History of Cataraqui Cemetery
The Beginning of a Historic Cemetery.
Kingston of the early 1830’s and 1840’s had quickly expanded from its earlier United Empire Loyalist roots. With the completion of the Rideau Canal and the local military fortifications, immigration to the area had begun to increase. The Town of Kingston began to adopt the qualities of many of the larger North American towns and cities as new ideas and wealth flowed into the town. Kingston’s growth was directly linked to the increase of goods and immigrants that entered her port after traveling up the St. Lawrence River from Montreal and abroad. As the city began to grow, inner city burial locations became fewer. Unknowingly, the boom in Kingston would bring the unwanted presence of deadly disease. Cholera and typhus would take hold on the shores of Lake Ontario as epidemics. Ships loaded with the families of Irish, Scottish and English immigrants would sail into the port of Kingston carrying a hidden deadly cargo within the cramped and poor conditions. At a time when Kingston’s small churchyards and burying grounds could barely find room for their own citizens, the large number of dead and dying immigrants posed a crisis. As a result of the panic that ensued, mass graves of Irish Immigrants were dug on the Kingston waterfront.
Disease and fear began to spread quickly to Kingston’s citizens. It was believed that the buried deceased would spout deadly gases and fumes causing others to become ill and die. The citizens no longer wanted burials within town limits. Town leaders had to act. A call went out for the closure of the city burial grounds and the creation of a new rural cemetery.
Immigration had brought some old world attitudes among the lower classes. However it was the new ideas and attitudes among the educated and merchant classes and of those immigrants that realized that religious and ethnic tolerance were the key to success and opportunity in a new land. More and more citizens became discontent with the old world attitudes and the sectarian policies of the church run burial grounds. The Romantic Movement that was taking hold among their American cousins also influenced political and social life in early Kingston. The answer to the city’s burial concerns came from a group that would work together to create a new public cemetery. Created out of necessity and changing social attitudes, The Cataraqui Cemetery was unique and visually different than anything before it. A not for profit non-denominational rural reform public garden cemetery was born.
As Kingston grew, so did its influence. Declared the first Capital of Canada, Kingston experienced an economic boom that brought even more influential clergymen, politicians, families, merchants and ideas. All of them would leave their mark on the young Province of Canada. The Cataraqui Cemetery began by being incorporated on August 10th, 1850 by an Act of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. Sir Alexander Campbell (later to become a Father of Confederation) assumed the new Cemetery's position as the first President of The Cataraqui Cemetery Board of Trustees. The Cemetery sold shares to raise the capital needed to purchase 70 acres of land in Waterloo Village (now known as Cataraqui Village) and to layout out the Cemetery. Once enough shares and capital were raised, the Cemetery then exchanged the shares for Interment Rights. Families then came to select their plots. As a reform cemetery, Cataraqui was "owned" collectively by the patrons and individuals that had purchased and held interment rights. To this day any person who purchases interment rights at Cataraqui Cemetery becomes a "non-capital share holder" of a historic cemetery partly founded by Sir John A MacDonald and many other historically prominent Kingston men and women. Our not for profit reform cemetery tradition continues without influence of large profit driven corporate shareholders.
It was agreed that the cemetery would be influenced and built to the standards of the new rural and garden concepts of cemeteries found in the large American/British/French cemeteries of Mount Auburn in Boston Massachusetts, Kensal Green in London England, and the inspiration for all, Pere Lachaise in Paris France. Cataraqui was a first of its kind in Canada by predating Confederation and the establishment of Mount Royal and Cotes-de-Neiges Cemeteries in Montreal, Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, and Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto. Cataraqui’s American designer, Fredrick Cornell, was particularly influenced by Mount Auburn and the growing Romantic Movement in America. As such, Cataraqui Cemetery would become Canada’s only rural reform cemetery with a direct link to the premier rural reform garden cemeteries of the time. The rural cemetery style was more than just a cemetery outside of town. The rural element used the natural terrain and embraced the local environment by enhancing the landscape. The design of the cemetery would be organic and flowing as opposed to the rigid geometric block concept that cities were using in their urban planning. Winding roads were laid out using the contours of the hilly terrain. Scenic water courses and ponds were retained with the large mature trees that surrounded them. Cataraqui Cemetery embraced the uniqueness of its chosen locale and life affirming environment.
An editorial in the Daily British Whig of June 2nd, 1853 confirmed that from its inception, Cataraqui Cemetery was seen by Kingstonians as a part of the international rural reform cemetery.
“… a beautiful spot of seventy acres has been purchased… we feel assured that a spot better adapted for a Cemetery could not have been selected, and we rejoice that at last a rural Cemetery is established; and we think… the availableness of the entire ground for purposes of interment or the beauty of the surrounding scenery, that the Cataraqui cemetery will soon compare favourably with other Cemeteries on this continent. ”
If you or any one you know has a passion for history and would like to volunteer time to continue documenting our history, we would be pleased to speak to you.