Property transfer of historic Street Cemetery to Haldimand County completed; remediation work to begin this summer to make the site safe

Haldimand County is pleased to announce that, following two years of consultation with the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO), the Ministry of Transportation (Ontario) and two property owners, the Street Cemetery in Canfield has been fully transferred to the municipality.

The Street Cemetery—which dates back to the 1870s—is historically significant as the resting place of Black settlers and their descendants who came from the U.S. to Canfield through the Underground Railroad. Among the individuals buried in the Cemetery is Carrie Barnes, the niece of famed American abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman. The Cemetery is also associated with one of the first churches established by Black freedom seekers in Canfield—the North Cayuga Baptist Church—which was known for welcoming both Black and white parishioners.

“We are very happy this transfer has now been completed as it allows us to use $100,000 in County funds approved through the 2021 Capital Budget to begin the clean-up of this significant site,” says Ward 2 Councillor John Metcalfe. “We know how incredibly important this Cemetery is to descendants living throughout southwestern Ontario, elsewhere in Canada and in the U.S. We want to make sure it is cared for and protected in keeping with the County’s values of cemetery care and honouring our local history.”

The restoration of the site will take place in two phases: the first is the transfer of the property (now completed) and general site clean-up (now being initiated); the second phase includes the formation of a Community Stakeholder Committee—including descendants of the original families, local heritage groups and resident advocates—to create a longer-term plan for community engagement, designation and preservation of the Cemetery.

“With the completion of the property transfer on Monday, staff immediately visited the site and developed a timeline for the first phase of the restoration work,” says Phil Mete, General Manager of Public Works Operations. “This will include additional survey work, on-site coordination of the anticipated work with the BAO and other authorities having jurisdiction, careful removal of brush and unsafe trees, ground repair, removal of old fencing, and construction of the pathway from Haldimand Road #32 to the site.

“Based on the current condition of the Cemetery and surrounding area, we anticipate this work will take four to six months as it involves securing and coordinating appropriate contractors to complete the majority of this sensitive work.”

Staff will also begin the work of bringing together the Community Stakeholder Committee.

“We know families of the original freedom-seekers and members of the public were hopeful to have the Cemetery site available for a visit on Emancipation Day, which is August 1, however, that will not be possible this year given contractors will be on site and significant safety concerns,” adds Mete.

“However, Heritage Haldimand already had plans in the works for an Emancipation Day get-together for the community on Sunday, July 30 in Canfield. The event will include a presentation by Niagara-based historian Rochelle Bush, who is also a freedom-seeker descendant with family ties to the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman. Details about the event—for which reservations will be required—will be available in the coming weeks.”