Reinterment Service honouring the individuals of the Barrack Hill Cemetery
Barrack Hill Cemetery was located at the heart of the old city, being the final resting place of many early Bytown pioneers and their families. The cemetery rested on a two-acre plot of land bounded by today’s Sparks, Elgin, Albert, and Metcalfe streets. As construction on the LRT and other public works proceeded it was discovered that some human remains had not been removed. In the summer of 2014 the remains were disinterred with the utmost care and respect by archaeologists and moved to the Canadian Museum of History for analysis.
Private ecumenical burials at Beechwood Cemetery were held on September 25th, 2017 and October 4th, 2019 to reinter all but two of the individuals from these disinternments. Private, respectful, ecumenical funeral services including music, poetry, hymns, prayers and final committal blessings, complete with an 18th century horse drawn hearse, contemporary to early 1800s funerary practices to reinter the final individuals took place on October 1st, 2017 and October 6th, 2019 at Beechwood Cemetery.
The third historical Reinternment service is taking place on Thursday, October 12, 2023 - 2:00 to 3:00 pm at Sacred Space, Beechwood National Memorial Centre 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario.
This service is respectfully hosted by the City of Ottawa and Beechwood Cemetery.
