London City Council is providing $71,000 to move a chapel for fugitive slaves

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The Refugee Slave Band is a ‘cornerstone’ and crucial element of London’s history that is rapidly deteriorating and City Council wants to help pay for the move and restoration.

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The council voted unanimously Tuesday night to withdraw $71,000 from a reserve fund to move the chapel to Fanshawe Pioneer Village. This will help leverage $150,000 in federal funding and add to about $85,000 in community donations already raised for the effort, a group of city councilors said.

“The fact that it’s rotting the way it is, which means London’s history is rotting, I find shameful,” Mayor Ed Holder said on Tuesday.

But he challenged the historical organization, urging them to move quickly and begin conservation work with the town hall money.

“Do that now,” Holder said. “We are willing to pay a price for this. I’m just saying I respectfully request Fanshawe Pioneer Village to move it as a matter of priority.”

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Four Councilors – Ward 3 Coun. Mo Salih, Ward 2 Ward. Shawn Lewis, District 12 District. Elizabeth Peloza and Ward 13 Coun. John Fyfe-Millar – Led the charge to invest in the Fugitive Slave Chapel, a historic site that served as a place of worship for escaped slaves arriving in London on the Underground Railroad.

“It is very fitting to ensure that we continue to have access to an important historical site and to ensure that access is available to all,” Salih said, thanking the community groups who have campaigned for the chapel and its continued importance in London.

Peloza, who said she is a museum curator by trade, noted that the Fugitive Slave Chapel will help encourage a “well-informed” conversation about London’s history and the building and its significance in her new home in Fanshawe Pioneer Village celebrate.

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It was originally planned as a heritage and research center to honor the history of the fugitive slaves who found sanctuary there.

The chapel was saved from the wrecking ball and was relocated next to its daughter church, Beth Emmanuel, for restoration in 2014. City Hall contributed $60,000.

But it remains wrapped in plastic at the Gray Street site, continues to decay and has drawn the ire of lawyers and historians. Last year Beth Emmanuel pastor Dan Morand admitted the restoration project was “not on the priority list.”

“The building is in a sad, sad state of repairs,” Lewis told City Council, adding it was impossible to overestimate the importance of the building, a “cornerstone for the early days of the black community” in London.

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“This is the time for it. If we wait, we may lose her forever.”

It is hoped that the move to Fanshawe Pioneer Village will help shore up the building before another winter devastates the structure.

“I urge my colleagues to support this tonight to bring the chapel to a safe place where it can be restored and history shared for decades to come,” said Fyfe-Millar.

The council voted 14-0 to use $71,000 from the ward investment reserve fund to help move and preserve the chapel. district 5 district. Maureen Cassidy was absent, everyone else was in favor.

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