Walking Tour
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Explore Sandwich's historic town centre with this tour. Visit the places shown in the Across the River to Freedom documentaries and learn more about the history of the area. The walking tour spans 2 km and will take approximately half an hour. Please refer to the PDF map below. If you want to listen to the audio tour as you go, you may access it here.
Learn More About Essex County’s Black History
Check out the places below to find out about the Underground Railroad, the people who followed it, and the community that helped to make Windsor what it is today.
Gateway to Freedom International Memorial – Detroit, Michigan
This memorial was built to commemorate the 45,000 people who passed through Detroit on their way to gaining freedom in Canada and the people who helped them along the way. This statue looks out across the river to its sister memorial, the Tower of Freedom.
Tower of Freedom Memorial – Windsor, Ontario
This sculpture is the other half of the Gateway to Freedom Memorial. The bronze figures on the monument show the range of emotions felt by refugees upon their arrival to Canada and the realization that they are finally free. The sculptures show expressions of joy, praise, and relief. A young woman can also be seen looking back at the city of Detroit, wishing that she could return to the place she called home.
Chimczuk Museum – Windsor, Ontario
This museum recounts the story of Windsor, including the area’s Indigenous history, the area’s role in the Underground Railroad, and the city today.
Amherstburg Freedom Museum – Amherstburg, Ontario
The Freedom Museum is dedicated to preserving the stories of Black Canadians. The museum has two historic buildings on site. The first, Taylor Log Cabin, was the home of Mr. George Taylor, a formerly enslaved person from Kentucky. The second building is the Nazrey African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was one of the endpoints of the Underground Railroad.