Mount Pleasant Cemetery: An Illustrated Guide

by Mike Filey

Established in 1876, Mount Pleasant Cemetery has a rich and textured history. It is the keeper of thousands of stories, each of which has contributed to the history of our city, province, and country.

Many of Canada’s most beloved figures rest there - William Lyon Mackenzie King, Foster Hewitt, Glenn Gould, and Timothy Eaton are just a few. Other, less known historical figures are buried there also - the first Canadian soldier killed in First World War and victims of the 1949 Noronic disaster.

Along with a fascinating account of the cemetery’s history, this illustrated guide includes descriptions of the remarkable monuments and the beautiful horticultural features. Accompanying maps detailing their locations make this book a perfect companion for a walking tour through the grounds.

Genres: Nonfiction, Canada

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Mike Filey was born in Toronto in 1941. He has written more than two dozen books on various facets of Toronto’s past and for more than thirty-five years has contributed a popular column, “The Way We Were,” to the Toronto Sunday Sun.

Reviews

[Loren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an earlier edition of the book, published in 1990 by Firefly Books. It suffers from a serious lack of graveyard photos, so that if you wanted to visit any of these eminent fellows, it would be hard to know what you're looking for. And wow, does it skew toward the fellows: a scan of the first 150 pages turns up only 3 women. These issues may have addressed in the newer edition.

I hope so, anyway. I love Toronto and would really like to explore its graveyards sometime soon, but I require more guidance than this book provides.

[Carrie Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive guide to prominent Canadians buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetary, Toronto ON. A lot of history set in a beautiful arboretum and historic landmark in Toronto

[Robert Muir · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book go0d to glance through occasionally or to read by stages for those interested in Toronto's history from an unusual perspective and a look at some of those who made it.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mount Pleasant Cemetery is here in Toronto near where I work. In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto (then known as York) were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England. Deceased citizens who didn't belong to either of these Christian denominations had no choice but to find burial arrangements outside of the city.

In 1873, a new cemetery available to all citizens was conceived. Originally a 200-acre farm on the far outskirts of Toronto (it's now in the centre of the city), Mount Pleasant Cemetery opened November 1876. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2000.

The book begins with the early history of the cemetery, followed by chapters about the monuments and their histories and the trees and shrubs. What follows are almost 300 stories about some of the people who are buried there (it is the final resting place of more than 168,000 people). They range from the famous to the non-famous ... veterans, survivors of the Titanic, medical personalities, entertainers (Mary Pickford's father is buried there), businessmen, politicians, sports personalities, etc. The stories are bite-sized with info about where the person was born, what they did and where they died. It's a handy guide if you are touring the cemetery.

Though there are pictures of some of the people buried there, it would have been nice to have some pictures of their monuments, gravestones, etc.

Mike Filey had a column in the Toronto Sun for about 30 years and I read it for many years (I like learning about the history of Toronto). I've read a lot of his books about the history of Toronto and have enjoyed them.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2017/01...

[Kristine Morris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well it might seem a bit strange to read a book about 200 dead in Mount Pleasant Cemetery but there were some great nuggets of Toronto history in this book – especially some of Toronto’s most successful business entrepreneurs who left school early to take jobs as clerk and moving their way up to become President in relatively short order. After the turn of the century, most of those “resting places” featured were men who graduated with either medicine or law degrees. Very few women are featured. Names you might know: Frederick Banting, Charles Best, Barry Britnell (of the Britnell bookstore), Edmund Burke, George A. Cox, Timothy Eaton, Robert Falconer, Joseph Flavelle, Glenn Gould, William Lyon Mackenzie King, John Lyle, Hart Massey, Oliver Mowat, Alexander Muir, Forsey Page, Ted Rogers, Egerton Ryerson, Robert Simpson, George Weston, Edward Rogers Wood (from Wood Gundy).