Black History Month

Canada’s theme for Black History Month 2025 is Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations. Throughout the late 18th century until around the mid-19th century, Grimsby was both situated along the routes of the Underground Railroad—a secret network that helped enslaved Black people escape to freedom—and a destination for Loyalist settlers after the American Revolution. This location resulted in many freedom seekers and enslaved people journeying through or settling in Grimsby. However, records about the lives of enslaved people and freedom seekers are scarce, a consequence of their dehumanization and the deliberate denial of the resources necessary to preserve their stories.

In keeping with this year’s theme, we are thrilled to honour the story of a Black man named Bass, a skilled tradesman who worked on the ornamental stucco and plaster inside Nixon Hall at 262 Main Street West around the mid-19th century. An entry in Julia Nixon’s diary divulged the following, “the fancy stucco and plaster of Paris decorations were done in the house by a very black man by the name of Bass”.

Though much about Bass’s life remains unknown and further research is necessary to uncover the conditions of Bass’s arrival to and life in Canada, his craftsmanship still stands almost two centuries later - demonstrating a high level of mastery and pointing towards education. And his legacy challenges us to uncover, honour, and share the overlooked stories of Black Canadians whose talents and perseverance shaped our communities.

Grimsby itself holds a deep connection to Black history, once situated among routes of the Underground Railroad, where many freedom seekers passed through or settled in search of a new life. Yet, the erasure of Black stories reminds us that history must be preserved, reclaimed, and celebrated.

This Black History Month, we honour Bass and countless others whose legacies deserve to be seen, heard, and remembered; Black history is Canadian history.

To learn more about Black history in Canada, visit the following links for book recommendations that are available through The Grimsby Public Library as well as a list of Black-owned businesses in the Niagara region. In April of 2025, the Grimsby Museum’s first permanent exhibition is set to open, which includes a discussion of enslavement in Grimsby through consultation with the Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center.