I never thought I would ever visit a cemetery. It is odd to visit a cemetery where no one you know is buried. I hardly saw these sacred places for the dead as a tourist attraction for the living.
I believe the first cemetery tour where I intentionally had us visit was Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls. We had been bitten by the travel bug and discovered that there is a lot to do in the Niagara Region of Ontario. This Drummond Hill was also the first battleground we would visit.
The Battle of Lundy Lane was important in the War of 1812 between the invading Americans and the defending British (future Canadians). Today, it is both a cemetery and a memorial to those who perished in the battle. As we toured the grounds, we learned about the people buried there and the events that unfolded in the battle, and the war. I never thought that a graveyard would be an enjoyable experience.
Slowly, we started to add cemeteries to our travel plans. It was interesting to see the art that marks someone’s burial. It also adds value to our travels when we tour a site about a person and then visit their grave. There is real history in cemeteries. Reading the headstones and seeing someone only live hours or days, we can feel the pain of their trouble. Or when we visit a gravesite of Union, Confederate, American or British/Canadian dead, to know that they died fighting for a cause and they never knew the outcome of their sacrifice, would they think it was worth it?
Most cemeteries are rather standard. Modern grounds limit the size and shape of tombstones, which I believe limits an individual’s final expression of personality. Older sites seem to have more touristic/emotional value. Cities where wealthy individuals live have the grandest monuments. We would tour these to see how they will be remembered.
I recall the poem called “The Dash” that was read at my father-in-law’s funeral. Most headstones, including those of the rich, famous, infamous and powerful, only have a name and that dash between their birthdate and deathdate. If it weren’t for the internet, we would know nothing about why a certain person has such a grand monument, but for most who live ordinary lives, nothing can be found about them. The headstone is the only proof that a person once lived. I see visiting gravesites as a means to remember those who are in danger of being forgotten since family and friends have all since died.
Sad.
Below are some of the cemeteries we have visited. As with places to honour the dead, respect needs to be shown to the site and for those interned.
Drummond Hill/Battle of Lundy Lane – Visited July 14, 2017
Our first cemetery and battlefield. Here we learned the events that shaped people’s lives. We spent far more time at this location than expected as we absorbed all it had to offer.
Webster’s Family Cemetery – Visited August 23, 2017
A small family plot on the site of a long-gone homestead. It is located at a popular waterfall and scenic overlook.
Mohawk Chapel – Visited July 24, 2018
A small church where Joseph Brant is buried. The church can be toured for a small fee.
Ruthven – Indiana Cemetery – Thompson Family/Ruthven Cemetery – Visited August 24, 2019
There are three locations at this site. Ruthven is the mansion at the centre of the grounds which is open for tours. On one side of the mansion is the family cemetery. On the other side is the last remaining remnant of the Town of Indiana, Ontario. The graveyard is all that remains as proof this town existed.
Old St Thomas Church – Visited August 25, 2019
What lured me to this location was the urban legend where there is a witch’s grave. The stone had turned black because of a curse. Of course, this is not true. No church would ever bury a witch on consecrated ground. It is here where I saw a family plot that had only one name on it. Did the family move away? Was there a rift in the family and no one could be buried there? It was something that lingered with me for some time after visiting.
Tiger Dunlop’s Tomb – Visited August 26, 2019
I never heard of this guy but he was well-liked in his day and, today the town lists his final resting place as a tourist attraction. It is in a nice location with a view of the surroundings.
National Military Cemetery – Ottawa, ON – Visited August 30, 2019
This well-kept and maintained cemetery is huge and pays homage to every branch of civil service that a Canadian can do for his country. It is powerful and huge.
The Blue Church – Visited August 31, 2019
The church has been rebuilt a few times but the grounds still contain some of the oldest graves in Ontario. A small stop where it is worth getting out to explore. Many of the stones are hard to read.
Woodland Cemetery – London, ON – Visited various times.
We are big fans of Doors Open Ontario. On this particular day, we did our first cemetery tour. A guide led us through the site stopping a various graves highlighting who was there and what they did in the community. It is fascinating to learn about the people who are buried here. It is also where we learned that deer frequent this cemetery and are rather tame, allowing people to approach. Out of the four times we have been here, we have seen deer three times.
