Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto

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Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a famous cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In the early 1800s, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto (then known as York) were limited to the members of either the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. Deceased citizens who did not belong to these two religions had no choice but to find burial arrangements outside of the city.

In 1873, a new cemetery available to all citizens was conceived. Originally a 200 acre (0.8 km²) farm, on the far outskirts of Toronto, Mount Pleasant Cemetery opened on November 4, 1876, resplendent with more than twelve miles (19 km) of carriage drives along rolling hills and blue lakes filled with ducks and swans.

The Timothy Eaton family crypt

With the growth in population, today the cemetery is located in the centre of the city. While the watercourses have since been filled in, the cemetery still has many miles of walking paths, interspersed with fountains, statues, botanical gardens, and rare and distinct trees.

As the final resting place of more than 168,000 persons, Mount Pleasant Cemetery contains remarkable architecture amongst its many monuments.

[edit] Notable interments:

Alfred Ernest Ames (1867-1934), stockbroker, founder of A.E. Ames & Co.
James Cox Aikins (1823-1904), politician
Frederick Banting (1891-1941) & Charles Best (1899-1978), co-discoverers of insulin
William George 'Billy' Barker, VC, DSO & Bar, MC & Two Bars (1894-1930), LCOL, 201 Squadron, RAF. World War I flying ace, Victoria Cross recipient
Alfred J. Billes (1902-1995), cofounder of Canadian Tire
George Montegu Black II (1911-1976), president of Canadian Breweries
Arnold Brown (1913-2002), General of The Salvation Army
Billy Burch (1900-1950), Hall of Fame ice-hockey player
Charlie Conacher (1909-1967), Hall of Fame ice hockey player
George Albertus Cox (1840-1914), businessman, Senator
Robert Davies (1849-1916), businessman, racehorse owner
Fred Davis (1921-1996), popular television host
Timothy Eaton (1834-1907), department store magnate
Northrop Frye (1912-1991), educator, literary critic
Bobby Gimby (1918 - 1998) Writer of the Expo 67 theme: Ca-na-da
Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936), Presbyterian Missionary
Glenn Gould (1932-1982), pianist, composer
James Henry Gundy (1880-1951), stockbroker, co-founder of Wood Gundy Inc.
Foster Hewitt (1902-1985), broadcaster
Bertha Harmer (1880-1934), prominent Canadian/American nurse
Gerhard Heintzman, Heintzman & Co. piano manufacturer
Dick Irvin (1892-1957), Hall of Fame ice-hockey player and coach
Albert Edward Kemp (1858-1929), businessman and politician
George Fraser Kerr, VC, MC & Bar, MM (1895-1929), CAPT, 3rd battalion (Toronto) Central Ontario Regiment, CEF. World War I Victoria Cross recipient
William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874-1950), Prime Minister of Canada
George Knudson (1937-1989), PGA golfer
Laura Muntz Lyall (1860-1930), artist
Hart Massey (1823-1896), businessman
William McMaster (1811-1887), banker, statesman, a founder of McMaster University
Alexander Muir (1830-1906), author of The Maple Leaf Forever (1867), Canada's early (unofficial) National Anthem
Ryland Herbert New (1888-1979), businessman, racehorse owner
Frederick Nicholls (1856-1921), businessman, founded the first electric power company in Canada
Edward S. Rogers, Sr. (1900-1939), founder of Rogers Communications
Thomas Alexander Russell (1877-1940), automobile manufacturer
Egerton Ryerson (1803-1882), educator
Steve Stavro (1928-2006), businessman, horse breeder, former owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Robert Simpson (1834-1897), department store magnate
John Charles Smith (1866-1898), father of actress Mary Pickford
George Weston (1864-1924), businessman, founder of George Weston Limited
W. Garfield Weston (1898-1978), businessman
Bill Zock, Jr. (1928-1988), Hall of Fame CFL football player