John Freeman Walls Historic Site facts for kids
The John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum is a 20-acre historical place. It is located in Puce, which is now part of Lakeshore, Ontario. This is about 40 km east of Windsor. Many of the original buildings are still there today. In 1985, the site opened as a museum about the Underground Railroad. It is also part of the African-Canadian Heritage Tour in Southern Ontario.
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The Underground Railroad Story
What Was the Underground Railroad?
The Underground Railroad was not a real railroad with trains. It was a secret network of safe routes and hiding places. These routes helped enslaved people escape from the Southern United States. They were trying to find freedom. This network used hidden paths through forests and brush. These paths helped people stay hidden until they reached a safe place.
All the routes headed north. They led to free areas in the Northern United States, Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Along the way, there were "stations." These were safe houses where runaway slaves could rest. They were given food and clothing there. People used the Underground Railroad even though there was a law called the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This law made it very risky for anyone to help runaway slaves. It also meant that runaway slaves could be arrested and lose all their rights.
Coming to Ontario for Freedom
In the mid-1800s, thousands of Black enslaved people escaped the United States. They came north to Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick using the Underground Railroad. Most of them arrived in Southwestern Ontario. They often crossed the Detroit River or the Niagara River.
After the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 in the British Empire, more and more people escaped to Canada. By 1852, about 30,000 refugees had arrived. Local leaders worried that it was becoming hard for Black people to find jobs in their new home. So, in 1846, church leaders started meeting to help. Later that year, the Refugee Home Society was created. This group helped new arrivals settle down.
John and Jane Walls' Journey
John Freeman Walls worked on a plantation in Rockingham County, North Carolina. There, he became good friends with Daniel Walls, the slave owner's son, and Daniel's wife, Jane King Walls. When Daniel was dying, he freed John. He also asked John to take care of Jane and their children.
In 1845, John and Jane left their lives of slavery and hardship. They fled towards Detroit, Michigan, looking for a new start. The Walls family crossed Lake Erie on a steamboat called the Pearl. They arrived in Amherstburg, Ontario, in 1846. John and Jane were both against slavery. They worked to fight against it.
Their relationship was unusual for the time because John was Black and Jane was white. This sometimes caused people to stare. But John said that most of the refugees were "various shades of black," not just Black or white. When they arrived, they visited different settlements. They decided to live in Puce, Ontario. The Refugee Home Society had recently bought land there to sell to refugee slaves.
John and Jane bought a 12-acre property at 859 East Puce Road. They built a log cabin and later bought more than 200 acres of land. They had six children in Puce. John worked as a carpenter.
John and Jane held the first meetings of the Refugee Home Society in their own home. Jane taught Sunday School. John was a Deacon at the First Baptist Church. He even loaned the church money to buy land for a log cabin church. The couple had many Quaker friends who helped hide and move people escaping slavery. They would sometimes dress them in women's clothes to help them pass unnoticed. One famous helper was Levi Coffin. He was a Quaker from Cincinnati and was known as the "President of The Underground Railroad." He worked very hard against slavery.
John had a favorite Bible passage, Proverbs III. It says, "My son forget not my laws, but let thine heart keep my commandments for length of day and long life shall they bring thee." The Walls family sent news of their safe haven to a Quaker couple in Indiana. This couple had married John and Jane on their journey to Ontario. The Walls' home became a final stop for the Underground Railroad. They welcomed many people escaping slavery. They helped them start a new, free life in southwestern Ontario. Jane even went back to the South twice. Each time, she returned with more people seeking freedom.
The Historic Site and Museum Today
The government first recognized this site's importance after one of Walls' descendants, Dr. Bryan E. Walls, wrote a book. In 1976, he wrote The Road that Led to Somewhere. This book told the story of the Walls family's journey and their work with the Underground Railroad. The book made people interested in the Walls' story. So, in 1985, the John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum opened.
Today, the site is a history museum. You can see Walls' original log cabin there. There is also the Walls' family cemetery. The Historic Walkway is an overgrown trail that shows what the natural path might have looked like for people escaping slavery.
The site also honors the modern Civil Rights Movement. There is a Peace Chapel built to honor Rosa Parks. Inside, there is a cross made from bricks from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. This is where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
A historical plaque is on the site. The Walls family still runs the museum. It does not get money from the government. The Proverbs Heritage Organization runs the site as a non-profit group. It works closely with the Motown Historical Museum in Detroit, Michigan. Bryan Walls has received the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario for his work in Black History.
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