FERGUS – Richard Pierpoint would be proud. And perhaps a little surprised that his life is now on a storyboard in a park that bears his name.
But those who gathered at the Pierpoint Fly Fishing Reserve on Nov. 13 were more than excited to unveil the storyboard that’s been years in the making.
Pierpoint was born in West Africa in 1744, was captured, sold into slavery and brought to North America.
He fought for his freedom with the British during the American Revolution and was given land outside St. Catharines for his service.
When the War of 1812 began, he petitioned the military to form an all-Black militia. Though he was in his 60s by then, he fought in the Black militia for the British during the war.
He was granted land outside Fergus and became a leader among Black settlers in Upper Canada.
“Even in his later years, Pierpoint continued to serve and advocate for others,” Mayor Shawn Watters told a crowd of about 20 people.
“His legacy reminds us of the strength, perseverance and contributions of early Black Canadians.”
Watters also spoke of the partnerships and collaboration that brought Pierpoint’s name out of the dark corners of history and onto the plaque.
“His spirit is something we need to take away and send to the ethos,” Watters said.
Rosemary Sadlier, who came from Toronto to mark the occasion, remarked on the honours she feels Pierpoint is due.
Sadlier was president of the Ontario Black Historical Society for 22 years and among other accomplishments, such as being the impetus behind Black History Month, she nominated Pierpoint as a person of national significance.
She has visited all the sites Pierpoint is said to have lived – Niagara, St. Catharines, Fergus and she even travelled to Bondu, a region in Senegal where Pierpoint was born.
Pierpoint wanted nothing more than to return to Senegal and live out his days in his own country but that was not to be.
Millicent Gordon set a wreath beside the national plaque that honours Richard Pierpoint. This plaque is opposite the township’s new storyboard.
“I gathered soil from here and brought it with me to Senegal,” Sadlier said.
“Symbolically I returned Richard Pierpoint to Bondu. I was honoured to do that.”
Sadlier also sat on the Richard Pierpoint working group that worked with township staff and local community members on a proper way to honour the man.
“This is not just a Fergus story,” Sadlier said. “It’s not just a Canadian story. It’s an international story.”
Township manager of planning services Mariana Iglesias said when the township started its cultural heritage landscape study, “we kept hearing people talk about Pierpoint and so we decided to include him and this land in the study.”
“He was resolute, a community builder and a national and international person of importance,” said Millicent Gordon, founder of the Centre Wellington Black Committee, which also played a pivotal role in Pierpoint’s recognition.
“His story is so powerful.”
The storyboard talks about Pierpoint’s early life and military service, the Black settlement he formed in Centre Wellington, his legacy and the Pierpoint Fly Fishing Nature Reserve and its beginnings and environmental importance.
Nearby on the site is the national plaque erected in 2020 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Pierpoint’s story is both tragic and inspiring, Sadlier said, and it’s important to recognize people of colour and the impact they made on Canadian history.
Iglesias said the signage will help “educate the community” and is a visible way to honour the past.
Councillor Denis Craddock also read a land acknowledgement at the event, recognizing that even before Richard Pierpoint settled in the area, communities of First Nations people also lived there, worked the land and called the region home.
From left: Patricia Bown, Millicent Gordon, Pamela Brown Wass, Rosemary Sadlier and Norman Jones stand by the new storyboard revealed on Nov. 13. These individuals played a key role in getting the storyboard made and erected on the site.
