• Building Settlement Marker
• Ground Settlement Marker

Freedom Marker: Creativity

An official seal and design had been established to denote markers recognized and approved by the Wisconsin Markers and Sites Committee and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Under the new legislation, this seal, featured on the first historical marker of the new system, the Peshtigo Fire Cemetery in 1951, was protected and given legal status.

by Dr. Bryan Walls

After the War of 1812, American officers who had been stationed near Fort Malden (Amherstburg, Ontario) carried back to the United States stories of a country where runaway slaves were welcome. As a result, great numbers of enslaved freedom seekers made their way to Amherstburg. The famous abolitionist Levi Coffin, during a tour of Upper Canada in 1844, described Amherstburg as the principal terminal settlement in Canada of the Underground Railroad. Ferry, later to be called Windsor and Sandwich Township, also became the first sanctuary for many of the first, large wave of fugitives to Upper Canada between 1817 and 1822. Refugees trying to find farming land and creative and honest ways to make a living in this strange new land migrated to the various villages, townships, and towns of Essex and Kent County. They established terminal settlements in places like Anderdon, Marble Village, Union, Gambia, Haiti Village, Brion, Dawn, Elgin, Dresden, Shrewsbury, Puce, Elmstead, Little River, Gosfield, Gesto, Gilgal, New Canaan, the Matthew Settlement, Edgar, Mt. Pleasant, Rochester, Harrow, and the Refugee Home Society Settlement. This settlement is now part of the John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum and is on land where my family and I reside today. This settlement was a place of hope for a better life, a common desire shared by Underground Railroad travelers in settlements throughout Canada.

The Refugee Home Society Settlement

My ancestors purchased land from the Refugee Home Society at the Puce River settlement. There was woodland and trees on all sides in the mid-19th century. Henry Bibb, founder of the “Voice of the Fugitive” newspaper, proposed the Refugee Home Society Settlement land scheme, supported by the American Missionary Association. Lots were purchased and resold to refugees on easy terms. The settlement was located 20 miles from Windsor, which gave added peace of mind to the settlers as the distance from the border helped to discourage bounty hunters. John and Jane Walls had concerns for their own safety and that of their children. They had fled from Rockingham County, North Carolina to Canada in order to live in harmony as husband and wife. The truth of their story was stranger than fiction. In 1861, after a conversation with John Freeman Walls, George Whipple, an American Missionary Association minister wrote:

“Tuesday I returned to little River riding in a little cart drawn by a small French pony, guided by a Christian gentleman but not of this church. He is a Baptist, his story is a little peculiar. He is a very black man and was a slave in one of the southern states. After the death of his old master, his mistress came north with her children, bringing this man with her; at length, she married him and the whole family are now living happily together in Canada. He owns a little farm and is out of debt. There is an excellent school at Little River taught by a student from Oberlin, a Mr. Wheeler. He might get a more advanced school and much better wages elsewhere but is drawn here by his sympathy for an oppressed people.”

There were 60 families living in the settlement by 1861, enough to support a school and three churches (African Methodist Episcopal Zion, British Methodist Episcopal, and Baptist). The Refugee Home Society did not reach the goals of the original founders, as many policies and decisions were flawed. However, its success can be measured by the fact that many families continue to live there today in harmony with their neighbors, and several have roads named after them, such as “Walls Road.”

Underground Railroad Settlements were located throughout Ontario, Canada

Daniel Hill, in the “Freedom Seekers,” wrote:

“Before the middle of 19th Century small Black communities were firmly rooted in six areas of Canada West: along the Detroit frontier, that is at Windsor, Sandwich, Amherstburg and their environs; in Chatham and its surrounding area, where the all- Black settlements of Dawn and Elgin were established; in what was then the central section of the province particularly London, the Queen’s Bush, Brantford, and the Black settlement of Wilberforce (now Lucan); along the Niagara Peninsula at St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Newark (Niagara on the Lake)and Fort Erie; in the larger urban centres on Lake Ontario, that is Hamilton and Toronto; at the northern perimeter of Simcoe and Grey Counties, especially in Oro, Collingwood and Owen Sound. Besides these centres of Black population, small clusters of Blacks as well as individual Black Families were settled throughout Canada West.”

