Shanty Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Black Settlement in Oro Township
⎯⎯⎯
La Colonie Noire du Canton d'Oro

Black Settlement in Oro Township<br>(<i>marker north side • English</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2024

1. Black Settlement in Oro Township
(marker north side • English)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] The only government-sponsored Black settlement in Upper Canada, the Oro community was established in 1819 to help secure the defence of the province's northern frontier. Black veterans of the War of 1812 who could be enlisted to meet hostile forces advancing from Georgian Bay were offered land grants here. By 1831, nine had taken up residence along this road, called Wilberforce Street after the renowned British abolitionist. Bolstered by other Black settlers who had been attracted to the area, the community soon numbered about 100. The settlement eventually declined, however, as farmers discouraged by the poor soil and harsh climate gradually drifted away. Today only the African Episcopal church erected near Edgar in 1849 remains as a testament to this early Black community.

[Français] La seule colonie noire du Haut-Canada parrainée par le gouvernement fut fondée en 1819 dans le canton d'Oro afin de participer á la défense des frontières nord de la province. On y offrit des terres aux anciens combattants noirs de la guerre de 1812 qui pouvaient être mobilisés

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pour faire face aux forces hostiles venant de la baie Georgienne. Dès 1831, neuf familles s’étaient installées le long de cette route, baptisée rue Wilberforce en l’honneur du célèbre abolitionniste anglais, et les autres colons noirs attirés dans la région portèrent la population de la communauté environ 100 personnes. Toutefois, elle fut peu á peu désertée, la pauvreté du sol et les rigueurs du climat décourageant l’exploitation agricole. Aujourd'hui, seule l’église épiscopale africaine, construite près d’Edgar en 1849, témoigne encore de l’existence de cette ancienne communauté noire.

Erected by Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Citizenship and Culture/Fondation du patrimoine ontarien, Ministère des Affaires civiques et culturelles.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1819.

Location. 44° 23.936′ N, 79° 37.375′ W. Marker is in Shanty Bay, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It is on Line 1 South 0.9 kilometers east of Ridge Road West (County Road 20), on the right when traveling east. The marker is located at the Oro-Medonte

La Colonie Noire du Canton d'Oro<br>(<i>marker south side • Français</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2024

2. La Colonie Noire du Canton d'Oro
(marker south side • Français)

Rail Trail Parking Area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1377 Line 1 South, Shanty Bay ON L0L 2L0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country

and specifically in Georgian Bay Country.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Ice Industry (here, next to this marker); Early Settlement (here, next to this marker); Site of the Village of Kempenfelt (approx. 2.2 kilometers away); The Lost Village of Kempenfelt (approx. 2.3 kilometers away); St. Thomas' Church 1838 (approx. 3.5 kilometers away); Hon. Ernest Charles Drury (approx. 4.9 kilometers away); Warming Up the Land (approx. 5 kilometers away); Andrew Frederick Hunter (approx. 5 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Shanty Bay.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. The Black Settlement in Oro Township

Also see . . .
1. Oro-Medonte (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Townships were created and surveyed on both sides of the Penetanguishene Rd c. 1820. Oro Township was one of those townships. Although there is no documentation about the origin of the name "Oro" it is assumed it came from the Spanish word for gold. After the War of 1812, Sir Peregrine Maitland, then Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, offered Black veterans grants of
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2024

3. Black Settlement in Oro Township /
La Colonie Noire du Canton d'Oro Marker
Looking south from the Oro-Medonte Rail Trail Parking Area.
land in what was to become the Township of Oro. Within a few years all Blacks of any origin could acquire land in Oro Township on an equal basis as any other settler. The Oro Black Settlement grew to about 90 families, then diminished as the settlers found steady income elsewhere (mainly on railway trains and ships on the Great Lakes). The last Oro Black retired to Barrie in the 1940s, and when he died, he was buried in the cemetery beside the Oro African Church.

(Submitted on November 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. William Wilberforce (1759–1833) (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: A British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. Wilberforce supported the campaign for the complete abolition of slavery and continued his involvement after 1826, when he resigned from Parliament because of his failing health. That campaign led to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire. Wilberforce died just three days after hearing that the passage of the Act through Parliament was assured. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, close to his friend William Pitt the Younger.

(Submitted on November 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 239 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 1, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Black Settlement in Oro Township⎯⎯⎯La Colonie Noire du Canton d'Oro

Black Settlement in Oro Township
⎯⎯⎯
La Colonie Noire du Canton d'Oro