Description

CEM 223 Rev_eastlawn_cemetery_section_16

Street Address:2280 Barton Street East

Location: Lot 28, Concession 2, Saltfleet Township

Type of Cemetery: Municipal

Responsible Agency: City of Hamilton

Status for Burials: Open for burials          Plot Plan: Exists

Size:         Large 3900 monuments

Fencing: Chain link and wooden fencing

Monument Types:Flat, and upright Monuments of: Granite

Date of Opening: 1930

History:

In the early 1900s, facing a shortage of municipal properties, the City of Hamilton began purchasing land for future municipal services. One such parcel of 50.2 acres, known as the Mahoney property in what was then Saltfleet Township was purchased for $58,500 in 1928. There were proposals to turn the land into an industrial complex or a jail, but local residents and clergy, unhappy that municipal cemeteries up to this date were all located at the opposite side of the city, urged the creation of a new municipal cemetery in “the East End”, which became Eastlawn.

Cemetery design evolved over the years, with trees purchased and a road system planned in 1929. When the first interments took place in the early 1930s there were additional plans for a municipal crematorium and man-made lakes on the site. These were deemed too expensive for the city to undertake during the Depression Years. The cemetery remains in active use and is still operated by the City.