ɐ ɹˈiːsənt dɪskˈʌvɚɹi θɹuː ðə tɹˈɪliəm tɹˈeɪl pɹˈɑːdʒɛkt, wˌɪtʃ hˈæzbiːn vˈɛɹᵻfˌaɪd baɪ ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃ dˈʌn ɪn pˈɑːɹtnɚʃˌɪp wɪððə pɹˈɑːmɪst lˈænd pɹˈɑːdʒɛkt hˈɛdᵻd baɪ bˈuːluː də bˈiːbˈɛɹi ʌvðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv ˈɑːɾɐwə, ɪz ðæt lˈɑːɹdʒ sˈɛkʃənz ʌvðɪ ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəl tˈaʊn sˈaɪt wɜːɹ ˈoʊnd bᵻtwˌiːn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti θɹˈiː ænd wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti θɹˈiː baɪ wˈɪljəm wˈɪpɚ, ɐ pɹˈɑːmɪnənt mˈɛmbɚɹ ʌvðə wˈɪljəm stˈɪl ˌʌndɚɡɹˈaʊnd ɹˈeɪlɹoʊd nˈɛtwɜːk.
A recent discovery through the Trillium Trail Project, which has been verified by research done in partnership with the Promised Land Project headed by Boulou de B'beri of the University of Ottawa, is that large sections of the original town site were owned between 1853 and 1873 by William Whipper, a prominent member of the William Still Underground Railroad network.