CANFIELD—The Street Cemetery is officially open for visitors.
The resting place of some of Haldimand’s earliest black settlers and a focus of public interest following the documentary ‘Canfield Roots’, the Street Cemetery was designated a site of cultural heritage value following a unanimous vote from Haldimand Council on October 29, 2024.
Following many years of efforts by descendants and local historians, the site is now open for the public to visit and pay tribute to those buried on the lands.
Haldimand’s Heritage and Culture Supervisor Anne Unyi joined Community, Development, and Partnerships Manager Katrina Schmitz for a presentation on the history of the site, the work that has been completed so far, and future plans.
“By the late 19th century, Canfield had become one of Haldimand County’s significant settlement areas along the Talbot Road,” said Unyi, before giving some background information on those buried at the site, including Carrie Barnes, the niece of famed American abolitionist and political activist Harriet Tubman.
CANFIELD—Before and after photos demonstrate the extensive and delicate removal work needed before the Street Cemetery could be made open to the public. —Photos courtesy of Haldimand County. 
CANFIELD—Before and after photos demonstrate the extensive and delicate removal work needed before the Street Cemetery could be made open to the public. —Photos courtesy of Haldimand County.
“Stepney (Street) and his wife Lucy raised 14 children and were one of Canfield’s long-standing families,” said Unyi. She explained how Stepney had allowed his family home to be used for church services ahead of donating land for the construction of a brick church with a “strong Baptist congregation in Canfield.”
“The Street Cemetery was created on a small section of farmland owned by Stepney,” she continued.
The cemetery was utilized for nearly a century, beginning with Stepney and Lucy’s two-year old daughter Maryann on September 10, 1846, and ending with their grandson William Andrew Barnes, husband of Carrie Barnes, on February 18, 1943.
“The cemetery is integral to the community’s collective heritage and is one of the few remaining markers of black history in this area. The burial ground is of great heritage value locally, nationally,” said Unyi.
While records indicate 11 known burials in the Street Cemetery, the number of interments may be up to 26. One topic of consideration for the Street Cemetery Stakeholder Committee would be whether to use ground-penetrating radar to do a full examination of the site to confirm this figure.
The cemetery came to the County’s attention in 1993, when Stepney and Lucy’s great-great-granddaughter Betty Brown contacted the provincial government to have the cemetery, which had fallen into a state of severe disrepair, officially recognized and registered as a burial site.
“Betty, along with several passionate, community heritage advocates, including Michael Konkle, persisted for many years to save the cemetery,” said Unyi.
Chief among those advocates has been local historian Sylvia Weaver, who also praised Brown and Konkle for getting the ball rolling: “It was their desire to have it saved. They didn’t achieve that, so we’ve continued on with their work,” said Weaver.
Weaver was very pleased that the Street Cemetery is now designated, stating, “It’s been a long haul getting it done, but it’s registered and we’re on to the next step now.”
In 2023, the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO) granted ownership of the cemetery to Haldimand County. Haldimand has since been working to restore public access to the site, deemed dangerous due to disrepair and overgrowth, using $100,000 in funding to cover repairs.
Schmitz talked about that work, which had a two-phase plan.
“The first was the clean up of the site to make it safe for public access,” said Schmitz, who showed a series of slides and videos showcasing the work. That full video can be seen by looking up the October 29 Council agenda at haldimandcounty.ca.
She highlighted a grass pathway set up to access the site from Haldimand County Rd. 32 that was installed by County staff in 2023. The work included removing brush, unsafe trees, and fencing, along with “limited ground repair, being mindful of the fact that it is a cemetery, and we don’t want to disturb things that shouldn’t be disturbed.”
Schmitz said the second phase is focused on the stakeholder committee, to be made up of Street family descendants and community members determining the “next steps of revitalization and/or rehabilitation of the cemetery.”
Weaver confirmed she will be a member.
“It’s going to cost money. Whether or not we want to go forward and try to get a grant, or just leave it the way it is, or add a few more benches to it, it’s the committee’s decision on what to do next,” she said.
Narrating a video walkthrough of the cemetery as it exists today, Schmitz noted, “You can see the beginnings of the headstones and markers. Unfortunately, there are really no markers still standing. They have pretty much all fallen. Some of them are covered by brush. It was a site that needed a lot of work…. It was more-or-less abandoned for decades.”
As for what’s next, Schmitz said, “We need to have some conversations around what kind of rehabilitation should be undertaken, which was why it was very important to us to include the family members.”
She concluded, “There’s a lot of work that needs to start now, but we’re very excited about it. We’re very happy that we were able to, with Council support, move the property and the cemetery to really give it the attention and recognition it deserves as an important Black cemetery.”
