Aldershot’s Greenwood Cemetery contains some unique stories along with the remains of those who came before us. There are hundreds of gravesites, each with its own tale of accomplishment, tragedy, mystery, and even scandal.
The cemetery and its stories will be on display during next week’s celebration of Heritage Week in Burlington.
Greenwood, on Francis Road south of Plains, was first established in 1888. Among the famous buried there are: Spencer Smith, who was instrumental in the development of the popular downtown waterfront park; Alfred Coleman, who built the famous Gingerbread House on Ontario Street in 1893; and Jacob and William Cooke, who established the J. Cooke Concrete Block factory that strongly influenced development in Aldershot in the ‘50s and ‘60s.
The walking tour of the cemetery is planned for Friday, August 8, starting at 6:45 p.m. It will be led by Alan Harrington of the Burlington Historical Society.
Heritage Week is organized annually by Heritage Burlington, a City Hall committee, in conjunction with a variety of other partners, including the Historical Society, Burlington Public Library, Burlington Museums, and others.
Opening ceremonies for the week-long series of events will be Monday, August 1 at 11 a.m. with the Town Crier, at Centennial Square at Brant St. and Lakeshore Road.
The annual Heritage Week celebrations also include a bike tour of historic sites in Aldershot. Participants should meet at the entrance to LaSalle Park at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2.
Other events planned for the week include a lecture about the history of Burlington’s museums, a Freedom Festival sponsored by the Halton Black History Awareness Society, a presentation about the “Between the Lakes Treaty” with Indigenous people, and organized tours of Lowville and the historic Freeman Station.
For more information and pre-registration go to hb@burlington.ca.