St. Matilda’s Roman Catholic Church and Cemetery – Visited July 24, 2020
There is very little left of the church and the cemetery only had one stone.
Bethel Church Cemetery – Visited July 25, 2020
A former church which is maintained, but no longer has a congregation. This location is out of the way and we just happened on it during our travels in the area.
St Joseph Cemetery – Brantford – Visited August 8, 2020
It is hard to miss this cemetery since it is on a main road. We passed it twice and decided to enter it on the third time when we were touring the city. There are several large and prominent monuments.
Lieu historique national d’Obadjiwan–Fort-Témiscamingue – Visited September 4, 2020
We were deep into the COVID restrictions. It was even illegal to cross provincial borders (which was stupid). So many places were shut down. But I discovered this National Heritage Site which I wish was opened. It offered a unique view of the history of the location and is a place I plan to visit again now that everything is up and running again. At this site is a cemetery, as well as a small forest with bent trees that have spiritual significance to the Indians, and incredibly cool displays of the working of the fort.
Bean Puzzle Tombstone – Visited May 15, 2021
This cemetery is in the middle of nowhere. I imagine most people will pass by this non-descript plot with little notice. But inside this graveyard is a headstone that is a riddle.
Saint-Michel Catholic Parish at Vaudreuil-Dorion – Visited July 16, 2021
I was hoping that the church was open for viewing, but we arrived too late. Instead, we toured the graveyard in the back.
Mount Royal Cemetery – Visited July 16, 2021
During a trip to Montreal, we visited Leonard Cohen’s grave in Mount Royal Cemetery. He is a well-known Canadian music icon but his stone shows nothing of his legacy. This got me thinking; how far into the future will people forget who he is and what he has done? I started to think of The Dash poem again and how so little is on a headstone and so much is represented with the dash.
General Hospital of Quebec Cemetery – Visited July 31, 2021
Outside of the hospital is a gravesite. It is small but full of history. This location holds some of the casualties of The Seven Years’ War.
Fabrique catholique Sainte-Hénédine – Visited August 2, 2021
We were driving in the Quebec countryside when he happened upon this church. It caught our eye and although the doors were closed, we did visit the cemetery located beside it.
St Michaels Roman Catholic Church – Visited January 31, 2022
On a rare trip when my father joined us, we visited the ruins of a church. This is all that is left of a small town that thrived in this area.
Our Lady Of Fatima Shrine – Visited April 29, 2022
We visited this location during our first-ever tour of the USA. The draw to this place was the statuary and the shrine, but there was also a cemetery for the priests who served there.
Holy Cross Cemetery – Visited April 30, 2022
This large cemetery has many prominent monuments. It is located by Our Lady of Victory National Shire and Basilica. Both are beautiful to tour.
Mount Hope Cemetery – Rochester – Visited May 21, 2022
There is a lot of history and historical figures in the cemetery. Tours are offered. A beautiful setting among mature trees.
Military Cemetery – Sackets Harbor – Visited June 11, 2022
My entire view of the United States changed on this trip. A Sackets Harbor is an 1812 battle site where the British/Canadians attacked the harbor to sink the ships. I had always viewed the Americans as aggressors and doing our tour of the battleground and the museum, I learned that the civilians, soldiers and everyone else experienced the same affects and effects of warfare. Whether your government is the invader or the defender, people suffer on both sides. Logically, I knew this but it only affected me emotionally at this location. I felt weird being from the “wrong” side in this battle. We would visit the site where some of the war dead are buried.
Historic Woodlawn Cemetery – Toledo, OH – Visited July 31, 2022
I was thoroughly impressed with the Toledo area when we were travelling through one summer week. We visited this historic cemetery where there is more than one interesting mausoleum.
Lake View Cemetery – Jamestown – Visited August 26, 2022
This cemetery housed two monuments that we wanted to visit. The first was Lucille Ball. I grew up watching I Love Lucy and we visited a museum in this city before visiting her final resting place. But there was another gravesite which has sparked various urban myths. Called The Lady In Glass, there is a large, life-sized statue of Grave Galloway. Depending on who you talk to, she died on her wedding night, or it was during her prom, or on a ship. All these stories have a tragic ending and all of them are not true. Even the reason why the statue is encased in glass because it would wander at night obviously is not true. The truth is she caught a case of tuberculosis and eventually died. The dress she is wearing in the statue is simply her graduation dress.
