Virtual field trip recognizes Wellington County's Black history

WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Black history of Wellington County can still be shared with students by the Wellington County Museum and Archives (WCMA). 

Kyle Smith, WCMA activity programmer, said the history of Black Canadians in Wellington County is the story of the founding of the county. 

Smith said this often goes against what people picture early settlers looking like.

“You have this picture of what the first non-native settlers looked like and it’s usually something like little European girls from Little House on the Prairie,” Smith said. 

“In this area in particular that is not the story. There are large swaths of Wellington County where the first non-native peoples to come live in this area were Black Canadians.”

This misunderstanding is why Smith said he thinks it’s important for this education to carry-on and despite the challenges of COVID, they are continuing to teach this.

WCMA is offering a virtual field trip called Richard Pierpoint: Historical Survivor – Black Settlement in the Queen’s Bush.

This is an hour-long presentation by museum staff on the Black history of the area which includes stories, pictures and staff available to answer questions. 

Richard Pierpoint was a slave who eventually fought for the British and was given land in what is now Fergus and Queen’s Bush refers to a collection of settlements founded by escaped slaves north of Waterloo–with some in Centre Wellington and Mapleton.

Smith said this virtual field trip is similar to a lecture he gave at the end of last February which he noted was one of the last in-person events held at the museum before the pandemic struck. 

There is a shorter video on the Queen's Bush settlement available and the online archives are still searchable.

Smith said there will be additional content going up on social media channels this month which can guide people in the right direction easier than the archives. 

Teachers that are interested in the virtual field trip can reach out to Smith to book a time. He can be reached by email [email protected]