The Elgin Settlement / The Buxton Mission

One of the most successful Canadian settlements is at Buxton. The Elgin Settlement, which includes the Buxton Mission, was founded by Reverend William King, a Presbyterian Minister. On the death of his father-in-law, King inherited 14 slaves; he added another and then came north and freed them all in Ohio. King was determined to set up a refuge for Blacks entering Canada. Despite the objections of Edwin Larwill, a White extremist, and other supporters, King started the Elgin Settlement with his 15 slaves from Ohio on November 28, 1849. The Elgin Association took care of secular business, and the Buxton Mission Fund supported by the Presbyterian Church took care of the community school, chapel, and Christian work. New settlers purchased 2,000 acre lots of the 360,000 acres of land in Raleigh Township. The spirit of the community was growing stronger and the settlers were eager to work for what they received. In 1850, a church and school building were built along with a post office. By 1853, there were 130 families.

The settlers at Elgin placed a high value on education and their Buxton Mission School was better by far than the government schools. Prominent businessmen from Toronto and Buffalo sent their children to the school, and half of the students in the formerly Black school were White. All were attracted by the high quality of education. The students often taught their parents, as they too were eager to taste the added freedom that education can bring. As the settlement grew and prospered, the settlers overcame the opposition and prejudice of their White neighbours. Because of education and their vote, a friend of the Elgin settlers, Archibald McKellar, easily defeated the trouble-maker Larwill as Kent County’s Member of Parliament in 1856.

Education, hard work, and creativity were key then as they are today to secure freedom from slavery. Modern-day enslavers such as drugs, hatred, poor self esteem, and violence are only a few of the threats that can take freedom away today.

Fort Richardson was a United States Army installation located in present-day Jacksboro, Texas. Named in honor of Union General Israel B. Richardson, who died in the Battle of Antietam^[4]Download dragon ball series. during the American Civil War, it was active from 1867 to 1878. Today, the site, with a few surviving buildings, is called Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 for its role in securing the state's northern frontier in the post-Civil War era.^[5]

History[edit]

As much as any frontier army installation, Fort Richardson facilitated white immigration and settlement in north-central Texas. It was part of a system of forts along the Texas frontier to protect and encourage settlement in north-central and West Texas. Others included Forts Griffin, Concho, Belknap, Chadbourne, Stockton, Davis, McKavett, Clark, McIntosh, Inge, and Phantom Hill in Texas, and Fort Sill in Oklahoma.^[4] Some 'subposts or intermediate stations' include Bothwick's Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap, Camp Wichita near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson and Red River Station, and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin.^[6]

The original site selection was ordered for a location near Buffalo Springs in Clay County about 20 miles (32 km) north of Fort Richardson. The location proved untenable and unfit for a semi-permanent installation. The area lacked timber and adequate water resources, and the U.S. considered it 'hostile' territory, with Native Americans often raiding the area. In 1862, an entire town, Henrietta, northwest of Buffalo Springs, was abandoned due to lack of security. As a result, the U.S. 6th Cavalry Regiment moved south to the present location of Fort Richardson.

