Old Canadian Cemeteries: Places of Memory by Jane Irwin,
photographed by John de Visser In her Acknowledgments section,
Ms. Irwin notes two reasons why cemeteries are fascinating.
“Cemeteries are set apart from the mundane pressures of our
everyday lives, they have an inherent power to provide a brief
respite from temporary concerns and a chance to see our own life
in a longer perspective.” Her second observation warns that,
“Searching out favorite themes…may develop into a kind of
addiction,” comes too late for this writer, as finding new
carvings has turned into a serious hobby, not unlike bird
watching. Luckily, Old Canadian Cemeteries indulges both of
these cravings. Beginning with the chapter, Changing Burial
Traditions, one travels from the 7,500 years-old burial cairn in
L’Anse Amour in Southern Labrador to the ghost town graveyards
in Ancestral Ties to the six Lawson grandchildren at the Old
Burying Ground, Halifax to multicultural Ross Bay Cemetery in
Exploring Canada’s Historic Cemeteries. Eventuall