The Elmwood Vault

In recent times interments take place year round. For more than a century that was not the case. Originally there was a small chapel on your left as you entered. When the ground was frozen the remains had to be stored until burials could take place.

The burial registry records the names of bodies placed in and removed from the vault. These records are often little more than a single line, providing little or no information.

Built in 1897 the Elmwood Vault not only served this cemetery but provided safe, secure storage for cemeteries throughout the area during the winter months. The inside of the vault was reorganized many times over the next decades to provide for better organization and use of space.

Construction of the vault was tendered to the firm of George Thomas Martin (Smiths Falls) who was also the architect for the vault. The stone came mostly from the Otty Lake area.