Tubman, who escaped slavery and later helped free dozens of other slaves, worshipped at the church when she lived in St. Catharines from 1851 to 1862.
The city and the church were significant locations for those who escaped slavery and arrived in the region, Bush said.
The newcomers were considered free men and women in the north due to Canada’s Slavery Abolition Act, which came into effect on August 1834. U.S. president Abraham Lincoln established the Emancipation Proclamation about 30 years later. Tubman eventually brought her mother, father, three brothers and other loved ones to Canada, Bush said. The famous abolitionist’s descendants live in British Columbia, she said.
That same year, the federal government approved a $100,000 grant for the church. With further help from private donors and a GoFundMe campaign, Bush said the church has been able to renovate deteriorating parts of its building. It also upgraded security with the installation of cameras and a fence.
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