Tombstone Tourism: Decoration Day at Vinings

September 1 is Decoration Day at Vinings Cemetery, Concession 5, West Nissouri (or 22157 Purple Hill Road, Township of Thames Centre). So, when a friend decided to visit the graves of relatives who farmed nearby, I went for the ride, of course. After all, you never know who you'll find resting in one of these idyllic country graveyards. 

It's called Vinings after an early pioneer family. One Rev. Salmon Vining donated the land for the burial site, the first grave being that of his son Joseph, who died in 1855 at the age of 16 of typhoid fever. However, there's also the grave of one William Garner who died in 1837. Presumably, William was buried elsewhere and his body was re-interred at Vinings later:

Today, this is an attractive, well-cared for, Vining-filled burial ground, but it hasn't always appeared that way. In 1921, one Joseph Vining called a public meeting to deal with the "dreary desolation of long grass and berry bushes that were engulfing the stones." An army of volunteers answered his call, donating one day per week for a month to tidy the cemetery. Then a caretaker was hired, plotholders being charged $2 per plot to pay his salary. But guess what? Hardly any families paid up. Eventually, Joseph Vining's estate provided money for a perpetual care fund.* Today's trustees receive (some) money from the township. 

After World War I, the cemetery board of the period offered land at Vinings for a veterans' monument. However, West Nissouri Council opted to place the monument in nearby Thorndale for better visibility. Not that there aren't military graves at Vinings itself:

Sergeant Leonard Salter, 3rd Bn., Canadian Infantry, d. June 10, 1920, age 34.  Born in 1887 in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, to Thomas and Clara Salter, he died of pneumonia.

Wilbur Douglas Kennedy, Gunner in the Royal Canadian Artillery, d. Aug. 14, 1943 at age 23. Born in 1920 to Wilbur and Edna Kennedy, he died in Montreal following a mastoid operation.
Note the broken gravestone next to his, possibly damaged by a lawnmower. A common sight in pioneer burial grounds, broken markers usually remain unrepaired or unreplaced unless family steps in. 

Lieut. Roy L. Vining of the Canadian Machine Gun Corps, d. Dec. 19, 1918, aged 31. A son of Joseph Vining and Emma Lindley, he died of pneumonia at Guelph. 

All three men are remembered in the war memorial in Thorndale, one side of which has the additional names from World War II.

This cemetery has been expanded from its original size, an additional third of an acre being purchased in 1934. The attractive wrought iron sign was added in 1967, one of many Canadian Centennial projects across country. History in those days was important to Canadians and worth spending money on. 

Decoration Day services began at Vinings on the first Sunday of September, 1923 with 500 people in attendance. Decoration Day in 2024 had fewer than 50 and there's no service anymore. Instead, trustees held a "drop-in" event with a visitors' sign-in book. Folks came and left flowers at relatives' graves:

A word about cemetery expenses. The tree below will have to be taken down soon since it's hollow and in danger of falling, possibly damaging nearby graves. The cost will be exorbitant; perhaps some kind fairy godmother will wave her magic wand and donate the funds? 

Metal thieves stole an earlier version of this gate a few years back. This is an expensive replacement:

The way things cost these days, it's no wonder there's so many decayed rural cemeteries. Vinings is fortunate to have so many concerned local individuals to look after it and it remains one of the most attractive burial grounds near London. 

*Details from J. J. Leverton (ed.), West Nissouri Township 1818-2000. Our Heritage. Volume One, pp. 181-2.

Adaptive Reuse in Carlisle, North Middlesex

 

The Presbyterian Church Heritage Centre (PCHC) is moving into Carlisle United Church, in the hamlet of Carlisle, near Ailsa Craig in Middlesex County.*

Formerly the National Presbyterian Museum, the PCHC was located in St. John's Presbyterian, Toronto, from 2002 to 2021. But that church is currently being renovated into condominiums, forcing the Heritage Centre to find a new home. The new location will be this quaint country church built in 1879. 

