The original 570-pound bell was presented “by the Coloured Inhabitants of Pittsburgh” in November 1850 to the inhabitants of the Elgin settlement, also known as Buxton, as a “lasting memorial…that will call your children to the house of instruction,” according to the letter that accompanied the gift. “When the bell, with its solemn tones, calls you to the House of God,” said the letter, “remember your brethren who are in bonds; and let your prayer ascent to God, that he may, in his own good time, break every yoke and let the oppressed go free."
 The Buxton settlement was founded by Reverend William King (on right). An Irish-born educator and missionary, King was introduced to the anti-slavery movement and ideas of the abolitionists, such as British MP Thomas Fowell Buxton, while studying at Glasgow University.
After he came to possess 15 American slaves through an inheritance and purchases, he took them to a site in Kent County, near Chatham, Ont., where he had organized a group of anti-slavery sympathizers from around the province to acquire nearly 9,000 acres of land for the purpose of establishing a haven for blacks. This investment group, called the Elgin Association, sold plots of land to King’s former slaves and other black settlers at low prices.
The community grew with the influx of individuals who escaped through the Underground Railroad that brought blacks to Canada from the United States, where slavery ex isted until the 1860s. Settlers built houses, farmed and adhered to strict rules. Within a few years the community became known for the high academic standards of its school, which under King’s supervision, taught the classics, including Latin and Greek, and prepared students for careers in politics, medicine and law. Class of 1910 
At the heart of the settlement, on the grounds of King’s farm, was the Mission, where the Buxton Bell was hung until it was erected in the steeple of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church after it was built in 1858. The bell remains there to this day and it still rings to call the faithful to prayer. Its inaccessible location makes it difficult for visitors to the church to see this important historical symbol so about a year ago, a replica was made.
"The bell is a powerful symbol of freedom. The whole community could hear it when someone arrived safely in Buxton,” he says, noting also that it was also rung “every morning and night in the community so that people would stop and pause and remember those who are still in slavery.” states
Professor Paul Lovejoy, the director of the Tubman Institute and a research professor in York’s Department of History.
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