Fairview Cemetery is a cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. It was first established in 1883 and is located at 4501 Stanley Avenue. The cemetery was originally 23 acres in size and has since expanded to 77.6 acres.
History
In 1883, the cemetery was established by a committee for the Town of Niagara Falls. Morton Buckley, the chair of the town's newly formed cemetery committee, arranged to purchase 23 acres from the Adam Shugg farm at the top of Bridge Street. He named it "Fairview" and planted many trees on the grounds. The ornamental iron and stone gates at the former Bridge Street entrance were his gift to the community. The first recorded burial at Fairview Cemetery was Thomas Whittaker, who died on July 20, 1883, at the age of 56.
In 2003, the cemetery established its first columbarium, named Trillium Court. As of 2024, there are two 48-niche units and seven units with 72 to 84 niches. A project to establish 524 more niches is scheduled for completion in 2028. Niagara Falls city council contributed $345,000 in funding, with the remaining $532,000 taken from reserves, due to the increased rate of cremation among the city's residents.
In 2017, Willow's Rest, a green burial site, opened near the west end of Stanley Avenue. Named after a weeping willow within the two-acre burial site, it is an open field bordered by 100 trees. The site includes a small cremation area and can accommodate 500 graves. Grants from CN's EcoConnexion ($25,000) and Land Care Niagara ($40,000) funded the initiative. The first burial occurred before the site officially opened.
In September 2019, a restored stone and granite cenotaph was moved to Fairview Cemetery. The cenotaph honours veterans who served in World War I and was originally constructed in 1950. Also in September 2019, 450 native trees and shrubs were planted at the cemetery as part of TD Tree Day, supported by a $7,000 grant from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.
Features
The cemetery includes a Children's Memorial Garden, a four-tiered Queen Victoria fountain erected in 1897 in honour of her Jubilee Celebration (the fountain stopped flowing in the 1960s but now contains flowers), military memorials, and a tissue donor memorial dedicated in 1990. Cremation options include cremation plots, the Maple Grove columbaria (17 columbaria in a treed park-like setting), and a Remembrance Garden where cremains are buried in flower beds.
Notable burials
- Ralph Bowman, professional hockey player
- Bill Cupolo, professional hockey player
