Chatham

Among the cities of Ontario, Chatham stands out for its pivotal role in Canada’s Black history and its position on the Thames River. The community became an important destination for people escaping enslavement in the United States, and the 1858 Chatham Convention brought abolitionist John Brown and his supporters together to discuss a provisional constitution for a planned antislavery uprising. Today, Chatham is the main urban centre of the Chatham-Kent municipality, surrounded by the intensively farmed plains of southwestern Ontario. Its compact downtown includes the Chatham Capitol Theatre, while nearby historic sites at Buxton and Dresden trace the wider story of Black settlement and resistance in this part of the province. Find related webcams in the surrounding area to build a fuller picture of Chatham and southwestern Ontario.

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