Early in the 1800s, it was customary in Upper Canada for would-be landowners to write the governor’s executive council to indicate their interest in purchasing land. The potential property owner receives a location ticket, which designates them to a certain plot, when the petition has been examined and determined to be qualified.
Although the land is free, the petitioners were required to meet a number of conditions, including agreeing to regularly restore the site, erecting a house that was big enough, mowing the nearby roads, and paying fees, according to the County of Simcoe. If the petitioners have met the conditions, the Crown subsequently issues a patent or deed for the property.
According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, 19 free Blacks petitioned to Governor Simcoe in 1794 requesting property so they could found an all-black community. After serving in the military during the conflict between Great Britain and America, they did this.
Even though their earlier petition was denied, it helped pave the way for the 1819 establishment of the Oro community off the coast of Georgian Bay, close to modern-day Barrie. In what was then Upper Canada, Oro became the sole government-sponsored black settlement. According to history, it was originally designed to put veterans in a position to protect the Bay from attacks.
In the past, the settlers lived in the enclave from 1819 to 1826 and again from 1828 to 1831. In the first period, nine homes were constructed, and by the second, Oro had 100 residents. Black History in Ontario stated that while some were former members of the Coloured Corps stationed in the Niagara region, others were given permission by the government to move there to farm and form a new corps to protect Georgian Bay. Some of the residents of the settlement had previously worked as slaves in American and Canadian colonies.
Oro prospered for many years as one of the first black settlements in Ontario established as a result of government planning. However, due to poor soil conditions and severe weather, farmers began to leave the area in the 1940s, which resulted in a decline in population. Yet, the County of Simcoe reported that some of the original Black settlers’ descendants have remained in Oro for close to 130 years as well as in other areas of the county.
The Oro African Methodist Episcopal Church, which is now a National Historic Site of Canada, was another legacy of Oro.