Halifax's Old Burying Ground

Here's what lies in the morning shadow of the Basilica. Must be the oldest grouping of graves I have ever stood in. This burial ground was established in 1749, and most of these graves are from the back half of that century.

There's going to be a lot of photos on this page, and probably a couple other graveyard pages before this travelogue is sputtered out. I find a lot of old stuff beautiful, and old gravestones are a special magic to me.

Skip along to the next page if you like. No offence taken. The rest of us will be in here walking among the headstones for a while, though.

Now, this is exactly what I'm talkin' about. This is some fabulous design and very handsome weathering from the ages. This cemetery is full of death's head designs; not a lot of fluffy lambs or poems about “sleeping with the angels”.

“Here
Lies Inter'd the Body of
___ Nathanael Peirse
who departed this Life
Jan. 26 1755 Æt 70.
Also Mary Æts 22 Mo.
Abigail Æts 5 Mo. 14 Ds.
Two of His Grand Children.”

Laugh, clown, laugh.

“In Memory of
James & George Frederick Boyd
Sons of
John & Elizabeth Boyd, who
Departed this life:
James, the 9th Nov. 1792.
Aged 4 Months.
Also George Frederick, the
27th Oct. 1795 Aged 2 Years”

And on the foreground headstone:

“James &
George Frederick Boyd”

Why two? Is one meant as a footstone on the same grave?

Here lies a Mason named George.

“This
Monument
ERECTED
In Memory Of
Agnes Back
Wife of
WILLIAM BACK
who departed this Life.”

Period.

To the memory of Margaret. Erected with obvious love by Richard & Catharine.

Beautiful carving, though.

Such a pretty little headstone, but even so, kind of spooky just for being so sparsely decorated.

The view across the back of the yard.

Some of these old structures are starting to come apart at the seams from so many years of wear and shift...

...thinning down and flaking with age...

...showing old materials being bolstered by new...

...but it all adds up to a beautiful, romantic atmosphere.

“Sacred
To the Memory of
WILLIAM
Eldest son of
John & Martha ___well
who died
13 September 1837
...”

Or could be 1832.

“Here lays Deposited
The Sacred Remains of
Mrs. MARY MORRIS
Consort of the late
CHARLES MORRIS Esqr.
One of His Majestys Council
Chief Land Surveyor
and a Judge of the
Supreme Court in No_____
She departed this life...”

And the rest is buried.

Her tombstone, his story.

Now, here we got some full-on Tim-Burton-style gothic.

Listed initials of family members interred, or cryptic message from our forefathers, leading eventually to a treasure map on the back of the declaration of independence? I'll keep you posted.

Mood lighting.

I took a "ghost tour" of downtown Halifax led by a nice Newfie dude one night before I left. He had a bunch of neat local stories he'd collected over the years.

In one of the cemeteries we made a stop in, there was a trio of kids in an opposite corner with a video camera, shooting some stuff for a zombie movie or something.

I don't know what kind of look they were getting on tape, but I bet their lighting wasn't as boss as this.

So many shapes and styles, from the simple to the very ornate.

I wish this era was represented somewhere out west here.

Yeah, I hear you. I'll start wrapping this page up.

Almost missed this chiller towards the very back of the cemetary. I spotted it under a shady tree as I was turning to start walking out.

“SACRED
To the Memory of
JAMES son of
JAMES and CATHARINE
BOSSOM, who was
wilfully Murdered
on the morning of
the 8th of August 1839
by Smith D. Clark
In the 23rd year of his Age”

Man, being planted in the ground has really been done already. Old story.

I could go for being buried at sea, maybe, if that's even possible for a non-Navy man to arrange. Or dropped into an active volcano. Even better. Much better, in fact.