Salem Cemetery
This cemetery is all that remains of a Black settlement once located near the hamlet of Salem (sometimes called New Salem) which was centred around Division Road and what is now Road 3 West. A number of Black families, many of whom had escaped slavery, took up residence in the area establishing a Baptist church known as Shiloh, which once stood on Road 3 West, not far from this location.
In 1837, the land for this cemetery was purchased by John W. Williams, the first Black landowner in Gosfield, which has since been amalgamated into the Town of Kingsville. Williams purchased the property from Reverend Richard Herrington, a preacher who brought the Baptist faith to this area. Much of the history of this early Black settlement is unknown. This sacred ground is the only known African Canadian cemetery in the former Township of Gosfield.
This cemetery was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2005, the year a monument listing the names of the area’s Black settlers was unveiled on the site.
Learn more from the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada.
In 1837, the land for this cemetery was purchased by John W. Williams, the first Black landowner in Gosfield, which has since been amalgamated into the Town of Kingsville. Williams purchased the property from Reverend Richard Herrington, a preacher who brought the Baptist faith to this area. Much of the history of this early Black settlement is unknown. This sacred ground is the only known African Canadian cemetery in the former Township of Gosfield.
This cemetery was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2005, the year a monument listing the names of the area’s Black settlers was unveiled on the site.
Learn more from the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada.