The first burial in the Old Burying Ground took place on June 22, 1749. Halifax's first burial ground, it accepted over 12,000 burials by the time of its closing in 1844. The oldest existing stone, from 1752, marks the grave of Malachi Salter Jr, the 2-year old son of a prominent Halifax merchant. The cemetery was allowed to deteriorate for many decades until a restoration initiative took place in the 1980s.
Today well maintained, due to its age and the notables buried within, the burying ground, as well as the Welsford-Parker Monument at the entrance, have become
Tourist attractions. The Welsford-Parker Monument is a large stone
Triumphal Arch just inside the Barrington Street entrance. Dedicated on July 17, 1860, this monument was erected to remember Major Augustus Welsford of the 97th Regiment, and Captain William Parker of the 77th Regiment, two Nova Scotians who fought for the British during the Crimean War and died on September 8, 1855 at the storming of the Redan fortification at Sebastopol.
The Old Burying Ground was formally declared a Municipal Heritage site in 1986, a
Provincial Heritage Property in 1988, and a
National Historic Site in 199, the
first graveyard in Canada to receive such a designation.
The Cemetery is the final resting place of many notable persons. Most notable would almost certainly be the man who
Burned the White House, Major-General Robert Ross, commander of the British troops which were sent to America in 1814 to relieve the military pressure on Canada in the War of 1812. Following his victory at Washington he was killed by a sniper's bullet on September 12, 1814 while entering Baltimore.
In this common burial ground lie many of the first citizens of Halifax, their descendants, and men of the British Army and the Royal Navy who were stationed here. First opened in 1749, the year Halifax was founded, it was used until 1844. During that period, over 12,000 men, women and children were buried here; fewer than 10% of their graves are marked.
The graveyard was granted to St Paul's in 1793 and the church has maintained it ever since. Unfortunately, natural elements and vandalism took their toll and by the mid 1880s the site required extensive work. Public and private funds were sought by the Burying Ground Foundation. A complete record was made of the site (1984), a landscape plan implemented and tilted stones reset (1990-91).
From the Old Burying Ground Plaque
Old Burying Ground
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Old Burying Ground was established within days of the founding of Halifax in 1749. It is located directly across from Government House, Saint Mary's Basilica, Saint Matthew's Church, and is adjacent to both the Old Court House and the Sexton Campus of Dalhousie University. It is at the corner of the two busiest shopping streets in Nova Scotia - Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road. The cemetery, monument and property are located in the provincial designation.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Old Burying Ground is valued for its close association with the founding of Halifax and for its age.
The Old Burying Ground was established within days of the founding of Halifax in 1749. The first burial was on June 22, 1749, the day after Governor Edward Cornwallis and the first settlers arrived. For nearly one-hundred years after, it was the principal burial ground for the city. Today 1200 headstones remain. As an eighteenth century graveyard, it is among the few still preserved on the North American continent and among the oldest cemeteries in the province.
The site contains excellent examples of the work of early gravestone carvers and some of the earliest native carved headstones. The beautiful "Adam & Eve" stone carved by James Hay in 1775, a memorial to Mary Bulkeley, wife of Richard Bulkeley the first Provincial Secretary who came to Canada with Cornwallis, is one of the finest examples of early gravestone art in Canada.
Framing the entrance to the Old Burying Ground is the large and impressive Sebastopol Monument. It was erected in 1860, built by public subscription and a provincial grant to commemorate the memory of Nova Scotians killed during the Crimean War, including Major A.F. Welsford and Captain W. Parker. These two men fought at the storming of the Redan and perished in the battle. It was constructed by mason George Lang of freestone from Albert County, New Brunswick. Lang designed it as a triumphal Roman arch surmounted by a British Lion, with the name of the battle – Sebastopol - and the fallen soldiers engraved in it.
The entire cemetery is surrounded by an historic ironstone wall topped by a cast iron fence. Large, mature trees give the graveyard a peaceful, park-like appearance. While the last burial took place in 1842, the cemetery remains open in the summer as a historic site.
From Historic Places Canada