Windsor in Essex County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Sandwich and the Underground Railroad

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 9, 2025

1. Sandwich and the Underground Railroad Marker

Inscription.

Sandwich and the Underground Railroad. . , 21:1 | Sandwich and the Underground Railway , It is estimated that in the Underground Railroad era, 30,000 African Americans made the dangerous and arduous journey to Canada to pursue freedom from slavery. For many, the mile-wide Detroit River was the most logical point of entry and Sandwich their new home as early as 1807 and by the early 1830s, the town of Sandwich, capital of the Western District and a thriving commercial centre, had a sizable Black population made up of both formerly enslaved and free Blacks seeking relief from oppression in the United States. Jobs were plentiful, labourers were in demand, and Black farmers and business owners could easily access Detroit markets with their goods. Proximity to the river made it possible for some of Sandwich’s Black residents to be employed as dock workers or on Great Lakes steamships. Freedom seekers who found their way to Sandwich included Caroline Quarlls and Allen Watkins, progenitors of the Watkins family which remain part of the community today., Activists involved in the anti-slavery movement found Sandwich a suitable base of operations for their cross-border activities, offering relative safety alongside proximity to their American networks. They included abolitionists Henry and Mary Bibb, who founded the Voice of the Fugitive newspaper in Sandwich in 1851. Bibb commented regularly on the numbers of refugees crossing into Canada West at Sandwich, ranging from fifteen per week to as many as sixty five in one day. By the Census of 1851, there were over 400 people of African descent living in Sandwich. In 1851, Sandwich First Baptist Church was erected on Peter Street out of lumber hewn by its congregation and bricks made with their own hands out of Detroit River clay. Today, a visit to this church, a National Historic Site and the sole edifice built by Underground Railroad survivors remaining in the City of Windsor, will reveal much about the struggles and triumphs of Sandwich’s early Black community.

21:1 | Sandwich and the Underground Railway
It is estimated that in the Underground Railroad era, 30,000 African Americans made the dangerous and arduous journey to Canada to pursue freedom from slavery. For many, the mile-wide Detroit River was the most logical point of entry and Sandwich their new home as early as 1807 and by the early 1830s, the town of Sandwich, capital of the Western District and a thriving commercial centre, had a sizable Black population made up of both formerly enslaved and free Blacks seeking relief from oppression in the United States. Jobs were plentiful, labourers were in demand, and Black farmers and business owners could easily access Detroit markets with their goods. Proximity to the river made it possible for some of Sandwich’s Black residents to be employed as dock workers or on Great Lakes steamships. Freedom seekers who found their way to Sandwich included Caroline Quarlls and Allen Watkins, progenitors of the Watkins family which remain part of the community today.

Activists involved in the anti-slavery movement found Sandwich a suitable base of operations for their cross-border activities, offering relative safety alongside proximity to their American networks. They included abolitionists Henry and Mary Bibb, who founded the Voice of the Fugitive newspaper in Sandwich in 1851.

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Bibb commented regularly on the numbers of refugees crossing into Canada West at Sandwich, ranging from fifteen per week to as many as sixty five in one day. By the Census of 1851, there were over 400 people of African descent living in Sandwich. In 1851, Sandwich First Baptist Church was erected on Peter Street out of lumber hewn by its congregation and bricks made with their own hands out of Detroit River clay. Today, a visit to this church, a National Historic Site and the sole edifice built by Underground Railroad survivors remaining in the City of Windsor, will reveal much about the struggles and triumphs of Sandwich’s early Black community.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans. A significant historical year for this entry is 1807.

Location. 42° 18.15′ N, 83° 4.554′ W. Marker is in Windsor, Ontario, in Essex County. It is on Sandwich Street north of Mill Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Windsor ON N9C 1B2, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Southwest Ontario 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 Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fur Trade & European Settlement (here, next to this marker); The Mansion on the Detroit River Frontier (a few steps from this marker); Indigenous Movement of People (a few steps from this marker); The Founding of Sandwich

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 9, 2025

2. Sandwich and the Underground Railroad Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); The Story of the Anchor (The James Norris) (within shouting distance of this marker); Movement of Indigenous Trade (within shouting distance of this marker); Battle of Lake Erie (within shouting distance of this marker); The Battle of Windsor (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Windsor.

More about this marker. A photograph of the Sandwich First Baptist Church appears at the left of the marker. The middle of the marker contains portraits of Henry Bibb and Caroline Quarlls Watkins. The right side of the marker features a copy of the January 1, 1851 edition of the Voice of the Fugitive.

Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 9, 2025

3. Sandwich and the Underground Railroad Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2025, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 150 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 30, 2025, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.