Cataraqui Cemetery


Cataraqui Cemetery is a cemetery located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1850, it predates Canadian Confederation, and continues as an active burial ground. The cemetery is 91-acres in a rural setting with rolling wooded terrain, ponds and watercourses. More than 46,000 individuals are interred within the grounds, and it is the final resting place of many prominent Canadians, including the burial site of Canada's first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald. The Macdonald family gravesite, and the cemetery itself, are both designated as National Historic Sites of Canada.

History

The cemetery charter was created during a special act of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada on August 10, 1850. The Cataraqui Cemetery was incorporated as a not-for-profit, non-denominational, and public resting place. Sir Alexander Campbell served as the first president. Architect Frederick Cornell designed the cemetery landscape. Interments increased quickly when the City of Kingston passed a by-law in 1864, preventing burials within the city limits. The gravesite of Sir John A. Macdonald and family plot, were recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada on May 19, 1938. Cataraqui Cemetery as a whole was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada on July 19, 2011.

Notable interments

Cataraqui Cemetery is the final resting place for many notable persons including; politicians, businessmen, humanitarians, and authors. The cemetery contains the war graves of 61 service personnel from World War I, and 84 from World War II. Queen's University owns a section that is reserved for interring the remains of those who dedicate their bodies to education and research.