In the early 19th century, the vast unsettled area between Waterloo County and Lake Huron was known as the "Queen's Bush." More than 1,500 free and formerly enslaved Blacks pioneered scattered farms throughout the Queen's Bush, starting in about 1820. Many settled along the Peel and Wellesley Township border, with Glen Allan, Hawkesville and Wallenstein as important centers. Working together, these industrious and self-reliant settlers built churches, schools, and a strong and vibrant community life. American missionaries taught local Black children at the Mount Hope and Mount Pleasant Schools. In the 1840s the government ordered the district surveyed and many of the settlers could not afford to purchase the land they had laboured so hard to clear. By 1850, migration out of the Queen's Bush had begun. Today, African Canadians whose ancestors pioneered the Queen's Bush are represented in communities across Ontario.

Location

At Glen Allan Park, Sideroad 6, Glen Allan

Themes

• Black heritage
• Communities