Fort Erie in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Freedom Park

Photographed by Jamie Abel, August 31, 2012

1. Freedom Park Marker

Inscription.
From around 1830 to 1860, thousands of freedom seekers used the Underground Railroad to reach sanctuary in Canada - the “promised land”. Many crossed the Niagara River from the United States to Fort Erie, including Josiah Henson and his family, who arrived on the 28th of October 1830. The book Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was patterned after his life.

This park has been created to celebrate their lives and to remind present and future generations of their struggle to be free.

Brian E. Merrett, Chairman
The Niagara Parks Commission
October 28, 2000

Erected 2000 by The Niagara Parks Commission.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is October 28, 1830.

Location. 42° 54.744′ N, 78° 54.519′ W. Marker is in Fort Erie, Ontario, in Niagara Region. It is on Niagara Boulevard 0.1 kilometers south of Bertie Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 134 Niagara Boulevard, Fort Erie ON L2A 3G3, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe

and in Niagara Canada.

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 walking distance of this marker: Bertie Street Ferry Landing (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Erie Ferry Landings

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

(within shouting distance of this marker); J.L. Kraft 1874-1953 (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Fight at the Fort Erie Docks (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Nowak Pier (approx. half a kilometer away in the U.S.); Harrowing Journey (approx. half a kilometer away in the U.S.); Black Rock Harbor / From Plantation to Promised Land (approx. half a kilometer away in the U.S.); Broderick Park / Distinctive River Ecosystems (approx. half a kilometer away in the U.S.). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Erie.

Also see . . . Josiah Henson. A biography of Josiah Henson by the Historica-Dominion Institute. (Submitted on September 9, 2012, by Jamie Abel of Westerville, Ohio.)

Photographed by Jamie Abel, August 31, 2012

2. Freedom Park Marker

Marker with the Niagara River and Buffalo, NY, in the background.

Photographed by Jamie Abel, August 31, 2012

3. Freedom Park Marker

View from Niagara Parkway with marker visible low on the ground in the back of the park.

Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2012, by Jamie Abel of Westerville, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,489 times since then and 42 times this year. Last updated on July 19, 2025, by Kevin Westell of St. Catharines, Ontario. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 9, 2012, by Jamie Abel of Westerville, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.