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Old Burying Ground

Main Street, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, B4P, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1987/01/19

Main entrance and rubble wall, Old Burying Ground, Wolfville, 2005.; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2005.
Main Entrance and Rubble Wall
North-west view including part of rubble wall, Old Burying Ground, Wolfville, NS, 2005.; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2005.
North-west View
South-east view including some of the oldest headstones, Old Burying Ground, Wolfville, 2005.; Heritage Division, NS Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, 2005.
South-east View

Other Name(s)

Old Burying Ground
The Old Cemetery

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1763/01/01 to 1763/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2006/02/14

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Old Burying Ground is located on Main Street, Wolfville, NS, on the north side of the busy intersection of Main Street and Highland Avenue, just beyond the commercial centre of town. A random-rubble stone wall encloses the entire front side of the cemetery and includes a large wrought iron gate at its entrance. The cemetery grounds, which include some of the oldest trees in Wolfville, consist of several grass-covered interment areas, and separate family burial plots enclosed with stone pillars and iron links. The cemetery’s large grounds and mature trees provide a quiet oasis on one of Wolfville’s busiest streets. The land, grave stones, wall and fence are included in the municipal designation.

Heritage Value

The Old Burying Ground is valued for its spiritual and cultural significance to the town of Wolfville, with its carved tombstones providing additional historic and artistic value. In essence, the site serves as a record of the lives of the diverse townspeople who have lived in Wolfville since the town was founded. The gravestones signify an enduring association with the past by displaying the epitaphs, symbols, and carvings that chart over two centuries of spiritual life in the community.

The earliest cemetery in Wolfville and the only burial ground available to citizens until 1818, the Old Burying Ground interred people from all denominations. The earliest tombstone dates to 1774, and among the people interred in the cemetery are: Nathan DeWolf (1729-89), the founder of Wolfville; Peter Bishop (1736-1825), the first minister of the Wolfville Baptist Church; Professor Isaac Chipman, the builder of Acadia University; and Rev. Edmund Albern Crawley (1799-1888), the founder-in-chief of Acadia University, one of its first two professors, and the designer of the first college building.

The Old Burying Ground is also valued for the primitive folk art designs found on many gravestones, some of which showcase the work of the Horton Carver (fl. 1783-1793), who is said to have been Scottish stone carver James Hay. Many of his sandstone grave markers are unique to the Horton-Wolfville area.

Sources: Town of Wolfville Heritage Property Program files, the Old Burying Ground file.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Old Burying Ground include:

- random-rubble stone wall with a wrought iron gate entrance;
- mature trees that separate the cemetery from the street and nearby intersection;
- original and historic grave stones and monuments, with their surviving inscriptions;
- grass-covered interment areas, and separate family burial plots enclosed with stone pillars and iron links.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Nova Scotia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NS)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Property Act

Recognition Type

Municipally Registered Property

Recognition Date

1987/01/19

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Religious Institutions
Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Philosophy and Spirituality

Function - Category and Type

Current

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Mortuary Site, Cemetery or Enclosure

Historic

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

Horton Carver

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Inventory Site Form found at Planning and Development Services, Town of Wolfville, 200 Dykeland Street, Wolfville, NS B4P 1A2

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

33MNS2005

Status

Published

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