The Heritage Community Church of Collingwood celebrated its heritage designation this past weekend.
The church at 310 Seventh St. held an open house and presentation of a new plaque on Aug. 20 on the church grounds. For 153 years, the church has stood as a sanctuary to all members of the community and holds rich ties to the history of the Black community as a gathering place for worship, unity, strength and identity.
Sisters Carolynn and Sylvia Wilson are the current directors of the church and sought a formal heritage designation to preserve the history and the property's connection to Black history dating back to the 1870s.
In 1870, the Black community in Collingwood — and supportive white neighbours — collectively raised $15 to purchase the property on Seventh Street with the purpose of building a church.
The original church burned down, but a second was built in the same spot in the 1920s. The current church was rebuilt in 1976 and incorporated as the Heritage Community Church, and has undergone additional renovations over the last few years.
According to the heritage report completed by Su Murdoch Historical Consulting for the town, the property is a significant landmark of direct descendants of freedmen, freedwomen, freedom seekers, the enslaved, and fugitives who established a flourishing Black settlement in Collingwood, also known as a northern terminus for the Underground Railroad.
For more on the history of Heritage Community Church, click here.
