Old Tombstones, Garrison Cemetery, Annapolis Royal, N.S.
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Canada’s oldest formal cemetery is Garrison Cemetery, which is situated adjacent to historic Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. While Garrison Cemetery is not as large as the nearly-as-old eighteenth-century burial grounds in Halifax, the setting — amidst the rolling hills of the Fort’s grounds and the sweeping Annapolis River close by — is especially picturesque. Given that Annapolis Royal served as both the capital of Acadia and later as the first capital of Nova Scotia, the well-worn tombstones on the cemetery grounds are quite old indeed, as attested by the protective marker frames in several of the pictures below from a trip last Fall. (Click any image to enlarge)
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Reblogged this on Roots to the Past.
These are good images.
🙂
I love old cemeteries. How old were the dates on these gravestones? I love the pictures, you captured the ambiance very well.
Darlene, me too! The oldest gravestone records a 1720 death, with dates thereafter ranging into the late 1800s.
I’ve been to the fort and cemetery a few times. It is beautiful there. I’ve been there in the summer only, so I’ve never seen the protection over the stones. The stone support for the walkway in the fort is the picture on the cover of my fantasy novel.
Diane, yes, very beautiful! Sounds like a wonderful picture for the cover of a novel!
The pictures are beautiful, Brett. I like the history associated with the area.
Karen, thanks. It’s a wonderfully historic place!
So beautiful and solemn. The green of the grass is so vivid in your photos.
Brenda
Brenda, one of the things I like about such old cemeteries is that they are serene places for reflection and to consider our connectedness to one another, both those who have gone before us and those with us in the present. Bst, Brett
I very much agree, and these old cemeteries remind me of how resilient people were in those days and give me a different perspective of some of the little challenges I encounter.
I love old cemeteries, too–so peaceful and thought-provoking. This looks like a wonderful place–your photos are lovely!
Kerry, thanks!
I am especially moved by the one marker that says “mother” – a truth for all of us. I’d be curious about the covered and protected markers – are they having restoration?
I agree — such markings are moving and hey catch my attention as well. There’s a gravestone from another cemetery with a “Mother” engraving that is especially poignant that I plan to post on Mother’s Day.
My understanding is that several of the particularly fragile old headstones are being restored or re-secured and being protected from the weather in the meantime.
What a beautiful incredible share… hope u don’t mind but shared with facebook, myspace and twitter friends… gorgeous… thank u Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 11:03:53 +0000 To: tarrantcanada@msn.com
Glad you enjoyed and thanks for your kind words!
ur site is just awesome…
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Beautiful pictures!! We are doing genealogy and wondering if you’d happen to know if there is perhaps a list of names somewhere of people buried here?
Thanks. There are several resources for the names of those buried. Here is a link to one such list: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nsannapo/cemeteries/annapolis_royal_garrison.html
Good luck with your research!