In 1867, construction began by the 6th Cavalry on the 300-acre (120 ha) site along 'Lost Creek, a small tributary of the West Fork of the Trinity River',^[4] at a cost of $800,000, and occupied on 26 November. It became the anchor of the frontier fort system, and the last army outpost in north Texas along the military road to Fort Sill. 'Originally a five-company post, it was expanded..to accommodate ten or more companies'^[4] so that in 1872, with a population of 666 officers and men, it was listed as the largest U.S. Army installation in the United States.^[7] The old-time cowboy author Frank H. Maynard spent time at Fort Richardson in 1872 while he had come to Jacksboro on a cattle drive.^[8]

Building Settlement Marker

Units that occupied the fort included the 6th Cavalry Regiment, the 4th Cavalry Regiment, and the U.S. 11th Infantry Regiment, along with parts of the 10th Cavalry Regiment and 24th Infantry Regiment (United States), both Buffalo Soldier regiments.^[7]

Life was hard for a soldier at Fort Richardson. Routine duties included long, arduous patrols along the frontier from Clay and Jack Counties west to Palo Duro Canyon near present-day Amarillo. Battles with Comanche and KiowaIndians became commonplace as the U.S. cavalry and infantry units sought to prove their ability to repel attacks and facilitate white settlement.

In 1871 while touring the system, General William T. Sherman stayed at Fort Richardson and narrowly missed the Warren Wagon Train Raid. General Sherman arrived at Fort Sill and arrested Kiowa chiefs Satanta and Big Tree and had them sent to Jacksboro to stand trial for their role in the massacre. In July 1871, they were tried, convicted, and sentenced to death, which was later commuted to life in prison. They were the first Indians tried and convicted in a Texas civil court system.

Following these events, General Sherman authorized the commander of the 4th Cavalry, Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie, to begin offensive operations against the Comanche and Kiowa in the Texas Panhandle. One scouting party fought in the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon in September 1874, a U.S. victory that ended the Red River War with Quanah Parker's Comanches and Red Warbonnet's Kiowas. The cavalry captured so much of the tribes' provisions that they were forced to move back to reservations in Oklahoma before winter. This battle was largely responsible for the end to Comanche and Kiowa raids along the northern frontier between Oklahoma and Texas.

Abandonment and Reuse[edit]

Ground Settlement Marker

After its victory, the army saw no need to maintain Fort Richardson and abandoned the post on May 23, 1878.^[4] 'It was used as an Indian school for a short time afterwards'.^[4] The 55 buildings, many made of stone and cottonwood lumber, fell into disrepair. Thanks to a group of Jacksboro residents, the fort was declared a state historic site in 1963 and came under the management of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. In 1968, extensive renovations began, and in 1973, it reopened as 'Fort Richardson State Historic Park.'

Today it is called Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway.^[9] Visitors can tour seven restored original buildings, including the post hospital, officers' quarters, powder magazine, morgue, commissary, guardhouse, and bakery. Two replica buildings of the enlisted men's barracks and the officer's barracks house the Interpretive Center. Guided tours of the buildings are held daily.^[10]

Gallery[edit]

• Fort Richardson Texas Historical Marker

• Fort Richardson Hospital

• Fort Richardson Pharmacy

• Fort Richardson Period Map

• Fort Richardson Officer's Quarters Texas Historical Marker

• Fort Richardson Hospital Texas Historical Marker

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^'National Register Information System'. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
2. ^'History, Fort Richardson State Park, Historic Site and Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway'. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
3. ^Staff (June 2011). 'National Historic Landmarks Survey: List of National Historic Landmarks by State (Texas)'(PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
4. ^ ^abcdefCarter, R.G., On the Border with Mackenzie, 1935, Washington D.C.: Enyon Printing Co., p. 48
5. ^'NHL nomination for Fort Richardson'. National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
6. ^Carter, R.G., On the Border with Mackenzie, 1935, Washington D.C.: Enyon Printing Co., p. 49
7. ^ ^ab'Handbook of Texas Online - Fort Richardson'. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
8. ^Frank H. Maynard, Cowboy's Lament: A Life on the Open Range (Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press, 2010), p. 5, ISBN978-0-89672-705-2
9. ^'TPWD:Ft. Richardson State Park, Historic Site & Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway'. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
10. ^'TPWD:Ft. Richardson State Park, Historic Site & Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway'. Retrieved 2009-02-08.

External links[edit]