Quote:Amherstburg was not the first black settlement started in Upper Canada, but it was an important location. For many runaway slaves this was last stop on the Underground Railroad. Hundreds of slaves entered Canada through this town. This community supported new arrivals, and provided security as well. Runaway slaves were always afraid of being recaptured and brought back to their owners. Living in a large community gave them some protection.

Many of these people became farmers. Tobacco was an important crop on farms in this area. Many of these slaves came from tobacco plantations. They knew how to grow tobacco, and how to prepare it for sale. By 1861 there were over 800 black living in Amherstburg. The population of the town was only 2000. Almost half of the town's population was fugitive slaves and free black [2].

In 1848 the refugees built a stone church to be the centre of their community. They named the church after Bishop Nazery who led some of the runaway slaves to join the British Methodist Episcopal Church. After many years the church rejoined with the AME Church. The stone church still stands in Amherstburg as a testament to the history of black settlement in southwestern Ontario.