Like many congregations, the Carlisle church started out in an earlier building. Carlisle Presbyterian Church was founded in 1858 in a more primitive structure, replaced as soon as funds became available. The congregation joined the United Church of Canada in 1925.

But recently, like many rural congregations in the 21st century, Carlisle United has been struggling. With 19 members left in the congregation, continued use of the building was becoming impossible. Having the PCHC move in has brought new life to these folks, even though they've had to worship in the church basement. The former upstairs sanctuary will be renovated into an exhibit hall. 

Temporary basement sanctuary

The move of the PCHC hasn't been easy or cheap. A fundraising campaign was necessary to increase the load-bearing capacity of the Carlisle church's sanctuary floor from 40 lbs. per sq. ft. to 100 lbs. per sq. ft. This involved removing the ceiling in the downstairs hall so the contractors could add the necessary reinforcement joists. But the pandemic allowed the necessary work to proceed easily, since there was no weekly worship service. 

The renovated building will include a replica chapel of the 1850s, an enlarged version of what was in the earlier museum in Toronto. Accommodating about 30 people, the replica can be used by the Carlisle congregation and for occasional weddings. The only condition is that, when visitors tour, it will be necessary to hide the church's large electronic organ. After all, no instrument of any kind was present in the strict services of yesteryear. So the plans will have to include a method of disguising that organ.

Additionally, thanks to the PCHC moving in, the church building will have a few mod cons it's never had before: air conditioning, a security system, and a phone, for the first time in its 164 year history!

Pews are currently stored in the future site of a replica pioneer sanctuary. 

Magnificent memorial windows in what will become the upstairs exhibit hall. 

The PCHC is not scheduled to open until 2024. But I have a question already. Where will visitors stay overnight or eat? Carlisle is a bit off the beaten track.  

Victoria Inn. Note Middlesex Heritage Trail sign out front. 

What I'd like to see is the old Victoria Inn, also in Carlisle, become a B&B to accommodate visitors to the PCHC. Built in 1855 by Joseph and William Haskett, this example of an early Ontario inn once featured a verandah across the front, complete with hitching posts for horses. The building has never had running water, central heating, hydro, or phone. A building more authentic than this you simply can't get. 

New owners are renovating the interior. ( I don't encourage trespassing but when a building is this close to the road it's hard to resist peaking through the windows.) I haven't heard they're planning a B&B. They probably aren't. But I can't help thinking what a fine heritage inn this would make. 

Who knows? With enough attractions this "ghost town" might be back on the map. Carlisle was one of the most important villages in north Middlesex in pioneer days, with a population of 200 or more. Settler George Shipley of Carlisle, England, named it after his home town. Building a dam across nearby Linn Creek, Shipley soon constructed a flour mill and other businesses were quick to follow. When a post office opened in 1853, it had to be named Falkirk, there being a Carlisle elsewhere already. Old maps use either name, depending on the mapmaker's point of view. The village declined after the railroads - both the Grand Trunk and the London, Huron & Bruce - bypassed it. Today, the community is mainly residential and very quiet. A good place for an afternoon drive to "get away from it all." 

* A big thank you to Curator Ian Mason for information and to local resident Doug Carmichael, member of the Advisory Committee for the PCHC, for the tour of the church interior. 

Update, December 19: Latest word is that the PCHC has received a $100,000 grant from The Presbyterian Church in Canada to finish the project. 

Tombstone Tourism: North Nissouri United Church

One of the most scenic locations in Middlesex is at 24058 Fairview Road, north of Cherry Grove in the former West Nissouri Township, part of Thames Centre since 2001. The spot is North Nissouri United Church and its surrounding cemetery. 

First of all, let's establish what "Nissouri" means. Some residents believe it's a corruption of the phrase "nigh Zorra," meaning "next to Zorra." Why? Because East Nissouri Township in Oxford County was situated next to Zorra Township.* Forget it. Nissouri means something like "gurgling waters" in an Indigenous language. When the former township was first settled by Europeans, there were many running streams emptying into the nearby Thames. 

