TAKE NOTICE that the Council for The Corporation of the Town of Innisfil intends to designate 6800 Yonge Street (6th Line Cemetery) under Part IV, Section 29 of The Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.0.18, as amended.
Property Description
The subject property is legally described as being part Lot 15, Concession 5; Innisfil, as in RO322187 & RO324116; part Lot 15, Concession 5; Innisfil as in IN8444; Part Lot 15 Concession 5; Innisfil as in OS7443; and Part Lot 15, Concession 5; Innisfil, in the Town of Innisfil, County of Simcoe, in the Province of Ontario. It is located on the west side of Yonge Street on the southwest corner of the intersection of Yonge Street and the 6th Line.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest
Cemeteries act as open-air museums and libraries with stories of our past. Preserving these markers and keeping the information available for future generations is vital to our communities. Cemetery preservation is important because grave markers are the last tangible evidence of the founding members of our modern community. The Sixth Line Cemetery provides information about the Dalhousie settlers and early Presbyterian families in the Innisfil area.
Design and Physical Value
The design and physical value of the 6th Line Cemetery are reflected in its entry gates, cairn, and front façade of the chapel. These represent fieldstone masonry construction techniques commonly used by settlers in Southern Ontario from the early 1800s to the early 1900s and display a high degree of artisanship. This building technique uses irregular natural rocks cleared from the surrounding farmland and carefully fitted with lime mortar to create sturdy walls that can withstand harsh winters. This historic form of masonry is no longer commonly used, and careful preservation is required so it may be admired by future generations.
Historical Value
The 6th Line Cemetery's historical value lies in its use, first by the congregation of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in the 1840s and continuing as an active non-denominational burial ground for Innisfil families today. The cemetery is also directly associated with the community's early settlement, including the ‘Dalhousie Settlers’, a group of Scottish settlers who came to Innisfil from Dalhousie Township in Lanark County, Ontario, in 1832, including the Allan, Climie, Cross, Duncan, Jack, Lawrie, Todd and Wallace families.
The natural fieldstone memorial cairn, topped with an Ionian cross, was erected in 1932 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Dalhousie Settlers arriving in Innisfil. Stones were specially selected by the builder Alfred Davis of Belle Ewart from the farms the Dalhousie families cut out of the forest. An axe and a sickle are carved on the cross emblematic of pioneer labourers. The monument is of excellent workmanship and is a credit to the builder and worthy of the rugged men and women in whose memory it was erected.
Contextual Value
The 6th Line Cemetery’s contextual value lies in its burial plots that are integrated into the land physically, spiritually, functionally, and visually and are historically linked to earlier residents of the area, including the Dalhousie settlers. Located at the intersection of 6th Line and Yonge Street, the cemetery, with its instantly recognizable cairns, is an important visual landmark for drivers and residents.
Description of Heritage Attributes
The following heritage attributes contribute to the cultural heritage value of the property:
The following attributes are excluded from heritage protection:
Notice of Objection
Any person may serve his or her notice of objection to the proposed designation to the Town Clerk within 30 days of the date of this notice and no later than 4:30 p.m. on April 7, 2025. Objections should be directed to the Corporation of the Town of Innisfil, 2101 Innisfil Beach Road, Innisfil, ON L9S 1A1, Attention Ms. Patty Thoma, Town Clerk, or by e-mail: [email protected]. A notice of objection must set out the reason(s) for the objection and all relevant facts.
Dated at the Town of Innisfil on March 6, 2025.
