Province Contributes to Black Loyalist Heritage Centre

The province has pledged its ongoing support to a new heritage centre that will share the story of the Black Loyalists with residents and visitors.

Nova Scotia has committed $750,000 to the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown, Shelburne Co., through the Community Development Trust Fund. The province also provides $250,000 annually in operational funding through the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage.

"African Nova Scotians are one of this province's founding cultures, and the Black Loyalists are a fundamental part of our collective history," said Percy Paris, Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs.

"Their story has not always received the recognition it deserves, but now it will be told for generations to come through the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre. As a province, we are pleased to be a key supporter of this important project."

Canadian Heritage has also committed almost $1.8 million toward the $4.6-million Heritage Centre, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency is contributing $800,000. Private and corporate donors have pledged more than $1 million.

During the American Revolutionary War, thousands of enslaved blacks fought for the British in exchange for the promise of freedom and land. After the war, more than 3,500 Black Loyalists were relocated to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick from 1783-86.

Hundreds settled at Birchtown, which became the largest free black settlement outside Africa during the 1780s. About 1,200 Black Loyalists left Nova Scotia for Sierra Leone in 1792, but many others stayed and settled in communities throughout the province.

"Hundreds of Nova Scotians can trace their roots to the Black Loyalists, and we also receive many African-American visitors who discover a family connection here," said Elizabeth Cromwell, president of the Black Loyalist Heritage Society. "This new heritage centre is an important part of preserving our history, and we are grateful for the support of the provincial and federal governments in helping it become a reality."

Construction will begin in late May and the centre is expected to open in July 2013. The site will be included in the Nova Scotia family of museums.