The Rockwood Cemetery may be the site of an archaeological study in the near future.
At the May 15 Guelph-Eramosa council meeting director of parks and recreation Robin Milne explained Wilfrid Laurier University is considering the Rockwood Cemetery for a potential research project beginning in 2019.
“They want to do kind of a whole genealogical research about the Quakers in Rockwood and so they want to dig through the archives,” Milne said. They would also use a “ground penetrating device” that Milne said shoots sonar into the ground.
“Then the way that the sound reflects up can tell you if the soil’s ever been disturbed and it will tell you the location of grave sites,” he explained.
The project stemmed from the township’s lack of historical data about a specific section of the cemetery.
“If you read through the history of the Quakers it would lead you to believe that possibly there’s burials down the maple tree line that borders the (Rockwood) Academy and it also would lead you to believe that there’s possibly burials within the southern edge of the academy property,” Milne said.
He reached out to officials with at Wilfrid Laurier University archeological department, who expressed interest in the project.
“They’re doing it as research so it’s not an expense to the municipality. So I think in the future when this project’s done, if they choose to do our location as a project, we could have some really cool interpretive signage in the Rockwood Cemetery,” Milne said.
He is scheduled to meet with university representatives this summer to discuss the feasibility.
“I think this is fantastic,” Mayor Chris White said. “This is incredible.”
Cemetery bylaw
Guelph-Eramosa council also passed a new bylaw for the Rockwood Cemetery.
On Jan. 1 the municipality took over complete ownership, care and maintenance of the cemetery.
The bylaw passed on May 15 lays out guidelines for the operation of the cemetery which were reviewed by the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO).
During the public review period the township received two written comments.
“There was some tweaking to the wording within the bylaw that resulted from those submissions,” Milne said.
Councillor Mark Bouwmeester asked if the BAO would need to be involved with any changes.
Milne explained it’s likely only changes that are “integral to the bylaw” that would need to go through a full review.
