Sandwich First Baptist Church

3652 Peter Street, Windsor, Ontario N9C 1J7 [map]
Telephone: 519-252-4917
Website: www.visitwindsoressex.com/places/sandwich-first-baptist-church

Description

The Sandwich First Baptist Church was a significant stop along the Underground Railroad. The land was granted to the coloured inhabitants of Sandwich by Queen Victoria in 1847. The land, never to be sold or severed, was approximately one acre of the Queen's Land allotment. The bricks for the church, fashioned from clay from the Detroit River, were molded by freemen and runaways who came to Sandwich for refuge. The church's first pastor was Madison J. Lightfoot.

Little has changed in the structure you see today. But the stories remain. For example, you'll see the hole in the floor where runaways hid. The ringing of a particular bell and the start of a certain spiritual song signaled runaways to hide when bounty hunters swept through the church.

When you visit Sandwich First Baptist Church today, you will be transported back in time to discover what folklore and history have taught us.