Community members are welcome to join the Innisfil Historical Society on a trip to Six Lines Cemetery on June 15th
It’s a gorgeous summer day in June, with a gentle breeze and temperatures just below 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and, strangest of all, you check your calendar and realize that nothing – really nothing – is marked on your to-do list.
How can that be? Oh, how hard. In the busy world of volunteering, let’s make the most of this precious day.
What’s a historian to choose? Hmm. Visiting a cemetery might not be your first choice, but they are unique, tranquil places steeped in incredible history, and they’re free to enter.
Walking through the cemetery, one feels a certain sense of awe, maybe a little sadness, but more of gratitude for lives well lived. Of course, there is plenty of evidence of tragedy as well: lives cut short in accidents, the graves of young children infected with diseases prevalent decades ago or even today, sudden and mysterious deaths from unknown illnesses.
Many people have shared with me their fear of cemeteries, they find them somewhat creepy and even spooky places, and to some extent I understand this, but I think that this fear can be overcome by simply taking a 30 minute walk, reading a book or just letting yourself think.
In the 1980s, I conducted a cemetery survey with my seventh-grade history class at Goodfellow Public School. It was early November. Armed with clipboards, pens, and two open-ended question sheets, more than 50 students gathered at St. James Cemetery in Stroud. After two hours of searching, researching, and sketching, many facts and school topics had been covered. Math – Who is the oldest and youngest person buried here? P.E. – How far did you walk back and forth across the 2.5 acres looking for the answer? Art – Sketch the gravestone symbol you found most interesting. Literature – Record two poems or quotes that have influenced you and list five surnames you know.
In debriefing with the group, I can honestly say that this activity has changed the perspective of the 12 and 13 year olds and given them more respect and awareness of the importance of this well-maintained cemetery.
You may be wondering what is the difference between a cemetery and a cemetery. Cemeteries are usually quite small and located near a church. These spaces grew out of necessity as people died. They were not specifically planned, they just expanded where the surroundings and the terrain allowed. This is how the first burials in Stroud took place. We traced them back to two young girls, the Gimby sisters, buried there. It was way back in the early 1840s and very close to where the first wooden church was.
Cemeteries, on the other hand, are pre-planned places: they are designed, the plots are laid out in a grid, and they are usually carefully landscaped with an eye toward natural beauty.
If you want to know more about the story behind Innisfil Cemetery, check out our 2020 Innisfil Review. You’ll find it fascinating as it details Belle Ewart’s Pioneer Protestant Cemetery, created in the 1850s. The cemetery was paid for by sawmill owners. Millions of feet of timber were shipped around the Lake Simcoe area, and with this vibrant industry came death.
On Saturday, June 15, the Innisfil Historical Society will spend part of its Out and About morning at Six Line Cemetery. Established in the 1840s on land donated by the Allan family, the cemetery is home to a beautiful cairn created in 1932 to honour the Dalhousie settlers who left unproductive farms in Lanark County nearly 100 years ago and travelled more than 300 kilometres to settle in Innisfil.
Want to join us? Meet at the southwest corner of the Innisfil YMCA parking lot at 9:30 AM prompt, where a full itinerary will be announced. If you would like to join us, please call 705-436-2578 to register in advance.
