Bytown’s First Graveyard
(At the corner of Sparks and Elgin Street)
Written by Bytown Museum
on
03/Dec/2009
Did you know that there were once bodies buried near the corner of Sparks and Elgin streets?
For the first two years in Bytown, the dead had to be ferried across the Ottawa River and buried in Wrightsville (Gatineau). In 1828, the high number of deaths among canal workers (or navvies) resulted in the creation of the town's first graveyard, which lay in the block that today is bordered by Elgin, Metcalfe, Sparks and Queen streets.
The ground was originally divided into three parts, with spaces for Presbyterians, Anglicans and Roman Catholics. Later, a fourth area was established for Methodists, where only a few bodies were reportedly buried. In the 1840s, these graveyards were moved to the area that is now Macdonald Gardens. However, some people believe that not all of the bodies were moved.
The next time you're enjoying a pint at D'Arcy McGee's Pub, think about the graveyard that once lay beneath you.
