Grey County council is supporting Grey Highlands in applying to have Old Durham Road Black Pioneer Cemetery declared a national historic site of Black history.
During a county council committee of the whole meeting on April 14, a report was brought forward after the municipality of Grey Highlands authorized the local heritage committee to re-apply to have the cemetery declared a historic site.
Warden Selwyn Hicks will be writing a letter in support of this application on behalf of the county.
Grey Highlands Coun. Cathy Little says the heritage committee is able to apply directly for the declaration, however, receiving support from the municipality would be beneficial.
“The endorsement support of county council, which would certainly be appreciated and I think beneficial, is not a requirement,” says Little.
In 2016, an application was sent to have the cemetery recognized as a national historic site, but was denied.
Little says the re-application clarifies they are not seeking recognition as a cemetery, but as an important cultural site which remembers and recognizes the contributions made by Black pioneers in the lands along Grey Road 4.
“There has been a movement since that time as well to recognize more and more of these kinds of sites that address the cultural history,” says Little. “There is a lot of optimism I would say from the heritage committee as well as Grey Highlands council, that reconsidering this application would be successful.”
During discussions at county council, Chatsworth Mayor Scott Mackey proposed recognizing other historic sites across Grey County.
“In our manager’s report from Grey Roots, it talks about celebrating the long history of Black communities in the region and explore opportunities to raise awareness. So I am just wondering, if we want to actually raise awareness throughout Grey County, should we look at this in a broader sense,” says Mackey.
In response, county CAO Kim Wingrove says a staff report could be brought forward outlining the criteria for a historical site application.
“I think with that understanding, we could also then bring forward a list of any potential locations that meet that criteria and go from there,” says Wingrove.
Coun. and Township of Georgian Bluffs Deputy Mayor Sue Carleton added, if they should also be considering other cultural historical sites, including Indigenous in addition to Black sites.
It was eventually moved and approved for staff to come back with a report with potential locations the county could apply to have declared historical sites.
