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.
Located on Old Barrie Rd near 12th Line or Conc. 12, Lot 11 is the little cemetery known as Rugby Congregational Cemetery. There is no cairn or plaque located here, just a small patch next to an old building, east of the Rugby Community Hall.
The cemetery probably saw it's first burial in 1831 when little Mary Brown aged 4 years, 11 months died on September 15th, 1831. This was followed by William Brown in 1834 at the age of 44 years.
The congregation was not formed until 1847 by Rev. Ari Raymond, who built the church that once stood here and established the cemetery. The land was more than likely owned by the Brown family and used as a family burial plot until the congregation was established.
The congregation survived until the Methodist and Congregational church union in 1925 (United Church of Canada), then it moved to Hawkstone. Sometime after that the church building was demolished, leaving the cemetery to mark the spot. The last burial appears to have taken place in the early 1930's.
The cemetery is closed and receives minimal maintenance.
First of all, please forgive the spelling error at the beginning of the video. It's meant to be 'Hidden" not 'Hiden." Thanks!
I have been looking for this vault for years, ever since I first heard of it and was about to give up. Then suddenly completely by accident I found the exact location on a post in Find a Grave.
Well, I could not resist, so I went there as soon as I possibly could. It did not disappoint. The only problem is the history. There appears to be several stories surrounding the vault's origins, none of which I could substantiate. But this is what I know.
The Kidd Cemetery was established in 1882 when John Kidd had his daughter who died in 1854 at the age of twelve moved to the property from her original burial site. The stone burial vault was built in 1892 just before his wife Jane's death in 1893. John would die in 1895 at the age of 97 and he would be entombed along with his wife and daughter in the vault. But there is speculation that there is a fourth entombment, that being of John's son, George. There is no indication at all at the site that this is a fact. A large monument is located at the back of the crypt, with the names of John and his wife Jane. There are also the remnants of a gravestone from 1854 on what is actually the roof of the crypt. The crypt is built into a hillside. This gravestone is believed to be that of his daughter, Ann who died in 1854.
The crypt has been vandalized a couple of times so a new door with an alarm has been installed. The neighbors in the area also keep a close watch on anyone seen around the vault. So keep that in mind if you intend on visiting.
St. Paul's Anglican & St. John's Presbyterian are both located in Coulson's Hill in Bradford West Gwillimbury. They share a cemetery which is located between the two now abandoned church buildings.
St Paul's was probably founded in the early 1840's the current church was originally built in 1854, was reconstructed in 1889 and rebuild again in 1916. The first recorded burial was in 1842 for Jane Sheldon.
The Presbyterian church was found around the same time the current building was established in 1889. Burials like the Anglican church began in the early 1840's but the first church was built in 1857.
Both church buildings are no longer in use. The Presbyterian church closed sometime in the 1990's and relocated to a new building on the 10 Sideroad. The Anglican church closed sometime in the mid 2000's and joined the Trinity Anglican Church in Bradford.
Both cemeteries are well kept and still receive burials.
Settled in 1819 by Highland Scots from Lord Selkirk's Red River colony. The first makeshift building was erected on this site in 1823 a second was built in 1827 and the present day church in 1869.
Services were held in Gaelic initially from the settler's native Scotland. The Auld Kirk Scotch settlement was the first and the largest settlement in all of Simcoe County. Many of the original settlers are buried in the cemetery within the church property.
Services ending in 1940 when the church proved to be outdated and too small. This location is now maintained by the municipality and is a designated historic site.
Apto (St. Patrick's) Roman Catholic Cemetery is located on the north side of Horseshoe Valley Rd. east of Hwy 26 (Bayfield Rd) in Springwater (formally Flo's Twsp).
The land that the cemetery is situated on was donated by Patrick McAvoy in 1855 and was deed to the Roman Catholic Church in 1856. There are burials on this land that predate the deed, probably by the McAvoy family who had buried several family members starting in 1847.
Back in the mid 1800's, Apto was a stop over for those travelling between Barrie and Penetanguishene.
The site supported a church building and rectory until 1904 when the buildings were sold for $ 2,400.00. and eventually demolished. The parish was relocated and a new cemetery was established in Midhurst. The old cemetery continued in use until 1908 when the last burial of Michael Kelly took place.
In 1998, what was left of the old head stones were gathering into a cairn. The cairn was positioned between three family monuments, Hayes, McMahon and Savage, which still stand in there original positions.
Grave or Gilbert Ord Lightbourn O.B.E, M.A, D.D
Archdeacon of Simcoe
Grave of The Honorable Ernest Charles Drury
Premier of Ontario 1919 - 1923
St. James Church circa 1900.
St. James Anglican Church Cemetery is located next to the now Holy Cross St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church on Penetanguishene Road, in Crown Hill.
The land for the Anglican Church and cemetery was donated by Thomas Mair in 1852. Services were held for over a century, then the last Anglican service was held on Easter Sunday in 1970. Since 1984 the Greek Orthodox church has held services here.
The cemetery contains the final resting place for many of the original settlers of the area. Some of the more notable burials are that of the Honourable Ernest Charles Drury, Premier of Ontario 1919 - 1923 and Gilbert Ord Lightbourn, O.B.E, M.A., D.D, Archdeacon of Simcoe.
Burials still continue for both the Anglican and Greek Orthodox parishes.
