Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques
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Thornton and Lucie Blackburn
Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2006
On the grounds of this school at 19 Sackville Street on the corner with Eastern Avenue can be found this Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque. Here's what it says:
Coordinates: 43.653664 -79.359307 |
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The Blackburn's determination to build free lives provides a window on the experience of many refugees in the Underground Railroad era. Having fled slavery in Kentucky, they were arrested in Detroit in 1833. Their capture sparked riots and in the confusion they managed to escape to Upper Canada. Here, the government twice defended them against extradition, and by 1834 the couple had settled in Toronto. Respected citizens, they established the city's first cab company, worked for Abolition and contributed to the well-being of their community.
Another plaque at this location
Thornton and Lucie Blackburn
Related webpages
Thornton and Lucie Blackburn
Upper Canada
More Toronto Black History
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Donald Willard Moore 1891-1994
George Brown (1818-1880)
Mary Ann Shadd Cary 1823-1893
The O'Connor-Lafferty House
St. Lawrence Hall
Toronto's Reggae Roots
William Peyton Hubbard 1842-1935
Related Ontario plaque
The Underground Railroad in Canada
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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.
> Posted August 15, 2010
This is a wonderful story about Canadian history. in reading some of your letters I can easy see why people in Canada are very confuse about Canadian black history. When Dr. George Williams was trying to get American black history recognize in the USA and eventually Carters G Woodson who succeeded, this was not a world abstractly history. This was about the USA only, for example Matthew Henson who accompany Perry expedition,and was the first to reach the pole its, a matter or record that American at that time that didn't honour black for any achievements. Many black invention that help put America at the top of the world in all area of achievement but this is not Canadian or Caribbean history. Seems that both groups or other groups would research the history of achievement from its own country. To piggyback off of America is totally misleading and very unjust.
SC macdonald
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