St. George’s Anglican Church – Georgina, ON – Visited September 11, 2022
We came to this location to view the church. According to the information I had read in my research, the church was going to be open for tours on the day we arrived and it housed the oldest stained glass windows in the country. Sadly, it was not open but we did tour the graveyard where Stephen Leacock is buried. A beautiful and well-maintained cemetery. Rather small, though.
Brick Street Pioneer Historic Cemetery – London, ON – Visited September 17, 2022
This site was part of a Doors Open London tour. I love these events and now gravitate to a cemetery tour. These tours are the only way to learn about the people who once lived in this area. At this site, there were various write-ups on those interned and on the meaning of the symbols on many of the headstones.
Windsor Grove Cemetery – Visited September 25, 2022
This location was also featured in a Doors Open event, but this time in Windsor. Instead of write-ups, we joined a large group of people and did a walking tour of the grounds.
Orangeville Greenwood Cemetery and Forest Lawn Cemetery – Visited multiple times.
These cemeteries are on either side of Orangeville, where we live. Forest Lawn holds Orangeville’s first murder victims and caused a real test of the new Young Offender Act which was introduced to Canadian law before this event. Greenwood holds the final resting place of many of my wife’s relatives. Both are beautiful sites and are well-maintained.
Trinity Church – NYC – Visited December 27, 2022
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery – Visited December 28, 2022
Sleepy Hollow is the setting for the great American literary work The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The cemetery that is located in this town is one of the best to visit. There are a large number of wealthy, historical figures buried here and their gravesites are designed to impress.
Old Durham Road Cemetery – Visited June 18, 2023
This old cemetery which hadn’t been used for decades was in danger of being lost and overgrown. Today, those who are buried here have had some of the headstones repaired and are still honoured for being pioneers of this land of ours.
Kapuskasing Internment Cemetery/Camp – Visited July 1, 2023
This site was a complete shock for us and is a disgrace to our nation. We stumbled upon it entirely by accident. We would turn around and take the time to visit it.
Hillside Cemetery and other – Dawson City – Visited July 14, 2023
This is an interesting cemetery. It helps to visit the various museums in Dawson City to learn about the significance of some of the buried here. It is relatively small, but full of history. Some of the headstones are made of wood, and some of the graves have small fences around them. There are several themed sections.
Yukon Order of Pioneers 8th Avenue Cemetery – Visited July 16, 2023
There is an entry sign that says YOOP. It will be the last Yukon cemetery we would visit. Small and also containing wooden headstones.
Eklutna Historical Park – Visited July 19, 2023
A unique cemetery in Alaska. Over each grave is a “house.” Some of these houses are well-maintained, but many are showing signs of age and decay.
Cassiar Cemetery – Visited July 22, 2023
Another small, roadside cemetery. It is clearly located in a poorer region with wooden crosses, instead of more permanent stones. Still, those buried here are remembered and visited because there is memorabilia still being left on many of the markers.
Mount Moriah Cemetery – Deadwood, SD – Visited August 3, 2022
This was the first cemetery we visited that charged a small admission fee. Here are the final resting places of many famous Western legends, including Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane.
Lake View Cemetery – Cleveland, OH – Visited multiple times.
Many of Cleveland’s elite are buried here and some of the grave markers are impressive. A president is buried here in a large memorial which is open for tours and there is a chapel that also offers tours. As with most prominent cemeteries, some sites have interesting urban myths connected to them, like the Haserot Angel. It is said that some have witnessed it crying and these tears have stained the angel. We looked at it and questioned the validity of what others have said. I would love to slowly walk through this cemetery someday, just to see the incredible variety others have shown to honour their departed loved ones.
Mumma Farm and Cemetery – Visited March 9, 2024
This small family plot is located in Antietam National Battlefield. The stones in this cemetery are rather old and many are impossible to read, and its location is now a site of a national tragedy where more Americans lost their lives than anywhere else in history – all in one day during the Civil War. Not too far from this location are Mountain View Cemetery and Antietam National Cemetery where many who died in this battle are buried. It is sad to see the number of gravesites and also to know that this is only a portion of those who lost their lives.
