What's Inside this Burial Vault. (Maple Cemetery)

This Gothic revival structure was built in 1882 from field stone harvested from the nearby fields that once surrounded the cemetery. But alas, they are no longer, replaced by condos, Walmart Stores and subdivisions. The "Vault" as it is more commonly known was built to temporarily house the dead, especially during the winter months when the ground was too frozen to dig the graves.

A receiving or holding vault should not be confused with a mausoleum, it was a temporary solution and came with a monthly storage fee which was in addition to the cost of the grave. Oh and just so you know if you died from any infectious deceases you could not be stored in the "vault". Things were different then. Even the undertakers got a bad wrap.

Today the "vault" is used for the storage of materials use in the care and maintenance of the cemetery. There are no rotting coffins or moldy crypts inside. That's right people, no dead bodies, so stop trying to break into it. Nothing to see here folks. It's just a monument to the past.

Leigh Corners Cemetery - East Oro

Leigh Corners is located in Oro-Medonte, more specifically, East Oro. The cemetery was established in 1840 when John Leigh donated a piece of his land for an Anglican Church and burial ground. The church would be eventually built down the road at Simpson's Corners, so John Leigh reserved the west side of the cemetery for his family plot.

A school was established on the site in 1853. To day it is still standing but is now a private home. For many years people would wonder how a school ended up in the middle of a cemetery. As the congregational cemetery is located on the south side of the school. The cemetery is closed and is a designated heritage site.

Inside a Dead House - King City Cemetery

The octagonal dead house is peculiar to Southern Ontario, essentially used as receiving or mortuary crypts to hold the dead during the cold winter months.  It is believed that only seven exist with a possible eighth somewhere in the Niagara Region. Today they are mainly used to store equipment not the dead. 

This video takes you inside one along with a bit of history with some of the artifacts still used by the cemetery care taker to this day.