Did you know Ontario is home to an estimated 66,000 burial sites and cemeteries?¹

That’s a whole lot of history—and that’s just one of the fun facts I discovered while putting together this year’s project in celebration of Cemetery Appreciation Month.

Every May, since I learned about it, I like to do something a little different to mark the occasion. In past years, I’ve made Cemetery Bingo cards and even created a cute little cemetery terrarium. This time, I decided to combine my love of cemeteries with my background in graphic design. (Design is part of what I do when I’m not graving!)

So, I created an infographic with a few Canadian cemetery facts. I thought it would be a fun way to share what makes our cemeteries so unique—through numbers and dates, in a visual way.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I visit A LOT of cemeteries. And if there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that they’re not all the same. There are pioneer cemeteries that barely show up on a map, grand garden cemeteries, sombre asylum cemeteries, and everything in between. They’re not just places of rest—but cultural time capsules.

And the numbers really tell a story.

Here are just a few highlights from the infographic:

• Canada’s oldest known gravestone dates back to 1720 and is found in Nova Scotia.²
• Over 23,000 cemeteries across Canada contain the remains of those who served in World Wars.³
• One of the oldest gravestones in Northern Ontario can be found in Wawa.⁴

Whether you’re new to cemetery exploring or have been wandering cemeteries for years. I hope this infographic offers you some inspiration, and maybe a few new cemeteries to add to your cemetery bucket list.

Thanks for reading, and happy Cemetery Appreciation Month!

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References:

1. Unregistered Cemeteries | Ontario Ancestors
2. Images show Canada’s oldest graveyard could be in Annapolis Royal | Toronto Star
3. Cemeteries | Government of Canada
4. Back Roads Bill takes us to the oldest graves in Ontario | Sudbury.com