Halton Hills is a place rich in history, everywhere you look, and that includes the historic cemeteries that can be found in the rural areas of the municipality.
The two cemeteries that are often overlooked, due to their location along the ever-busy Trafalgar Road, are Mount Pleasant Wesleyan Methodist cemetery and the Ashgrove United cemetery, both teeming with history and a resting place for many early settlers who helped shape the former Esquesing Township.
Situated just south of Stewarttown, Lot 13, Concession 8, is the Mount Pleasant Wesleyan Methodist Cemetery. It was on April 1st, 1833 when innkeeper George Thompson sold one acre of land to John Harrison, John Reed, Christopher Cook, William Morrsion and George Murray for a sum of 50 pounds - about $13,000 in today’s currency.
The men’s intentions were to use the land for a graveyard and a Methodist church. In 1844, a small chapel was built on the property, but was later moved to a new site in 1858 on land donated by Thomas Thompson at Lot 16, Concession 8.
Following the opening of the remodelled church in January 1859, the cemetery would continue to be used for burials until it was eventually closed due to a lack of space.
The Mount Pleasant Wesleyan Methodist cemetery was neglected for many years, but was finally restored through the efforts of the Ashgrove Women’s Institute, with the grave stones built into a cement cairn as a way to preserve them from deterioration.
Further down Trafalgar Road, just south of Sideroad 10, is the Ashgrove United cemetery. This historic cemetery came to be in 1860 when Joseph Ruddell and his wife Frances Mayse donated a quarter-acre of land at Lot 9, Concession 7.
It was also in the same year that George Wrigglesworth and his wife Isabella France donated land across the road from the cemetery for the Ashgrove Methodist Church. The church opened for service in November 1860.
The church was responsible for the care of the cemetery and that’s where most of its members are buried, but after time passed the cemetery became too small. To remedy this situation, an additional parcel of land was purchased in 1878 from the Ruddells to enlarge the cemetery.
Upon the expansion of the cemetery, it was decided that burial sites in the new section would be $7 while plots near the edge of the cemetery would be $6. The funds from the sale of plots went towards keeping the burial grounds fenced.
The Ashgrove Methodist Church, later to join the United circuit, continued to be located across from the cemetery until the merger with Hornby United to form the present Hillcrest United Church in 1968.
Following the closing of the old Ashgrove church, it was purchased by Fred Brooks and moved to Limehouse for the purpose of a residential dwelling. The cemetery itself is maintained by Hillcrest and burials continue for those who have family plots.
While the land that surrounds these historic cemeteries is rapidly being redeveloped, they continue to remain a place of burial for the deceased and serve as a reminder of those who settled the municipality now known today as Halton Hills.
Article written by Scott Brooks, with information from Dills Collection/EHS/Halton County Atlas of 1877/OGS Halton-Peel.
