It’s the last remaining “poor house” cemetery in Canada and on June 27 the newly-refurbished grounds officially opened under some pomp and pageantry that would never have been afforded to the 271 people buried there from 1887 to 1946.
Known as the “poor house cemetery” and located just east of the Wellington County Museum and Archives off Wellington Road 18, the piece of property, nestled in a grove of spruce trees, has seen new trails through it, along with exhibit boards with histories and names of those buried there. It became a burial ground for the less fortunate people who lived and worked at the nearby poor house operated by Wellington County.
The exhibit work has been several years in the planning by county museum staff, under the auspices of museum administrator Janice Hindley and exhibit curator Susan Dunlop. About 150 people attended the exhibit opening on June 27.
County Councillor Mark MacKenzie, chairman of the museum committee, said the work “pays tribute to those less fortunate” and was done to coincide with Canada Day.
“They will not be forgotten,” MacKenzie said.
Warden Chris White said the cemetery located close to the museum and nearby Elora Cataract Trailway ties past and present together.
“This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this,” White said of the refurbished site and cemetery. “When you have responsibility for a cemetery, it’s important it’s maintained. I’m proud of what the county is doing. It’s these kinds of historical features that breathe life into these lands.”
Welllington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott paid tribute to those buried at the cemetery, who ranged in age from six months to 106 when they died.
“We are here to recognize and remember the lives of some 271 County of Wellington residents who called the House of Industry and Refuge their home,” Arnott said. “None of them ever won a gold medal at the Olympics or a Nobel Prize; none would have been professionals; none were well educated, few would have been skilled in any trade. None would have achieved any kind of material success, that our western society seems so fixated on today.”
“They lived here because they had nothing, and had nowhere else to go,” the MPP said. “They lived here, some of them rejected and abandoned by their families.
“They lived here, fortunate enough to be cared for and supported by staff of the County of Wellington. They lived here, and their dignity and worth as human beings were recognized. The County of Wellington showed compassion, putting a roof over their heads and fed the indigent, demonstrating a kind of empathy that was rare in late 19th and early 20th century Canada.”
Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece thanked museum staff for the work done in preserving the cemetery and documenting the stories of their lives.
“The exhibit tells the fascinating story of the men, women and children who are buried here,” Pettapiece said. “The is an interesting piece of Wellington County history.”
Raymond Soucy, chairman of the trailway association, said his group sees the benefit of the cemetery and its proximity to the trail.
“This historic site has enhanced our trail network,” he said.
A reception was held at the museum following the opening ribbon cutting.
