Toronto Necropolis Cemetery

On my walk to the small but beautifully appointed chapel at the historic Necropolis Cemetery in Toronto, I stopped at the urn niche of diplomat Ken Taylor—whom Americans came to nickname the “Scarlet Pimpernel.” The name references the fictional hero Sir Percy Blakeney, the Scarlet Pimpernel, who used disguises and secret identities to rescue people […]

When you enter the main gate of Toronto Necropolis Cemetery, founded in 1850, and make an immediate left along an old stone footpath, you soon discover a section of the cemetery that serves as the final resting place for many of Toronto’s original families. Within this small, contained area lie four remarkable individuals and their […]

A Legacy of Freedom and Enterprise: Thornton and Lucie BlackburnDiscovered on a walk through Toronto Necropolis Cemetery While walking through Necropolis Cemetery in Toronto, I came across the family plot of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn—two extraordinary Black entrepreneurs whose lives and legacies left a lasting impact on Toronto and Canadian history. The Blackburns were the […]