100th Buxton Homecoming: Celebrating history where many slaves found freedom

NORTH BUXTON – A century ago, a gathering took place here on Labor Day for a homecoming celebration on the farm of Reginald and Minnie Robbins.

The annual event has since evolved into a four-day celebration with the 100th Buxton Homecoming kicking off Friday with a history and genealogy conference and going through to Monday featuring many events including historic re-enactments, a family feud baseball tournament, parade, car show and dance party.

The village, which was a terminus on the Underground Railroad where many slaves found freedom, is expected to be filled with former residents including many who are descendants of the former slaves who helped build the Elgin Settlement that was founded by Rev. William King in 1849.

“They come to rekindle those relationships, to reflect on the history of their own family,” said Bryan Prince, a local historian who is one of many Buxton residents who have helped organize the homecoming for decades.

The Buxton National Historic Site and Museum, which includes a school house and a historic cabin, is the hub for the weekend activities and the place to learn about the community’s history.

One event that Prince is excited about is a re-enactment of a true story of how eight slaves, known as the Lemmon slaves, found freedom in Buxton.

In the autumn of 1852, Jonathan and Juliette Lemmon, with their seven children and eight slaves from Virginia were planning to relocate to Texas.

“They brought their eight slaves from the slave state of Virginia to the free state of New York in order to take a ship south,” Prince said.

“While they were there (in New York) the slaves were advised they could be free,” he added.

Prince said the Lemmon slaves seeking freedom led to a high-profile court case in New York that was covered by newspapers across North America and Britain.

A re-enactment, titled ‘Angels Along The Way,’ is being held on the Buxton Museum grounds, beginning at 6:30 pm Sunday, that will tell the story of the court case and the journey of the eight Lemmon slaves to Buxton.

“The exciting part about this is we were able to get in touch with a number of the descendants,” Prince said.

They held meetings by teleconference with some family members who have learned about this part of their family history.

“They didn’t know their family history, so they’re excited to be coming here on Labor Day to see where their ancestors lived and find out more of the story,” Prince said.

He said one of the descendants, Chicago resident Luanne Wills-Merrell, will talk about the existing family.

He added retired New York judge Albert Rosenblatt, who used to preside in the courtroom where the case for the Lemmon slaves was heard, also will be attending to talk about his recently released book, The Eight: the Lemmon Slave Case and the Fight for Freedom .

Prince said there are so many stories from Buxton.

He said the great thing about the museum, “is finding out about people who didn’t make the history books.”

The history of Buxton Homecoming celebration attracted the Morrish family from Rocky Mountain House, Alberta to the museum on Tuesday.

Myrna Morrish (nee Finlin) said she began researching community events when they planned to come to Chatham for a family 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

“We’re interested in the history and this is where my descendants originally landed from Ireland in the Chatham and Merlin area,” she said.

James Morrish expected the Buxton museum to be like many others, but that changed when he started learning about the history within those walls.

He knew about slavery “but you don’t understand the first implications of the people coming over from Africa and what they had to go through and how great this place (Buxton) must have been to be freed,” he said.

It was an eye-opener for Aryana Morrish, 14.

“I was really neat, because learning about it in school, they don’t share everything.”

Going through the historic site, you get a sense of what it was like, she said.

While the Homecoming celebration attracts many people, especially from the United States, Prince said the museum gets calls from people with no connection to Buxton, who ask if it they can attend the event.

“Of course, they can,” he said.

IF YOU GO

Many events are planned during the 100th anniversary of the Buxton Homecoming celebration, including these:

• Abraham Lincoln re-enactment that recreates pivotal moments from the 16th United States President’s life. Monday, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Buxton Museum.
• Craig Shreve, author of the acclaimed African Samurai, will have a book signing and talk about the significance of his roots in North Buxton. Monday, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Buxton Museum.
• Buxton’s Got Talent will showcase local artists and performers. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.