Wellesley in Wallenstein in Waterloo Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Emancipation Day Celebration Temperance Island, 1863
1. Emancipation Day Celebration Temperance Island, 1863 Marker
On August 1, 1863, 2,500 people gathered in Hawkesville to celebrate Emancipation Day which marked the end of slavery in the British Empire, including British North America, in 1834. Black residents of the Queens Bush Settlement in northern Wellesley Township and southern Peel Township were joined by residents and dignitaries from throughout Waterloo County. After a sermon was preached in the Town Hall, a procession was led by the Berlin Band to Temperance Island where hundreds of meals were served, and speeches were delivered.
Erected 2023 by Wellesley Township Heritage and Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Civil Rights • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical date for this entry is August 1, 1863.
Location. 43° 33.824′ N, 80° 37.933′ W. Marker is in Wallenstein, Ontario, in Waterloo Region. It is in Wellesley. It is on Temperance Road (County Road 2B) near Broadway Street (County Road 11A), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3711A Temperance Rd,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area and in Southwestern Ontario. 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 Ruperts Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Wellesley Township Hall (approx. 9.6 kilometers away); The West Montrose Covered Bridge (approx. 12.4 kilometers away); Kitchener-Waterloo Municipal Airport (approx. 12.5 kilometers away); The University of Waterloo (approx. 12.9 kilometers away); Wilfrid Laurier University / Universitι Wilfrid Laurier (approx. 13.1 kilometers away); The First Lutheran Seminary in Canada (approx. 13.1 kilometers away); Abraham Erb (approx. 13.6 kilometers away); Log Schoolhouse (approx. 13.6 kilometers away).
August 26, 2023
2. Emancipation Day Celebration Temperance Island, 1863 Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2025, by Dan Maloney of Waterloo, Ontario. This page has been viewed 169 times since then and 38 times this year. Last updated on March 28, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 22, 2025, by Dan Maloney of Waterloo, Ontario. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
