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PRESERVING THE PAST
The 20 years following the last burial in Victoria Square marked a period of decline for the site. Newspaper articles told stories of grave robbers, body snatchers, and vandals frequenting the square. Although these articles were often sensationalistic, the physical destruction caused by intruders to the cemetery is well documented in City records. Period accounts from Toronto writers such as Henry Scadding and John Ross Robertson expressed dismay over the state of the cemetery. In Landmarks of Toronto, first published in 1894, Robertson lamented the loss of the headstones, "the only relics of the military heroes whose graves are now entirely lost."
MILITARY BURIAL GROUND, 1885
Toronto Public Library (TRL),
Canadian Historical Picture Collection, B 11-15b
In 1883 concerns regarding the historical fabric of the cemetery spurred the City to appoint a Military Burial Ground Commission to oversee the preservation of the site. The commission's first acts were to designate the square officially as "Military Memorial Park" and to move all remaining headstones to a memorial terrace along the park's western boundary. The commissioners took a detailed inventory of the gravemarkers existing in 1886 and also published newspaper advertisements asking the public for information on the burials.
STONES AT VICTORIA SQUARE, 1923 (ARTHUR BEALS)
Library and Archives Canada, PA 86381
It was not uncommon during the 19th century for cemeteries to be used as public parks, playing host to Sunday afternoon picnics and other such pastimes. Recommendations for the improvement of Victoria Square included adding a hedge around the memorial terrace, planting several large flowerbeds, laying new sod, and erecting a fountain. The Military Burial Ground Commission wanted the park to be a pleasant and safe place where people could visit deceased relatives or enjoy their leisure hours.
Continue reading the Heart and Stone exhibit
Honouring Heroes
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