Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum

06/19/2026

📸 Happy Juneteenth! James McPherson of Chatham-Kent’s McPherson family was a barber who owned and operated a barbershop in Ohio, USA. Check out some of these photos of Mr. McPherson in his element!

Visit the Chatham-Kent Black Mecca Museum to learn more about Chatham’s Black history! Our archives full of family photos, newspapers, stories, and more are also open to researchers and curious minds!✨

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

🥳 Happy Juneteenth!

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, where they announced that enslaved people were free. The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued two years earlier but many enslaved people in Texas hadn’t known of this until the Union troops’ arrival.

Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery for many and remains an important celebration of freedom, resilience, and Black history!

**Psst! Canada’s Emancipation Day is coming up on August 1st! 🇨🇦

06/16/2026

A big thank you to Nancy and Debby from The Little Change Room in Blenheim, Ontario for their visit yesterday! As many know, they are great company and we look forward to seeing them again! ✨

06/15/2026

🔎Help Us Tell Their Stories!

Below is a photo of a couple that we've found in our archives. However, we don't know their names or their stories. Help us put names to these faces!

Do you know who these individuals are? Are they a distant relatives or family friends? Let us know!

06/12/2026

📸 Take a look at this photo from our archives! Pictured is Allen Thompson, a Black police officer in Dresden, Ontario, standing proudly in uniform beside his cruiser!

Visit the Chatham-Kent Black Mecca Museum to learn about Chatham-Kent's rich Black history! Our archives are filled with photographs, documents, and stories like this one, and are open to researchers and curious minds!

06/12/2026

Thank you so much to the Ontario Public Supervisory Officers' Association (OPSOA) for visiting us today! We had a wonderful time and were honoured to share our community’s rich history with our representatives of education! ✨

06/10/2026

📸 Gladys Corene (Davis) Scott taught at the Green Valley School over the course of several years. Here are a couple of photos of her classes. You might even find that you recognize some of Chatham-Kent’s young community members!

The Green Valley School was named as such because it was situated on the corner of Green Valley Line and Prince Albert Side Road in Chatham-Kent. It was also known as SS No. 10.

Visit our museum to hear more about Chatham-Kent's Black history!

06/08/2026

🔎Help Us Tell Their Stories!

In our museum, we have an archive filled with histories of those related to Chatham-Kent’s Black community. Unfortunately, there are many stories that are incomplete. Every Monday of June, we will be releasing photos of unknown individuals that we have in our archives and we’re asking YOU to help us tell their stories!

Do you know who these individuals are? Where are they going to or coming from? Let us know!