John Freeman Walls Historic Site - The Modern Day Site

The Modern Day Site

The site was first recognized by the government for its historical significance after one of Walls’ descendants, their great-great grandson Dr. Bryan E. Walls, wrote a historical novel in 1976 called "The Road that Led to Somewhere", a novel which chronicled the Walls’ original journey to the settlement and their involvement in the Underground Railroad. The novel created interest in the Walls’ story, and in 1985, the John Freeman Walls Historic Site and Underground Railroad Museum was opened. The current site now operates as a history museum. It contains Walls’ original log cabin, the Walls’ family cemetery, as well as the Historic Walkway, an overgrown brush trail that recreates the natural setting fleeing slaves would have had to contend with. The site also commemorates the modern Civil Rights Movement with a Peace Chapel created in honour of Rosa Parks, inside of which hangs a cross made from bricks from the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.

Although a historical plaque exists on site, the site is still run by the family and does not receive any government support. The site is administered as a non-profit organization by the Proverbs Heritage Organization, and shares a close relationship with the Motown Historical Museum in Detroit, Michigan. For his contribution to Black History, Bryan Walls has received the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario.