Thomas Greenway Cemetery
Crystal City, Manitoba, R0K, Canada
Formally Recognized:
1989/06/20
Other Name(s)
Thomas Greenway Cemetery
Greenway Cemetery
Cimetière Greenway
Links and documents
Construction Date(s)
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2007/01/18
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Thomas Greenway Cemetery is a small exposed site that overlooks cultivated fields and the gently meandering Crystal Creek north of Crystal City. The municipal designation applies to the approximately 1,200-square-metre cemetery, which contains four burials, (the first in 1898) and a pathway about 500 metres long that connects the site to the village.
Heritage Value
The Thomas Greenway Cemetery, a family burial site in an open agricultural setting, is the final resting place of Thomas Greenway (1838-1908), premier of Manitoba from 1888 to 1900, whose contributions included reform of the provincial school system, promotion of railway building and settlement, service as minister of agriculture and steps to reorganize provincial politics on a more partisan basis. In private life Greenway was a farmer recognized for his mixed prairie farming; a visionary who, with the help his family, established Crystal City in southwestern Manitoba; and an entrepreneur who financed the area's first newspaper, the `Rock Lake Herald'. Also buried at the site are Thomas's second wife, Emma Essery (1855-1934), and two sons, Harry Harvey (1879-1906) and Thomas A. (1867-98).
Source: Village of Crystal City By-law No. 9-89, June 20, 1989
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the site character of the Thomas Greenway Cemetery include:
- its location on the Prairie Home Stock Farm, the Greenway family homestead, with defined boundaries marked by a simple fence
- its elevated placement overlooking Crystal Creek with an unrestricted view
- the eastern and spatial orientation of the burials
Key elements define the site's function as a Greenway family memorial include:
- the burials of Greenway family members only
- the original headstones, including the flat humble markers for Thomas and Emma and the dominant, erect and elaborately engraved polished granite markers for Harry Harvey and Thomas A.
Recognition
Jurisdiction
Manitoba
Recognition Authority
Local Governments (MB)
Recognition Statute
Manitoba Historic Resources Act
Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Site
Recognition Date
1989/06/20
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
n/a
Theme - Category and Type
- Governing Canada
- Politics and Political Processes
- Peopling the Land
- Settlement
Function - Category and Type
Current
- Religion, Ritual and Funeral
- Mortuary Site, Cemetery or Enclosure
Historic
- Food Supply
- Farm or Ranch
Architect / Designer
n/a
Builder
n/a
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
Village of Crystal City Box 310 26 South Railway Avenue East Crystal City MB R0K 0N0
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
M0023
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a