Bruton Parish Episcopal Church – Visited March 10, 2024
This church is located in the expansive Colonial Williamsburg. At Colonial Williamsburg are a large number of heritage homes that have been brought to this site to preserve the early years of the United States of America. The only way to get all out of this location is to spend much of a week and to come throughout the year to see all the various events which are held at different locations. At this church is a small graveyard with some notable means of marking the spot of the now deceased.
Yorktown National Cemetery – Visited March 11, 2024
This is another important battleground in American history. Here the Revolutionary War was won and at the cemetery are some of those who died and were buried on this sacred American ground. Across the road is Shiloh Cemetery where locals would bury their dead.
Fort Monroe Pet Cemetery – Visited March 14, 2024
This location was the first time we ever visited a pet cemetery. Maybe blame Stephen King and his novel, Pet Cemetery and the movie that followed, for me avoiding these areas to remember lost pets, but we came here because of where it is situated. The pet cemetery is along the fortifications of Fort Monroe, an important outpost that defended the river during the Civil War. To view the various monuments for these family pets, walk up onto the outer walls of the fort. Burying a pet in this location is now forbidden, but I can see it still happening on occasion.
Johnny Appleseed Grave – Visited March 29, 2024
I had no idea that Johnny Appleseed was a real person. I thought he was a creation of legend and lore. Seeing his grave enlightened me to the details about his life that I thought were just childhood bedtime stories.
Lindenwood Cemetery – Visited March 29, 2024
This large cemetery in Fort Wayne, IN is home to many locally famous people. What drew me to this location were the mausoleums.
Union Cemetery – Oshawa, ON – Visited May 4, 2024
This cemetery was part of the Doors Open Oshawa event. It included a tour guide who took us around to the various locations and talked about notable people. I will always recommend an official tour of some sort, be it a guide or a booklet. This helps with connecting to those who have lived and died and an opportunity to learn about local history.
St. John’s Anglican Church – Ancaster, ON – Visited May 5, 2024
Hamilton has one of the best Doors Open events in the province. Churches are often featured. Here we listened to the choir perform, learned about the history of this church and toured the cemetery that surrounds this place of worship. Around the corner was St Andrews Presbyterian Church which was also part of Doors Open. It too had a cemetery and included a leaflet on notable sites.
Richmond Hill Presbyterian Cemetery – Visited May 11, 2024
This was another Doors Open site. Information was given on select individuals and it did add value to the visit.
Cimetière L’Islet-sur-Mer – Visited July 7, 2024
On our way to New Brunswick, we took the scenic route through Quebec. We stopped to view a church and its cemetery. At this location, on some of the headstones were yellow stickers. The groundskeeper left contact information for the family of the deceased to call them. We have never seen this at any other cemetery and some of the contact requests were years old. It was not obvious for many of the headstones, which is why there was some problem with the gravesite.
Cavendish Cemetery – Visited July 11, 2024
What brought us to this cemetery was the gravesite of Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of the Anne of Green Gables series. Considering the massive impact she had on Canadian literature and identity, her final resting place was disappointing.
The Auld Cemetery – Visited July 14, 2024
When planning my trip for the summer of ’24’s trip, I included time to learn about a larger-than-life Nova Scotian giant. First, we visited his home where relatives of this man gave us a tour of his things and a bit of his life. Both of these relatives were just children, the oldest was maybe 14 and she gave a great tour. It was interesting to learn the challenges of being a giant, including every item of furniture and clothing had to be custom built. Naturally, Angus Macaskill did not live forever and he was buried in a plot that matched his size.
Melvin Cemetery – Fundy Trail Parkway – Visited July 17, 2024
This cemetery became overgrown when it was forgotten. When the Fundy Trail Parkway was constructed, the cemetery was revitalized and is included as a point of interest for those driving through this incredible scenic location. Many of the markers are wooden crosses with the names of those long erased due to time.
The Burying Point – Visited July 22, 2024
This cemetery is a major tourist attraction in Salem, MA. When we visited, there was a large crowd passing their way through it. Located throughout the cemetery are guides whose primary job is to make sure no one strays from the path and can also answer questions. Here we learned that some of the family plots are twelve people deep, or even 30 deep. Deep? I asked. Apparently, it was standard practice to layer their dead on top of one another. I was confused about how this would be accomplished and the guide did not have an answer. It was an interesting cemetery because of its age and because of the infamy of the Salem Witch Trials.
