Victoria Lawn Cemetery

Victoria Lawn Cemetery. , The first person to be buried on this land was a sailor known simply as Brooks. That year, 1855, when the land was still known only as Potter's Fields, seven others were also buried, beginning the establishment of St. Catharines' largest and most historically significant cemetery., Officially opened in 1856 as St. Catharines Cemetery, it was unusual in that it was an all-denominational burial ground, virtually unheard of in the 1800s. While plots in different sections were assigned to various religious denominations, all residents, regardless of denomination, were to be buried in the cemetery. , Opening just four years before the outbreak of the American Civil War there was also a large number of Blacks buried in here: in fact, nearly one-third of all burials were recorded as "coloured." Many of these people were buried in the area originally known as Potter's Field., This site holds some of the most important and influential figures of St. Catharines' history. These graves include Rev. Anthony Burns, Hon. William Hamilton Merritt, and Dr. Theophilus Mack. As well, a number of Canadian was veterans are buried in this cemetery., This site was originally known as Potter's Fields, and is the burial site of some of St. Catharines most influential historical figures.