St Thomas Anglican Church Cemetery, Shanty Bay

O'Brien Grave Marker for
Lt-Col Edward O'Brien & his wife Mary Sophia

O'Brien Family Graves
Lt-Col. Edward O'Brien's Son and Daughter -In-Law
The Headstones to the right are Edward O'Brien's three granddaughters

St. Thomas Anglican Church Cemetery is located at the corner of Line 2 and Church St in Shanty Bay.  The land which the church and cemetery are located was donated by Lt.-Col Edward O’Brien in 1838.

The church was constructed of mud, clay and straw tramped together by oxen. The mud/clay bricks were then placed in to molds and allowed to dry. The process was called rammed earth. When the building was completed the bricks were then plastered over. The construction was completed around 1841; the bell was not added until 1854.

The cemetery was established around 1840 with the burial of the infant son of Meyrick Whitey and Ellen Lally.  Lt-Col. O’Brien and his wife Mary Sophia are both buried in the cemetery, their grave is the only one marked by a celtic cross.

The church and cemetery are still in use to this day. The building is one of the few remaining buildings in Ontario that was built using the “rammed earth” method and is a designated historical site.