THE BUXTON SETTLEMENT
From the shores of Lake Erie to the seventh concession, from Dillon Road on the east to Drake Road on the west, Buxton's ordered fields are dotted with churches and homes from the epic experience of the Underground Railroad. In 1849, Reverend William King arrived with fifteen former slaves at a 9,000-acre tract of swampy, forested land. More refugees followed, buying and clearing 50-acre homesteads, establishing industries, churches and schools. The settlers created the regular pattern of roads and drainage ditches seen today, transforming the landscape into the prosperous Elgin Settlement, as it was then called, where neat cottages spoke of industry and thrift, and children received a classical education. Buxton lives on today through descendants of these determined immigrants who carved out a free life for themselves and their families on the tranquil plains of southwestern Ontario.
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L’ÉTABLISSEMENT DE BUXTON
Des bords du lac Érié à la septième concession, du chemin Dillon à l'est au chemin Drake à l'ouest, les champs ordonnés de l'établissement de Buxton (autrefois Elgin) sont parsemés d'églises et de maisons construites à l'époque héroïque du chemin de fer clandestin. En 1849, le révérend William King s'y installa avec 15 réfugiés dans un territoire de 9 000 acres de marais et de forêts. D'autres réfugiés suivirent, acquérant et défrichant des lots de 50 acres, bâtissant églises, écoles et industries. Les colons construisirent le réseau de routes et de fossés de drainage qui subsiste encore aujourd'hui, transformant l'endroit en un établissement prospère, où des maisons soignées reflétaient le caractère industrieux de ses habitants et où les enfants recevaient une éducation classique. Buxton vit aujourd'hui au rythme des descendants de ces immigrants déterminés qui se sont taillé une vie libre dans ces plaines paisibles du sud-ouest de l'Ontario.
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This plaque text is recorded in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations, published by Parks Canada for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. Plaque texts come from the Directory’s open dataset in the languages the Directory publishes them in; the pin on this page is ours, worked out from the Directory’s street address or local area and marked approximate. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. TreeAlive is an independent project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Parks Canada or the Government of Canada. Open Government Licence – Canada