Regional Archives

Unlike exhibits, historic sites, or museums, which curate information and artifacts to present a cohesive story, archives preserve the raw materials of history and leave the interpretation to others. They are treasure troves for curious students, scholars, authors, artists, family or local history enthusiasts, and more, who are keen to do their own historical detective work.

Listed below are archives with significant collections relating to Black History in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.

In order to locate materials relevant to your specific research interests, most physical archives will require an appointment or other advance notice of your visit. Be sure to set aside enough time, during your actual visit, for the slow work of consulting many documents or images.

Online digital archives are available 24/7 from anywhere with an internet connection, but do not have staff to assist your search, and may only contain a fraction of the total collections held by physical archives. To get the most out of your research, be sure to explore both types.

This page details three sets of archival resources:

In Windsor-Essex
In Chatham-Kent
Further Afield

In Windsor-Essex

Amherstburg Freedom Museum

277 King Street, Amherstburg, Ontario

This community-based non-profit museum augments its core artifact collections with a smaller collection of archival documents and histories. Of special note:

Family histories: researched by museum staff and students, these short histories document African-Canadian families with ties to the Underground Railroad.
Howard McCurdy collection: McCurdy was a pioneering Black scientist at the University of Windsor, civil rights activist, and Member of Parliament.

Explore the Amherstburg Freedom Museum online: https://amherstburgfreedom.org/

Leddy Library – Archives & Special Collections

University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Avenue, Windsor, Ontario

Leddy Library’s Archives & Special Collections combines its roles as the repository for official University of Windsor records with a longstanding mandate to preserve materials that document the society and culture of Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, and Sarnia-Lambton. It has several notable Black History collections, including:

Delos Rogest Davis fonds: A small amount of correspondence, clippings, and certificates in connection with one of Canada’s first Black lawyers.
E. Andrea Moore collection: A substantial collection of Windsor Black community group records and Christian/Shadd/Shreve family photographs covering the later-19th to later-20th centuries. Particularly strong on religious life, women’s groups, and the annual Emancipation Celebration.
Wilfred “Boomer” Harding collection: Scrapbooks maintained by the Harding family, documenting the exceptional athletic career of Chatham-Kent native “Boomer” Harding.
Scott Chantler fonds: Original artwork produced by Scott Chantler for his graphic story All-Stars: The True Story of the 1934 Chatham Coloured All-Stars.
Alvira Wigle collection: This eclectic collection includes post-WWII minutes for the Windsor Interracial Council, an organization that brought citizens together across racial, ethnic, and religious divides.
Oral histories: A number of interviews were produced in connection with the projects “Breaking the Colour Barrier,” “The North Was Our Canaan,” “Across the River to Freedom,” and “Race and Sports in Canada.” Some are already in the archives; others are slated to be deposited.

Leddy Library – Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive (SWODA)

Online at: https://swoda.uwindsor.ca/

This online repository created by the University of Windsor’s Leddy Library brings together digitized images and publications connected with Southwestern Ontario, drawn from the physical collections of the Leddy Library, the Windsor Public Library, and private collectors. Of special note for Black History are:

Windsor Emancipation Celebration Programs: A selection of printed material outlining the events and featured speakers at Windsor’s annual Emancipation Celebration (1937-1983), from the E. Andrea Moore collection in the Leddy Library Archives & Special Collections.

Explore Emancipation Celebration ephemera online: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/windsoremancipationcelebrationprograms/

Marsh Historical Collection

80 Richmond Street, Amherstburg, Ontario

This non-profit, community-run archives preserves material relating to the history of Amherstburg and the lower Detroit River district, including photographs, books, genealogical records, land records, maps, and reference files. Select municipal government records for Amherstburg, Anderdon, Malden, and Essex County Council are also present.

Explore the Marsh Historical Collection online: https://www.marshcollection.org/

Windsor Public Library – Local History Branch

3312 Sandwich Street, Windsor, Ontario

Windsor’s public library system includes this branch which houses a substantial reference collection dedicated to local history and genealogy. Windsor history is the central focus of its print, microfilm, and digital resources; it also holds collections of the Essex County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society. Of particular relevance for Black History are:

Newspapers: focused on Detroit, Amherstburg, Windsor, and towns in Essex County
School yearbooks: 38 different secondary and post-secondary schools are represented
Directories: publications listing homeowners and businesses for certain years

Explore the WPL Local History Branch online: https://www.windsorpubliclibrary.com/?page_id=54874

Windsor Public Library – Windsor’s Community Archives

85 Pitt Street East, Windsor, Ontario

Windsor’s public library system also includes an archives that preserves the official records of the City of Windsor. The collection includes materials from the late 1700s to the present, covering all the communities that became part of present-day Windsor. It also holds some non-governmental collections. The records of many City government departments would be relevant to Black History. Additionally, Black life is reflected in:

The Windsor Star collection: A massive photographic archive generated by photographers for The Windsor Star from ca. 1930s to early-2000s. The bulk of the images are arranged by subject; late-20th/early-21st c. images are arranged by date.

