This cemetery is located just west of Brockville along Hwy #2.
In 1890, 46 acres of land were purchased on the north side of the highway to make this cemetery.
These photos comprise random shots of the area within Oakland Cemetery.
Photos of the Gilmour Chapel at Oakland Cemetery
Various scenes from within the cemetery
The cemetery comprises 14 acres of land on either side of the highway. It has been owned and operated by the City of Brockville since 1860, when all the older in-town cemeteries were closed and the graves moved into this area.
The land was purchased from the Grant Family. The land south of the highway had been granted by the Crow to Sgt. Allen Grant in 1789. This land was divided into three sections for use by the Anglicans, Roman Catholics and other Protestant denominations.
In 1890 an additional 46 acres were purchased on the north side of the highway and the area was named Oakland Cemetery.
For additional photos of these cemeteries, look on our website for Cemeteries in Elizabethtown.
From the Brockville Recorder
May 16, 1850 On purchasing land for a new cemetery
At a meeting of the town council held on Monday evening previous, tenders were received for land for a public cemetery for Brockville. There were three offers, viz.: A lot of 20 acres belonging to R.Bell, at £15 per acre, one of 15 acres belonging to Mrs. Jas. Dack, at £7 10s an acre, and a lot of 12 acres belonging to Allan Grant, at £13 per acre. It was agreed that the committee should examine the ground and when satisfied as to the most eligible site, call a public meeting of the inhabitants of the town to decide whether the corporation should purchase the ground, or be obliged to private parties for the liberty of interment, or “when this liberty cannot be obtained, that they be compelled to pitch the dead into any hole or ditch that may be most convenient to their dwellings.” Messrs. Rankin and Crawford were the only two members of the council opposed to the purchase of ground from the funds of the corporation.