Land for this church and cemetery was donated by George Black in 1844, a decade before the church was built. The church was constructed from heavy oak timbers supplied by local farms and has rounded windows. It was veneered with brick in the 1880s by John Thompson. The first minister was Robert Hall who served for twenty-one years as a circuit preacher in the neighbourhood. By the 1860s, there was a forty-member congregation. 

Cement block Sunday School room at rear.

Originally Presbyterian, the church joined the United Church of Canada in 1925 after church members voted in favour of church union. The church was lit by coal and Coleman lamps before hydro was installed in 1938. A drive shed once to the north of the building is now gone. 

The congregation celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2004 but disbanded in the summer of 2021. One assumes attendance had dropped to far fewer than forty. No word yet on what happens to the building now.

But the church is perched on a hill surrounded by a cemetery of one and three quarter acres overlooking Gregory Creek valley. Now inactive, the cemetery is said to have more than 800 burials, the first known interment being that of Hannah Horton, local midwife, in 1844. I didn't find a grave marker with her name but there can be no doubt there are many more graves than gravestones. This is true of most older cemeteries. Many families could not afford a marker and some markers have been lost. 

The gently-sloping graveyard reminds me of the macabre poem "The Coffins" by southwestern Ontario poet James Reaney (1926-2008): 

These coffins are submarines

That will sail beneath the slopes 

Of grey-green old graveyards.

One white lone sailor to each

Submarine that navigates 

The wormy seas of earth.

With shrouds for uniforms

Stitched by weeping tailors

These bony sailors

Shall sail deep field and morass

Without periscope or compass

They'll only dimly know

That someday they must flow

Into the final harbour

On some high gray shore

Where the Lord shall weigh

Men's wicked souls on Doomsday.**

A poignant reminder of the harshness of pioneer life:
"To The Memory of George McDonald Who died Sept. 4th 1852 Aged 35 Years. And His Wife Mary, Who died Sept. 21, 1853 Ae. 24 yrs." 

*East Nissouri, West Zorra, and North Oxford townships were amalgamated into  a new township called Zorra in 1975.

**James Reaney, The Red Heart. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1949. p. 60.

Tombstone Tourism: St. Columba Roman Catholic Cemetery, Bornish

On Victoria Day weekend I visited Bornish, Ontario. That's the intersection of Centre Road (Hwy 81) and Bornish Road, in western Middlesex County. Historian Nick Corrie and I were making the grand tour of rural hamlets and graveyards. What better way to spend a spring holiday? 

Just last fall Nick visited St. Columba Roman Catholic Church at this intersection, so it was a bit disturbing to discover it's gone. Demolished. All that remains is its cemetery and a lonely walkway leading to nothing. 

Not that it's very surprising, of course. Unused churches are being demolished a lot these days. It's just a pity that St. Columba couldn't have been converted into a home or other use. A variety of church-to-home renovations can be seen here. Some purchasers, like this couple, are even willing to take on the role of graveyard caretakers when their new home is surrounded by a cemetery. Still, it's possible there were no takers for this out-of-the-way location. 

The church was built in 1902, replacing a frame church, which in turn replaced one of logs. The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary on the weekend of July 29-30, 1949 when a special mass included an historical overview given by Father J. C. Cody, coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of London.

St. Columba Church ca. 2000

For pictures and a short tour of the interior, see here. Wonder what happened to all that stained glass and furnishings? Reused? Sold? Destroyed? 

But the cemetery, still in use, is a nice place for a stroll. First we stopped at this monument to the first settlers in the area. It states the first burial at St. Columba was in about 1857. I've read elsewhere that the first burial was that of Malcolm McLeod, who drowned in Spring Creek. His body was carried for miles through a partially-cut forest trail on a crude stretcher borne on men's shoulders. In true Scottish tradition, a piper marched ahead of this sad procession.*

The farther one walks from the road, the older the gravestones get. The stones there are in memory of McDonalds, McLellans, McLeans, McLeods, McCormicks ... Well, you get the idea. This was a very Scottish part of the world. 

