A building that burned down overnight Monday played a big role in the history of the Black community in Windsor, Ont., and had national significance, according to a historian.
“It’s really sad to see this level of destruction,” Irene Moore Davis, president of the Essex County Black Historical Research Society, said in an interview outside the home at the corner of Mercer Street and Elliott Street East.
“It’s probably a place that should have been preserved better, but here we are today, and all we can do is move forward and hope that we can refocus on the story, the amazing history of this house.”
Moore Davis said while the property had changed hands in recent years, it’s known as the Parker homestead, the childhood home of Alton C. Parker — Windsor’s first Black police officer and Canada’s first Black detective.
Recruitment centre for Black soldiers in WW I
The site was also the Windsor recruiting station for the No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canada’s only all-Black military unit in the First World War, which was set up after the Black community fought to the right to enlist.
“This was one of Canada’s most successful recruiting stations for that battalion,” she said. “Over 150 men of African descent signed up for the First World War right at this house.”
The property was also a “centre of organizing,” where meetings and events took place from the early to middle part of the 1900s.
“It’s a place that many people in our community hold very dear because of those memories,” Moore Davis said.
Moore Davis said the property isn’t currently on any heritage lists. It is a popular stop on the McDougall Street Corridor Walking tour, which showcases the history of Windsor’s Black community in the area.
“We’ll have to discuss how we can still mark the significance of this site now that the house will be gone,” she said.
Cause of fire under investigation
Crews are at the scene of a fire on Mercer Street and Elliott Street East.
Windsor firefighters were called to the two-storey home around 3:30 a.m. ET, said Mike Coste, chief fire prevention officer.
The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating.
Coste said the home was destroyed.
“It’ll be a teardown at the end of the day.”
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
