3 Jan 2022

Union Cemetery, Calgary

by | Posted in: Alberta, Cemetery, Protestant | 0

Denomination Protestant

Established 1890

Union Cemetery is the oldest burial ground in Calgary. Many of the founders and early pioneers of Calgary and district are buried here.

When Union Cemetery was established in 1891, the cost of a single plot was five dollars, a double plot was ten dollars, and the charge for digging and closing was two dollars. These were significant amounts at the time – especially since the new burial ground could hardly be called convenient. Since no bridge existed over the Elbow River, funeral carriages had to lurch up and down steep banks and slosh through fairly deep and hazardous water. Pedestrian mourners had to wait till a ferryman rowed them over, a few at a time. And don’t forget that Calgary’s weather was as unpredictable then as it is today – something that was eventually recognized in 1909, when a mortuary chapel was built to store sealed coffins for the winter.

https://www.calgary.ca/csps/parks/cemeteries/union-cemetery.html

Erlton St & 32 Ave SW,

Calgary, AB T2C 4H3

Follow Stephanie Allen:

I learned my love of “spirit walking” from my Mother, Barbara Ann Scott. My Mum was an avid genealogist who spent many days in cemeteries in Ontario, Quebec and Scotland. I joined my Mother on many of these research visits and found that I was really moved by some of the inscriptions, the dates and trends. I realized that much could be learned about the local history of an area by examining the cemeteries. I have continued to be inspired to visit cemeteries in communities even if I don’t know anyone who is interred there. I have stumbled upon former Canadian Prime Ministers, artists and athletes. I have also discovered many small communities and vanished villages near and far from home. This web site is about acknowledging the many great Canadians who shaped the Canada I know.

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