Apparently some restoration work is in order. Hope someone remembers where these piled stones came from. If not, could they all be installed into one group cairn?

On the south side of the cemetery, we located a veteran's grave, partially covered with leaves and encroaching grass. The stone is for SFC John  A. Morrison, 50 AERO SQ, World War I, 1892-1965. 

A little research by Nick determined that Morrison flew with the American Air Force. He was Sergeant First Class in their 50th Aero Squadron, formed August 1917. If he was a local boy, why did he join the Americans?

Bornish was founded by settlers from Bornish, Scotland, located on the west shore of the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. These settlers were fleeing religious persecution and the "clearances," when, to put it simply, large numbers of tenants were evicted from their homes and left with no choice but emigration.

In the 1800s a few businesses were located in the vicinity, such as L. C. McIntyre's store and Joseph Kincaide's tavern. A post office named Bornish opened in 1874, mail being delivered by a stagecoach operating between Strathroy and Parkhill. It closed in 1901. 

Along Bornish Road to the west this steep flight of stairs rises from the road. It leads to an earlier community cemetery used from 1850 to 1860, where at least 15 individuals are buried.

This monument was erected on the site of the first cemetery in 1977. Otherwise, there are no gravestones at this spot. The text:

In blessed memory of fifteen Scottish pioneers buried here 1850 to 1860 from among the 125 families exiled from the Hebrides because of religious persecution who settled here in 1849. Three are known, Alexander McMullen, his wife Margaret McIntyre, and Donald MacDonald, donor of the Bornish church acreage. 

May they rest in peace.

* Looking Over Western Ontario, London Free Press, February 18, 1922. Mind you, by the 1850s, the concession roads should have been a bit better than "trails." And couldn't they find a wagon to use as a hearse? Perhaps the story is apocryphal. But the bagpipe is a nice touch. 

Tombstone Tourism: Denfield (Welsh) Cemetery

There's lots of reasons for visiting cemeteries. Some people visit the graves of loved ones to honour their memories. Others find hallowed ground a source of comfort, visiting for spiritual contemplation and prayer. Genealogists look for information about deceased relatives.

Some of us just like cemeteries. 

Whether it's the silence and tranquility, the interesting grave inscriptions, or the feeling of closeness to those who walked the Earth before us, there's something emotional about older graveyards. And you can learn a lot about a community from reading the monuments raised to its founders.

Take Denfield Cemetery. It's located on the west side of Denfield Road, just south of the hamlet of Denfield in the former London Township (now part of Middlesex Centre). Without knowing anything about the history of the area, a visitor quickly deduces that many of the early Denfield settlers were Welsh, the Matthews and Rosser families being among the most prominent. Small wonder that, when a memorial service was held on site in 1934, local historian Dr. Fred Rosser was chosen to deliver the historical lecture.

But I should start at the beginning, 200 years ago in 1821. That was the year three Welsh families arrived in the district - the Matthews, the Morgans, and the Rossers - three couples with no fewer than 25 children among them. Typical for those days, the first burial was one of the little people. William Matthews, aged seven, was the first interment, in 1826. 

It was David Morgan who donated the land for the cemetery, on the northwest corner of the 15th Concession and Denfield Road. A frame Baptist church was built at the cemetery in 1841, replaced in 1854 by a brick building after a storm blew off the first structure's roof. Not surprisingly, early services were conducted in Welsh. And until a baptistery was built in the church in 1870, chilly baptisms took place in nearby Denfield Creek.

Another church building was built closer to Denfield's main intersection in 1890, presumably for convenience. If you're thinking the original building was hardly worlds away from Denfield, you're right, but the distance between concessions in horse-and-buggy days seemed farther than now. And a row of newer houses now fills the gap between the 16th and 15th concessions, so what constitutes "Denfield" has widened. The 1890 church is still standing.