Kinderhook Cemetery – Visited July 24, 2024
We visited Martin Van Buren National Historic Site on our summer trip as we were driving home. He was president and this historic site was his home. We learned from the tour how he invited commoners into his home and he was very approachable. At Kinderhook Cemetery, he was buried. Although his headstone is much grander than those he shares in that cemetery, for a presidential burial site, it is rather lacklustre. Other presidents, like Garfield who is buried in Cleveland, have massive memorials, and yet this one did not seem appropriate for the office for which Van Buren held.
Lakeview Cemetery – Penn Yan, NY – Visited July 25, 2024
There is a legend of a haunted headstone – The Lady In Granite. It took an incredible amount of imagination to see the figure in the stone.
Cataraqui Cemetery – Visited August 3, 2024
Since so many historical figures are now being vilified, I wondered if the gravesite of Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald, would still be there. It was, as well as other historic people. This cemetery has many older burials mixed in with newer ones.
LaRue Mills Cemetery – Visited August 3, 2024
Of all the cemeteries we have visited, this one is the saddest. A family plot that is so easily ignored by the trail that passes it and the trees that hide it. Here lies buried the LaRue family. William LaRue settled this area and built a grist mill, which encouraged more people to settle here. He was respected in this community and was fortunate to have a large family. That is until tragedy struck and again and again and again. Buried with him and his wife are six of his nine children. These six died young and for various, awful reasons. Life kept dealing this family sorrow. I believe only one of his children outlived him.
St. Patrick Parish – St. Lucan, ON – Visited October 19, 2024
This was the location of the burial site of the infamous Donnelly family. They were massacred by members of this church. It is truly an interesting period in Canadian history but the tour that we went on was nothing short of disappointing.
Woodlawn Cemetery and Arboretum – Dayton, ON – Visited November 23, 2024
This cemetery houses the gravesites of the Wright Brothers. Our trip to this region was themed about the discovery of powered flight. It was only natural to visit this cemetery. This is a beautiful cemetery and has one headstone that is cherished by visitors – Boy and Dog Grave.
Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery – Visited February 15, 2025
The theme of this trip was all about Chicago crime. It would only be natural for us to visit the gravesite of one of the most notorious gangsters, Al Capone.
Burr Oak Cemetery – Visited February 15, 2025
Entering this cemetery, it looks like most places of memorial. There are no big WOW monuments or graves of famous people. One would easily pass this location if it were not for the gravesite of a victim of racism. Near the centre of Burr Oak is one headstone that will likely have flowers, balloons and other ornamentation. It is the grave of Emmett Till. When we were visiting the Chicago Museum, there was an entire section devoted to how and why Emmett Till was buried at a young age. While visiting relatives in the South, he was accused of calling a white woman pretty. The only problem was he was a black boy and where he was, nobody of colour was going to say something as offensive to a white person as saying she is pretty. He was found, tortured, and ultimately murdered. His killers were found and because justice in the racist South did not exist for blacks, the killers who were white, were set free. Some even considered them to be heroes.
Andrew Jackson Hermitage – Visited March 12, 2025
Originally, I had no idea this place was anywhere near the places we were visiting when we were on our March Break – Trying Not To Freeze To Death trip. We were running ahead of schedule and I spotted an advertisement for this heritage site so I added it to our day. We had two hours to explore the grounds and mansion. I honestly wished we had four hours because that would have been the proper amount of time to learn about an American president and someone who managed to achieve the American dream. On the grounds, in the garden actually, is the final resting place of the President, his wife and many family members. Andrew Jackson had many slaves throughout his career as President and as a businessman growing a variety of crops and other ventures. The slave cemetery was recently discovered and is viewable behind a fence.
Mount Gilead Cemetery – Sparta, TN – Visited March 13, 2025
Located in a heavily farmed area of Tennessee, this unique cemetery caused some concern for my wife. We love visiting these places but she was almost refusing to get out of the car. There was a spooky feel to the site and she was expecting a zombie hand to pop out of one of the graves. We have never seen this style of burial and many of these are from the Revolutionary period in American history. This destination was part of our March Break 2025 trip.
- You can find the location to all of these featured in this article in All The Places We Have Been map.
- Always show respect at a cemetery. These were real people, who lived their lives and may still have family coming to visit.
