Weathered Tombstone, Old Loyalist Burial Grounds, Saint John, N.B.
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Cemeteries are places of transcendent reverence, contemplation and connectedness. I’m particularly moved by final resting grounds that are situated in locations that cause them to be part of a people’s day-to-day lives. One of the best and most visually gorgeous of these is the very old Loyalist Burial Grounds in Saint John, New Brunswick, which, like Halifax’s Old Burying Ground, is in the heart of the city’s downtown core. These pictures from a recent trip on a brisk November morning makes clear that the majestic tombstones dating to as early as 1783 are very much a part of the urban environment built up around them. With its winding walkways, inviting benches and vast shade trees, the Loyalist Burial Grounds is as much a frequented park space as it is a place for memory and serves as a peaceful oasis amidst the surrounding hustle and bustle.
O' Canada 
Beautiful photographs! I lived there many years ago and remember the awe that came over me when I visited the cemeteries. Thanks for the walk down memory lane!
Thanks!
Great post, the photos are vary crisp and sharp and a beautiful insight in your words
Thanks so much!
Reverence does not begin to describe what I feel when I see these historic pictures of solitude and peace. I don’t know why but it only instills in me even more my belief that “life does go on.”
Thank you for reminding me.
Deborah, I very much agree with your observation about life going on.
Thank you, Brett.
Really enjoying your posts on NB!
Thanks! New Brunswick is an amazingly beautiful province! I look forward to exploring more of it.
Wonderful photographs. I love old cemeteries and visit them whenever we travel. I hope to visit this one some day. I included one from the Isle of Wight in my latest book, Amanda in England.
Darlene, thanks for the comments and glad we share this interest!
Best, Brett
I love old cemeteries and, you’re right, the ones right in the middle of a city or town hold something special. Boston has some very old burial grounds in the heart of the city–so evocative.
Kerry, thanks. Glad you pointed out Boston’s old cemetery — not many U.S. cities have such a place in the urban core.
Reblogged this on Roots to the Past.
Thanks, Diane!
Lovely shots. It looks like a very peaceful place.
Norma, thanks for your comments!
I believe graveyards have a very special beauty…lovely photos…
Sue, I’m with you!
Cemetery, I love cemeteries. A place for the living to remember the dead. Great shots, Brett
Seeker, thanks!
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Appreciated seeing the photographs in the old burying grounds in Annapolis and Halifax. You might check out the stones at St. Edwards Church in Clementsport- many of which are of Dutch American Loyalists, and some of Hessians who settled in that area.
Thanks for this terrific suggestion!
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The Loyalists were an important part of New Brunswick’s, as well as Canada’s history. Thank you for these beautiful pictures.
Deborah, thanks for your comment. 🙂