The young Lombardo brothers are said to have played a charity concert at the church during the temperance era. Apparently Carmen Lombardo sang a song entitled "Nobody's Going to Get the Key to My Cellar" which didn't go over well with the stricter locals - until they counted the money brought in by the collection. Then all was well.*

By the twentieth century, the old cemetery was looking a little rough. In 1925, the plot owners set up an endowment fund for upkeep and that same spring the grounds were tidied and trees planted. The current fence and gate were added in 1933. Then came the the 1934 memorial service, held to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Baptist congregation, founded before their actual church was built. Historian Frederick Thomas Rosser, author of The Welsh Settlement in Upper Canada and London Township Pioneers, gave a talk that day. I wouldn't be surprised if the London Free Press sent a reporter to the event but, not knowing the exact date, I haven't found a record of it yet. Hence, I can't tell you what he said.  Maybe one day.

In May 1953 the legendary tornado of that year damaged many of the older stones. The cemetery was restored as much as feasible but it was noted that many of the early monuments were deteriorating anyway. Hence, the addition of this memorial stone which commemorates little Willy Matthews as well as other pioneers, both old and young:

*A story recorded in London Township: A Rich Heritage 1796-1997 Volume I. Another source of information about this church and cemetery is "Highlights in the History of Denfield Cemetery" by W. D. E. Matthews, in Western Ontario Historical Notes, Vol. XX, No. 1, March 1964. 

Doors Open Middlesex 2014

St. Andrew's Presbyterian, Napier

In 2014, Doors Open London and Doors Open Middlesex fall on different weekends, allowing adventurous Londoners to explore the wilds of Middlesex County and still view London attractions later in the month. Being restricted to one day of sight-seeing only, I couldn't even fit all the Middlesex locations into my schedule. But the fact that the locations were restricted to the western part of the county, mostly in the Strathroy area, made getting about a little easier.

I chose to drive all the way out to Napier and work my way back towards London. Napier is an idyllic "ghost town," filled with hustle and bustle in the nineteenth century but now a quiet reminder of the Ontario of yesteryear. In an out-of-the-way location on unpaved Napier Road, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and surrounding hamlet might be a little hard to find, perhaps explaining why I was the only visitor at the church when I arrived about 1:00. It's disconcerting when there are more volunteers than guests so I hope there were other callers at this quaint 1887 brick building. The inside is plain and simple, not surprising for a structure built by a late-1800s rural congregation, and the sense of peace and calm is palpable. Not that St. Andrew's is a closed church; a small congregation of about 30 is using it for Sunday services. The congregation was founded in 1863 in an earlier church building, making last year a 150th anniversary.

Making my way back to Strathroy, I stopped at the former Strathroy Flour Mills on Albert Street, now home to the Strathroy Brewing Co. I was a little late to join a large tour, so contented myself with a generous sample of 1812 Independence Pale Ale, named to commemorate the fighting spirit that maintained Canada's independence from the United States during the War of 1812. There were considerably more visitors at the brewery than at my first stop, suggesting either that breweries are more popular than churches in general or that Strathroy locations are easier to find than those in Napier. (I suspect both ideas might be right.)

While in town, I also stopped at Strathroy Antiques Mall, not a Doors Open location, but if you like this kind of thing, than it's the kind of thing you'll like, so I thought it was worth a visit. It's very similar to London's Memory Lane with numerous antique vendors packed under one roof. It's wonderful and convenient to have so much material culture assembled in one location but, after a while, everything turns into a nostalgic blur. I managed to escape with only a few items to add to my home's clutter of "artifacts."

Finally, I made my way to Delaware to check out the new Middlesex Centre Archives. After campaigning in Middlesex County for years to create a general Middlesex County archives, a committee of heritage-minded citizens finally decided to go ahead on a more local level in 2013. The archives acquires and preserves historical records pertaining to Middlesex Centre, the former London, Lobo, and Delaware townships. Staffed by volunteers, the archives is still operated on professional standards, and well on its way to becoming the nucleus for a future county archives.