada"
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Some articles in local newspapers give a date of 1839 or 1841.
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Location of Sandwich First Baptist Church in Southern Ontario
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leading to the basement lend credence to these accounts.
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The Sandwich First Baptist Church was recognized by the
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Together with the Detroit Second Baptist Church and the
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617:"Sandwich First Baptist Church turns 180 years old"
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532:. p. Front; M6 – via Newspapers.com.
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498:"Sandwich First Baptist celebrates 180 years"
29:Église de la First Baptist Church de Sandwich
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989:1851 establishments in Canada West
979:National Historic Sites in Ontario
680:Saylors, Kathleen (4 March 2022).
615:Aziz, Tahmina (24 November 2019).
468:Journal of American Ethnic History
40:The entrance to the church in 2008
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974:Black Canadian culture in Ontario
751:National Historic Sites of Canada
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692:from the original on 8 March 2022
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496:Batagello, D (29 November 2019).
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226:Amherstburg First Baptist Church
219:Second Baptist Church in Detroit
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348:. New York: Hippocrene Books.
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204:Due to its proximity to the
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268:The North Was Our Canaan
414:"Remembering the Past"
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342:Blockson, CL (1994).
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258:Ontario Heritage Act
230:Amherstburg, Ontario
210:Underground Railroad
190:Underground Railroad
174:Black Baptist church
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85:42.2918°N 83.0802°W
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924:History portal
436:Lewis, JK (1980).
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552:. Paideia Press.
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947:WikiProject
859:Territories
843:Quebec City
791:Nova Scotia
753:by location
696:2 September
597:14 February
299:crenellated
292:wainscoting
288:gabled roof
274:Description
88: /
64:Coordinates
963:Categories
329:References
122:Designated
76:83°04′49″W
73:42°17′30″N
759:Provinces
250:trap door
196:in 1999.
911:Category
838:Montreal
806:Kingston
801:Hamilton
776:Manitoba
690:Archived
665:11 April
659:Archived
654:CBC News
633:14 April
627:Archived
622:CBC News
591:Archived
214:Sandwich
178:Sandwich
46:Location
871:Nunavut
821:Toronto
811:Niagara
796:Ontario
766:Alberta
237:granted
200:History
186:Ontario
182:Windsor
59:N9C 1J7
56:Ontario
52:Windsor
892:France
833:Quebec
816:Ottawa
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212:, the
876:Yukon
309:Notes
172:is a
101:Built
698:2022
667:2021
635:2021
599:2021
554:ISBN
444:ISBN
350:ISBN
168:The
125:1999
104:1851
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239:by
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