When I first visited the final resting place of Sir John A MacDonald many years ago, I was struck by how unobtrusive it was.
The grave site is bordered by a simple black wrought iron fence, the same that still exists today, 200 years after the birth of this – so important to Canada – man.
His final resting place in Kingston has had some changes over the years, with monuments and internments of others of his extended family. Yet the overriding impression I got when I stood in front of the gate to his grave site was, was simple dignity.
The first photo is of the church, built in 1870 and enlarged in 1877, located on Sydenham Road, and overlooking the historic Cataraqui Cemetery, the final resting place of Sir John A. Macdonald.
The following is a quote from Wikipedia as they provide an intro to the man; “Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC (Can), (January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first
Prime Minister of Canada and the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation. Macdonald’s tenure in office spanned 18 years, making him the second longest serving Prime Minister of Canada. He is the only Canadian Prime Minister to win eight majority governments. He was the major proponent of a national railway, completed in 1885, linking Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans. He won praise for having helped forge a nation of sprawling geographic size, with two diverse European colonial origins, numerous Aboriginal nations, and a multiplicity of cultural backgrounds and political views.”
Next is a photo of the likeness of Sir John A. MacDonald, taken from the plaque near his site.
