Our History

Mount Pleasant Cemetery was established in 1875 by a group of London businessmen wanting a nondenominational cemetery. The cemetery is still run today by a group of business people (all lot owners) who form a Board of Directors who volunteer the time they serve on the Board. The Annual General Meeting is held each spring when all lot owners are invited to attend. The Chapel and Crematorium were built in 1971 to accommodate the changing needs of families.

The oldest sections of the cemetery are Sections B, C and F. Here you will find memorials to the Carlings (Sir John Carling, original member of Canada's first Cabinet); Dorothy McClary "a niece of John Adams and cousin of John Quincy, 2nd and 6th Presidents of the United States"; Simeon Morrill, first Mayor of London Town; Dr. William Saunders, first director of the Experimental Farms Branch, Department of Agriculture and one of the founders of Mt.Pleasant; Sam Peters, Mayor of Petersville; the McCormick family of McCormick Biscuits. Throughout the cemetery you will find other well known London names such as Silverwood, Eccles, H.B.Beal, Ivey, Dowler, Duffield, Hobbs and the Little family mausoleum to name a few. You will also find monuments of the victims of the Victoria Day Disaster, 1881, including the unmarked plot the cemetery donated to those families who could not afford monuments. Of particular interest is a double memorial to William Glass and Fannie Cooper, two young people that were to be married who were victims of the boat disaster. Their monuments are on their respective family plots, but linked by a double arch. Other interesting monuments are: John Eskdale who lost his life in a fire in 1855 (the original monument was installed in Oakland Cemetery but is now illegible). His brother firemen erected a memorial surrounded by a metal fence with fire tools on the fence; Samuel Peters, early surveyor; Robert Carfrae, builder of the jail; Princess Amanda, wife of Charles Wetherbee, "daughter of George IV."

A financial statement for the year 1894 included receipts of $2,618.88, Wages $1,039.05, Telephone $44.66 and Postage $3.00. Number of lots sold 55, number of burials 274.

The entry gates at the (formerly) Walker Street entrance were originally installed in 1904 at a cost of $1,200.00, then relocated to (formerly Mount Pleasant Avenue) Riverside Drive in 1927. The gate posts at the Oxford Street entrance were built and officially opened in 1959. The Cross of Sacrifice in the first Veterans Section was built in 1921.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery is also known for its beautiful assortment of trees including some rare species that are characteristic of the Carolinian Zone, e.g., cucumber tree, tulip tree, osage orange and redbud. As you enter Mount Pleasant Cemetery from Riverside Drive you will be greeted by a magnificent Copper Beech tree. If you visit the cemetery in late April you will see two beautiful Magnolia trees in full bloom in front of the Chapel, not to mention the spectacular colours throughout the grounds in the fall.

Presidents of the Board of Mount Pleasant and the terms they served include:

Superintendents and General Managers of Mount Pleasant and the terms they served include: