Story of the Oro African Church – Preserving History
Wednesday February 15th – 7PM – 8:30PM
SCHA invites you to join Harry Hughes, former Mayor of Oro-Medonte and Samah Othman, Communications Officer as they tell their story of the journey to restore and save this national treasure.
Oro was one of the first communities in North America to grant land to Black members of the loyalist militia from the War of 1812, who then established the only Black community sponsored by the government. The Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church, built by African Canadians in 1847 was declared abandoned in 1916. Local residents rallied to preserve it in 1947, in 1956 and again after vandalism in 1981. In 2014, when the church was once again at risk of collapsing, the Township of Oro-Medonte launched a campaign to raise the funds needed to save the church. Join us for the behind-the-scenes story of the preservation of this National Historic Site.
Register for this free virtual session by following this link:
If you would like to see the recorded session, check out our YouTube Channel. The Story of the Oro African Church Preserving History with Harry Hughes and Samah Othman – YouTube