Explore the WPL’s Windsor’s Community Archives online: https://www.windsorpubliclibrary.com/?page_id=60314

In Chatham-Kent

Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society Black Mecca Museum

177 King Street East, Chatham, Ontario

The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society Black Mecca Museum is home to an archives and research room that offers historical documents and photographs, genealogical records, and subject files relating to Black businesses, individuals, and issues. Researchers and community members are welcome.

Explore the CKBHS Black Mecca Museum online: https://ckbhs.org/archives/

Chatham-Kent Museum

Chatham Cultural Centre, 75 William Street North, Chatham, Ontario

Chatham-Kent’s publicly-funded museum includes an archive of over 100,000 images and documents to augment its artifact collection. The public is encouraged to consult the museum to see if its archival records contain material relevant to their research.

Explore the Chatham-Kent Museum online: https://www.chatham-kent.ca/explore/museums/Pages/CK-Museum.aspx

Chatham-Kent Public Library

W.G. McGeorge Building, 325 Grand Avenue East, Chatham, Ontario

Chatham-Kent’s publicly-funded library system collects official records of the Chatham-Kent municipal government, and can help direct patrons to the locations of records from the former municipalities that were merged into Chatham-Kent. These municipal records offer a close view of matters affecting Black community life, such as taxes, roadworks, schools, local laws, and so on. Local histories and biographies, almanacs, directories, and other materials of interest to genealogists and local historians can also be found through the library.

Explore local history through the Chatham-Kent Public Library online:

Further Afield

Archives of Ontario

134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario

Ontario’s publicly-funded provincial archives collects official records of the Government of Ontario, as well as community records of provincial significance. The records of any government department that has had an impact on Black community life may be worth consulting: https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/index.aspx.

Also worth exploring are the Archives of Ontario's

Resources Relating to Black History https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/access/black_history.aspx
Records Related to Black Communities in Ontario Research Guide: https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/access/documents/Research_Guide_Black_Histories_EN.pdf (opens as PDF)

Two important community collections for Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent are:

Alvin D. McCurdy: McCurdy was a historian and genealogist whose archival collection includes thousands of images, newspaper clippings, textual records, organization minutes, and other materials related to Black life in southern Ontario.
Daniel G. Hill: Hill was the first Director of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and later Ombudsman of Ontario, as well as an activist and writer. This collection contains records and written works produced by Hill.

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library

5201 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan

Originally the private collection of a gentleman collector, subsequently enriched by a century of additional donations, this collection contains hundreds of thousands of books, maps, images, and manuscript documents about the history of Detroit and its connections with the larger histories of Michigan, the Old Northwest, Canada, and New France, and more. Relevant highlights include the early settlement history of the Detroit River Region, local genealogical records, and materials relating to Detroit’s role as a terminus on the Underground Railroad.

Explore the Burton Historical Collection online: https://detroitpubliclibrary.org/research/burton-historical-collection

Library and Archives Canada

395 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario

Canada’s publicly-funded national archives and national library collect official records of the Government of Canada, publications about or by Canadians, as well as community archival records of national significance. On the library side, LAC has copies of many rare and obscure published works relating to Canadian life, and may be worth checking out for biographies or histories of specific individuals, organizations, or communities. On the archives side, the records of any government department that has had an impact on Black community life may be worth consulting. Of particular note:

No. 2 Construction Battalion: Military records and other resources relating to young Black men (including those from Southwestern Ontario) who served in the first and only racially-segregated Canadian Expeditionary Force unit of the First World War. A helpful LAC blog post about the No. 2 Construction Battalion records offers guidance on how to navigate them.

Explore Library and Archives Canada online: https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/Pages/Home.aspx

Our Digital World

Online at: https://ourdigitalworld.net/

This non-profit organization provides digital stewardship for community records, including a vast archive of digitized community and regional newspapers from 1810 to the present day. These include significant publications from Black publishers, editors, and communities. A relevant point of access is the curated collection, Abolitionist Newspapers of the 1850's.

INK: This portal provides access to digitized newspapers specifically from Southwestern Ontario.

Explore newspaper titles available through INK here: http://ink.ourontario.ca/

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