Centennial Gardens renamed to Richard Pierpoint Park in 2021.
City of St. Catharines staff and officials have unveiled signage to mark the unveiling of Richard Pierpoint Park.
The park, which was constructed during Canada's Centennial, was initially named Centennial Gardens.
After a public consultation process last year, the park was renamed to Richard Pierpoint Park.
Pierpoint was a former black slave who fought as a British loyalist during the American Revolutionary War, and was granted 200 acres of land, part of which is occupied by the park today.
Speakers at Saturday's unveiling included Mayor Walter Sendzik, who says this was a proud moment for the community.
"We’re recognizing the true history of our community by looking at the people who had an impact that were left in the shadows of ‘white-centric’ historical perspectives," said Mayor Walter Sendzik, as he thanked Councillor Lori Littleton for initiating the renaming request. "We still have much work to do to recognize the contributions of black, Indigenous and people of colour and their contributions to St. Catharines, but this is a great first step."
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