CA-K712History

Thornton and Lucie Blackburn, freedom-seekers in Toronto

Plaques commemorating Thornton and Lucie Blackburn in Toronto, 2009. Blackburns (3565618834) · Loozrboy from Toronto, Canada · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 2.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

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Thornton and Lucie Blackburn fled slavery in Kentucky and were arrested in Detroit in 1833; riots over their capture let them escape to Upper Canada, whose government twice refused their extradition. Settling in Toronto by 1834, they founded the city’s first cab company and worked for abolition and their community.

Scope & context

The Blackburns as described in their designation, not the Underground Railroad as a whole (see CA-K150).

Sources behind this record

Thornton and Lucie Blackburn National Historic Persons ↗

Parks Canada (Directory of Federal Heritage Designations)

Importance; plaque text