Diocese of London contributes to restoration of Fugitive Slave Chapel at Fanshawe Pioneer Village

Steering Committee Members Christina Lord (L), Carl Cadogan, Most Rev. Ronald P. Fabbro, Bishop of London, Tom Peace, Board Chair Fanshawe Pioneer Village. (Source: Diocese of London)

The fundraising campaign to relocate and restore London’s Fugitive Slave Chapel to Fanshawe Pioneer Village (FPV) has received a contribution from the Diocese of London.

Most Rev. Ronald P. Fabbro, Bishop of London, visited the Village Thursday to present a cheque for $5,000.

“We appreciate that our support will enable future generations to learn about this important part of Canadian history, and the role that chapels like this one played to help those fleeing enslavement settle, after finding freedom in the north,” said Fabbro.

The Fugitive Slave Chapel was moved from 275 Thames St. to 432 Grey St. in 2014 and there are now plans to move it to Fanshawe Pioneer Village.

FPV has partnered with the committee Black Lives Matter, The Chapel Committee, and the London Chapter of the Congress of Black Women of Canada, to raise the money needed to move and restore the 19th century building that tells the story of early fugitive slaves that found refuge in London

The chapel was once a stop along the Underground Railroad. It was used in the 1800s to shuttle Black slaves to freedom.