The cemetery occupies approximately 6 hectares (15 acres) of land accessed by beautifully treed service corridors that provide excellent strolling lanes past approximately 11,715 gravesites of Nelson’s most prominent and earliest citizens.
For many years the population within this necropolis has exceeded that of the city it serves.
All individuals interred in the cemetery contributed in some way to the development of the city’s character and charm.
History:
From the beginning in 1898 the Nelson cemetery was surveyed into different plots: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Chinese, and General (no affiliation), later followed by Knights of Pythias, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F.), Masons, Soldiers, etc.
Upright, elaborate monuments this early era gave way to the manicured lawns and almost invisible horizontal memorials of the mid–twentieth century. Therefore, the layout, design, symbolism of markers and choice of epitaphs reflect the changing customs and attitudes of a developing society. Note that, in keeping with a medieval Christian practice, the majority of graves and gravestones face eastward so that the deceased would view the rising sun on Resurrection Day.
The first funeral held in Nelson was for A. Bart Henderson who probably died in early 1889 and was buried near Baker and Falls Streets on the western fringe of the downtown district. To extend Baker Street westward to the railway station, the provincial government allocated $48.00 in 1893 to remove and transfer three bodies from this first graveyard to Nelson’s second burial ground situated just east of the town in the vicinity of the current City Tourist Park on High Street.
For a permanent cemetery site, 16 hectares (40 acres) of land just south of Nelson was purchased from the Columbia & Kootenay Railway Company, a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway. By the end of 1898, all bodies were removed from High Street and transferred to the present cemetery using the horse–drawn Resurrection Wagon.
WAR VETERANS
Military plots consist of uniform gravestones arranged in regulated rows where individual identity is surrendered to the larger national cause. Unfortunately many young Canadian servicemen buried in Nelson survived the war but lost their battle against tuberculosis.
During The Second World War, 73 young men from the Nelson district lost their lives and most of them were buried on foreign soil. Double tragedy devastated the Gray family when Flight Sergeant John (Jack) Balfour Jr. was the first Nelson casualty in 1942 and his older brother Lt. Robert Hampton (Hammy) was the last Canadian serviceman to be killed in action when his navy aircraft was shot down by Japanese warships at Onagawa Bay on 9 August 1945.
He posthumously received the Victoria Cross, the British Commonwealth’s highest honour for valour. The ultimate sacrifice made by these servicemen who fought for freedom and democracy should never be forgotten.
Nelson Memorial Cemetery also has a Mausoleum located on the left toward the back of the cemetery. You will need to stay on the road that you entered the cemetery.
Nelson Memorial Cemetery: (
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