Canadian history · Drawing 08 of 37
The Black Loyalists of Birchtown
1783
In 1783, Black Loyalists, many of them freed for siding with the British during the American Revolution, founded Birchtown, in Nova Scotia. It became one of the largest free Black communities of its time.
Look together
What would you need to build a new home?
An idea to try
Build a small shelter together with a blanket and two chairs. Talk about what a family needs in its first days in a new place.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Black Loyalists served the British during the American Revolution in exchange for the promise of freedom. After the war, at least 3,500 settled in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Birchtown, founded in August 1783 and named after the man who signed their certificates of freedom, grew to about 1,200 people under Colonel Stephen Blucke. Parks Canada calls it the largest free Black community in North America at the time; the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre says British North America.
Freedom came with hardship. Many spent the first winter in tents, huts or pit houses; few received the land they had been promised; and in July 1784, disbanded white soldiers destroyed Black homes in Shelburne. Slavery remained legal in Nova Scotia until 1834. In 1792, many Black Loyalists left for Sierra Leone. Some of the Heritage Centre’s staff are their descendants. Ask your child what a promise is, and what should happen when one is broken.
Sources and context (3)
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- Black Loyalist Heritage Centre — Black Loyalist Communities in Nova ScotiaThe community’s account: Birchtown named after the man who signed the certificates of freedom; 1,200 Black Loyalists under Colonel Stephen Blucke, the largest Black township of the time in British North America; winter in tents, huts and pit homes; only 187 of 649 men received land; 20 houses destroyed in Shelburne in July 1784; slavery legal until 1834.
- Black Loyalist Heritage Centre — LearnSite of the largest free Black settlement in the 1780s; service to the British in exchange for the promise of freedom; reconstructed pit house; staff who are Black Loyalist descendants.
- Parks Canada — Black Loyalist Experience National Historic Event (Directory of Federal Heritage Designations)At least 3,500 free Black Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick; Birchtown, founded in August 1783, became the largest free Black community in North America; many left for Sierra Leone in 1792.
Source review: 2026-09-24. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.