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

Between 1830 & 1850 some 24 Negro Families Settled in Oro

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2024

1. Between 1830 & 1850 some 24 Negro Families Settled in Oro Marker
(north side of monument)

Inscription.
[north side of monument]
Between 1830 & 1850 some 24 Negro Families who had fled from slavery in the United States to freedom in Canada were settled in Oro, mostly on the Concession running north of Shanty Bay, known as Wilberforce Street.

In 1849 they acquired this piece of land for a burying ground and built here this African Episcopal Church.

[west side of monument]
Erected by the County of Simcoe and the Township of Oro in memory of the following families who worshipped and are buried here—————Banks • Barber • Bush • Darkman • Eddy • Handy • Hartwell • Hawkins • Hero • Jackson • Jenning • Johnson • Melon • Morris • Munro • Prebble • Smith • Smoots • St. Daney • Sylvaney • Thomas • Thomson • Turner • Washington1947

Erected by Simcoe County Tourists and Industrial Committee.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1849.

Location. 44° 30.158′ N, 79° 38.184′ W. Marker is in Shanty Bay, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It is at the intersection

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of Line 3 North and Old Barrie Road West (County Road 11), on the right when traveling north on Line 3 North. These marker(s) are mounted on the north and west sides of the tall stone monument on the south side of the African Methodist Episcopal Church of Oro. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1645 Line 3 North, 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,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in 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 13 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Black Pioneers Memorial (here, next to this marker); The African Methodist Episcopal Church of Oro / L'Église African Methodist Episcopal d'Oro (here, next to this marker); War of 1812 Veteran / Vétéran de la guerre de 1812

Families Buried Here Marker<br>(<i>west side of monument</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2024

2. Families Buried Here Marker
(west side of monument)

(here, next to this marker); Hon. Ernest Charles Drury (approx. 7.1 kilometers away); St. Thomas' Church 1838 (approx. 11.1 kilometers away); Early Settlement (approx. 11.6 kilometers away); The Ice Industry (approx. 11.6 kilometers away); Black Settlement in Oro Township / La Colonie Noire du Canton d'Oro (approx. 11.6 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 African Methodist Episcopal Church of Oro

Also see . . . The Black Settlement in Oro Township.

Excerpt: In 1838, Rev. Ari Raymond, a graduate of Oberlin College and an abolitionist, was sent to minister to the Black population of Oro Township. In 1849, he helped the community to build the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Many of the Black settlers did not stay long in Oro. The land was frequently of poorer quality than the lots adjacent to the Penetanguishene Road. As members of later waves were located, earlier settlers were selling their grants and moving to urban areas such as Collingwood, Barrie and Toronto, or hiring themselves
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2024

3. Between 1830 & 1850 some 24 Negro Families Settled in Oro Monument
out as labourers on nearby farms. After the families moved out of the area, the church fell into a state of disrepair. It was restored in 1949 on the 100th anniversary of its construction. The last descendent of the original settlers, James Thompson, left Oro Township in 1949. Descendants of some of the first Black settlers remained in Oro for nearly 130 years, and in other parts of Simcoe County to the present day.

(Submitted on November 3, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

African Methodist Episcopal Church of Oro (<i>southwest elevation</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 6, 2024

4. African Methodist Episcopal Church of Oro (southwest elevation)

The markers are mounted on the stone monument seen in the right foreground.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 2, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 3, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.