Our Cemeteries

Historical Walking Tours

Cemeteries Administrative Office
777 York Boulevard
Hamilton, Ontario L8R 2A4

Call 905-546-4704 or
Email [email protected]

Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries are like museums, with their headstones serving as a record of our culture and social history. Through an enduring stone, they reflect personal and national sentiment; speak of love, pity, and patriotism; summarize lives of remarkable longevity and remind us of lives lost through tragedy. Many of Hamilton’s colourful characters and history lie buried in our cemeteries.

Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries offers two types of tours. The Stories In The Stones are weekly historical tours and our History Unearthed – Historical Tours are geared to educational groups and private tours groups. All our tours are free of charge.

History Unearthed Historical Tours

The Hamilton Cemetery is Canada’s first and oldest municipally owned and operated cemetery providing a lasting memorial, permanent tribute and a final resting place to many loved ones. History Unearthed Tours are historically factual and designed to tell the history of the cemetery and some notable burials. The first burial recorded took place on May 14, 1850. Step back in time, and into history.

Tours can be organized for your school group, service club or for a group of friends by email. Please contact us to arrange your private tour. There is no cost for any of our tours. Cemeteries are sacred places where the dead are laid to rest with dignity. Visitors are asked to behave respectfully, please follow the directions and instructions of your tour guide.

Registration Information

When registering include:

Group or Organization name

There is no cost for the tour. Confirmation will be sent by email.

Stories in the Stones

The Stories In The Stones Tours tell the fascinating stories through free guided walking tours at Hamilton Cemetery each Saturday between May to November.

Local historian and storyteller Robin McKee guides you through historic Hamilton Cemetery with various themed tours he has created. Themed tours will include early settlers such as Robert Land and George Hamilton, victims of the Desjardins Railway Disaster.

Tours start at 11 am at the Cemetery Gatehouse 777 York Blvd. across from Dundurn Castle and run for approximately 1.5 hours. Tours take place rain or shine. Please wear appropriate clothing, shoes and bring water to drink. Tours and dates are subject to change. Tours are limited to 25 people. Visitors are asked to behave respectfully, please follow the directions and instructions of your tour guide.

Sponsored by Dodsworth & Brown Funeral Homes
Hosted by Robin McKee of Historical Perceptions

Hamilton Firsts Tour
Learn about the many firsts of Hamilton, some that you might have never known about. The first mayor, the first doctor, the first settler, and many more. Not just people, but many other firsts for Hamilton. A great tour to learn some of Hamilton’s best history.

July 23
October 1

The Hamilton Women’s Tour
Women have played an important part in the history of Hamilton. You will learn about the stories of mothers, matrons, educators, artists and even a murderer. Over 10 years of research has gone into the Hamilton Women's Tour. The tour takes you back to what society was like for women during the Victorian era.

May 7 & 8 - Door’s Open
June 25
September 3

War of 1812 Tour
From fort to cemetery. Learn about the War of 1812 and the Fort at Burlington Heights. Learn about the 1812 defensive fort for the British Military or the spy who is buried in Hamilton Cemetery. This tour is great for children as they can help show how the cemetery was a fort in 1912.

May 21
July 30
October 29

The Civil War Tour
Learn about Hamiltonians who went to war, survived, and returned home. The Canadian history and involvement in the Civil War. Hamilton Cemetery is the final resting place for a number of American Civil War Veterans including Colonel William Winer Cooke.

May 28
July 2
August 6
November 5

The Masonic Tour
A Da Vinci Code Tour? Learn about the Masons in Hamilton and their influence on the City. Secrets might be revealed. A society of secrets, not a secret society told in the stories in the stones.

July 16
October 15

Art Crawl Tour
Continue the James Street North Art Crawl in the Hamilton Cemetery. Meet the artists, poets, and musicians of the past and learn their stories. On the way, learn about cemetery art, statues, and Victorian symbolism.

May 14
June 11
July 9
August 13
September 10

The Disasters Tour
Disasters, demises, diseases, and yes disappearances. Learn of events that tried to destroy our city. The history of the 1857 Desjardins Canal Bridge rail disaster, the most celebrated technology of the era. Hamilton Cemeteries gravestones and monuments tell the stories of disasters of many kind.

June 18
September 17

The Firefighters Tour
Firefighters rush into danger to protect Canadians’ safety, welfare, and property. They are often the first to arrive at the scene of an emergency, and they are pillars of our community. Learn about these local heroes who died saving our lives, homes, and our city, from devastating fires.

August 20
September 24

Power of the City Tour
Learn about the “powers” that drive this city. Industry, transportation, crime and yes, the power of love.

June 4
August 27
October 8

The Past Mayors Tour
Who were these gentlemen and what did they do for our city? Learn who lead us, when, and what happened in Hamilton on their watch. Hamilton Cemetery has a number of past Mayors buried including Mayor Colin Campbell Ferrie, Hamilton’s first Mayor.

The Veterans Tour
Honour the men and women from Hamilton, who served from 1776 to the Korean War. The Loss Monument and the Cross of Sacrifice are important monuments and markers dedicated to our Veterans. Hamilton lost many of its sons and daughters during and after the various wars of the 19th and 20th centuries.

November 12 - Remembrance Event & Tour
November 19

Cemetery Etiquette

Cemeteries are sacred places where the dead are laid to rest with dignity; therefore, visitors are expected to behave respectfully. Use the following as a guide when visiting any of our cemeteries.

Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries are open to visitors between 8:00am and sundown. Our cemeteries are closed after dark. Please Observe all posted rules.
Keep noise to a minimum. Most people that you will encounter on cemetery grounds are mourning the death of a loved one. If you see a funeral or other service in progress, please be respectful and give them their space
Whenever possible, stay on the roadway. Be aware of your surroundings and watch for vehicles. To the best of your ability, avoid walking on the graves.
Pets must be leashed and accompanied by the owner. Keep your pet under control and clean up after it. Do not allow your pet to roam over graves; rather, keep on the roadway.
Do not litter. This includes cigarette butts. Take away any trash that you bring with you or deposit in the garbage receptacles placed on the grounds.
Do not interfere with the plants or wildlife that inhabits the cemetery. Do not pick or damage flowers on cemetery grounds or adorning a grave. It is greatly upsetting for families to visit the grave and find flowers picked up or damaged.
Do not touch or climb on monuments, as many of them are very old. Do not take rubbings of any monument without getting permission from the Hamilton Municipal Cemeteries to do so. Many stones are fragile and should not be touched.

Cemeteries are wonderful park like settings. Enjoy a casual walk, enjoy the natural beauty of the plants, trees and landscape and explore the history.

Date modified

July 12, 2022