St. John's Cemetery Norway
Encyclopedia
St. John's Cemetery Norway is an historic cemetery
in Toronto
, Ontario
. It is located at the intersection of Kingston Road
and Woodbine Avenue in the east end of the city just northwest of The Beaches
neighbourhood.
or to Norwegian immigrants to Canada; both were established to serve the small community of Norway, Ontario, then a considerable distance from the city of Toronto. The town itself was named after the Norway pine trees native to the area, and was amalgamated into Toronto in 1908.
The land for the cemetery was donated by landowner Charles Coxwell Small. Originally three acres, the cemetery now covers about 35. Over the decades there have been almost 80,000 interments, and over 50,000 gravestones now stand in the cemetery. While attached to an Anglican church, the cemetery is non denominational.
The cemetery is perched on a large sandy hill, that was once one of the large dune
s formed by Glacial Lake Iroquois
. The sand from this hill was also used extensively by the Toronto brickworks, and is thus found in many of the city's older buildings.
being the standard resting place for those of prominence. The vast majority of those buried there are representatives of the middle and working class of east end Toronto. There are some prominent figures buried at St. John's, such as R. C. Harris
, Toronto director of public works who built the nearby R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, was interred there in 1945.
, Angel Eyes
, Four Brothers
, and Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is located at the intersection of Kingston Road
Kingston Road (Toronto)
Kingston Road is the southernmost major road along the eastern portion of Toronto, specifically in the districts of East York and Scarborough. Until 1998, it formed a significant portion of Highway 2...
and Woodbine Avenue in the east end of the city just northwest of The Beaches
The Beaches
The Beaches is a neighbourhood and popular tourist destination located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the east side of the "Old" City of Toronto. The original boundaries of the neighbourhood are from Fallingbrook Avenue on the east to Kingston Road on the north, to Woodbine Avenue...
neighbourhood.
History
The cemetery was founded alongside St. John the Baptist Norway Anglican Church in 1853. Despite the use of the name "Norway", neither the church nor the cemetery has any connection to the country of NorwayNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
or to Norwegian immigrants to Canada; both were established to serve the small community of Norway, Ontario, then a considerable distance from the city of Toronto. The town itself was named after the Norway pine trees native to the area, and was amalgamated into Toronto in 1908.
The land for the cemetery was donated by landowner Charles Coxwell Small. Originally three acres, the cemetery now covers about 35. Over the decades there have been almost 80,000 interments, and over 50,000 gravestones now stand in the cemetery. While attached to an Anglican church, the cemetery is non denominational.
The cemetery is perched on a large sandy hill, that was once one of the large dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
s formed by Glacial Lake Iroquois
Glacial Lake Iroquois
Glacial Lake Iroquois was a prehistoric proglacial lake that existed at the end of the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago.The lake was essentially an enlargement of the present Lake Ontario that formed because the St. Lawrence River downstream from the lake was blocked by the ice sheet...
. The sand from this hill was also used extensively by the Toronto brickworks, and is thus found in many of the city's older buildings.
Notable interments
The cemetery was never a site for the burial of the city's elite, with Mount Pleasant CemeteryMount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England...
being the standard resting place for those of prominence. The vast majority of those buried there are representatives of the middle and working class of east end Toronto. There are some prominent figures buried at St. John's, such as R. C. Harris
Rowland Caldwell Harris
Roland Caldwell Harris was the Commissioner of Public Works for Toronto from 1912 until his death in 1945. Under his leadership, Toronto saw built the Prince Edward Viaduct and the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, which was named after him...
, Toronto director of public works who built the nearby R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, was interred there in 1945.
Cinema
The picturesque cemetery close to the studio district has also become a popular one for filming. The church has also turned to this to get much needed revenue to help maintain the site. Among the movies in which the cemetery appears are To Die ForTo Die For
To Die For is a 1995 dark comedy film, made in a mockumentary format, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Buck Henry, based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, which in turn was based on the Pamela Smart story. It stars Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, and Joaquin Phoenix...
, Angel Eyes
Angel Eyes (film)
Angel Eyes is a 2001 romantic drama film directed by Luis Mandoki. The original music score was composed by Marco Beltrami and features Jennifer Lopez, James Caviezel, Jeremy Sisto, and Terrence Howard. Lopez's performance in the film earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress.-Plot:The...
, Four Brothers
Four Brothers (film)
Four Brothers is a 2005 action crime film directed by John Singleton. The movie stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund. The film was shot in Detroit, Michigan and Hamilton, Ontario, Canada...
, and Get Rich or Die Tryin'.