BANFF – The Old Banff Cemetery has a deep historical connection to the community.
But over the years, lichen and moss have built up on many of the gravestones, some have toppled over, others are sinking into the ground, some are broken.
Residents organizing a clean-up of gravestones on June 11 and 12 are frustrated that restoration and preservation of aging or deteriorating headstones, which are considered private property in the Town of Banff-managed historic cemetery, seem to be falling through the cracks.
The small group of volunteers worries Banff’s heritage and wealth of history will be lost to future generations without proper preservation of markers and gravestones.
“Is this the way we honour our dead?” said Paulette Zarkos, a born and raised Banffitte who has been spearheading a volunteer-driven headstone restoration project at the Old Banff Cemetery.
“This is a special place, I know so many people here. If this generation doesn’t care about this, who will?”
The Old Banff Cemetery, which was designated a municipal historical resource in 2016, is a resting place for more than 2,000 souls, including many of Banff’s earliest pioneers and founding families.
The engraved tombstones hold the names of many of Banff’s historic figures and community builders, such as Dr. Robert Brett, Jim Brewster, Mary Schäffer Warren, Norman Luxton, Norman Sanson, Tom Wilson, A. O. Wheeler and Bill Peyto.
Mingled among them are also those whose stories remain a mystery.
The Old Banff Cemetery also provides space for the nearby Bankhead mining community that closed in 1922. The Bankhead Miners Memorial honours the 15 miners killed over the former town’s 22-year mining history.
Several other historically significant features are included in the cemetery, too, such as a military field of honour. Veterans Affairs Canada sent a contractor last August to clean and do restoration work on 48 veterans’ monuments.
As part of the headstone restoration project, volunteers and families have already cleaned the gravestones of about 350 people over the past 12 months, many of which were hard or impossible to read due to the build-up of moss and lichen.
For Shelley MacAulay, a born and raised Banffite, the upkeep of the site is paramount given her strong personal family connection.
She has family members buried there, including most recently her brother Herb MacAulay in 2016, but she is also a descendent of Adelia Woodworth, who died in 1890 and is believed to be the first baby buried at the Old Banff Cemetery.
“I have very strong feelings being in a resort town and being the place people come to hear all of the stories associated with people buried here,” she said.
“There are so many stories here, but then we let the final resting place go to ruin. We need to maintain the integrity and respect of the cemetery.”
The valued volunteers are small in number and don’t have enough resources to clean all deteriorating gravestones. They also don’t have the ability or equipment to fix crumbling or toppling headstones.
The Town of Banff maintains the grounds, trees, fencing, roadway and paths, and manages interment, but the gravestones are considered private property.
“Whoever purchases the plot, the headstone is their property,” said Zarkos, whose grandfather, mother, father and brother are all buried at the Old Banff Cemetery.
“Unfortunately, no one is left to take over maintenance in many cases – maybe they’ve died, or moved away from Banff.”
Zarkos believes it’s vital to preserve the headstones for future generations to remember the history of those who built the town into what it is today.
She said the Old Banff Cemetery is a monument to the people who came to the Rocky Mountains and forged a living and raised their families.
“People in here came from all over the world. They found mountain passes, they found lakes, they were trailblazers, worked in the mines, they were a tight-knit community,” said Zarkos.
“Spending a little time with your ancestors is a moment that changes your soul.”
The Old Banff Cemetery, nestled between Buffalo Street, Wolverine Street and the base of Tunnel Mountain, was established in the 1800s and was formally designated a burial ground in 1890.
There were two extensions to the cemetery over the years, one in 1933 and another in 1939 before it was deemed full in the 1940s. Burials in recent years are limited to those whose families are already there.
The cemetery has several unique features that make it significant from a heritage perspective.
Its original oval-shaped layout with cross-shaped pathways, which was not replicated in later extensions, is unique to Canada. It also has a secluded and park-like setting, including tall aspen and spruce trees that line the original pathways.
The 1933 toolshed at the cemetery’s southern edge, several commemorative plaques designed by local artist Charlie Beil, the Brett, Brewster and Grant mausolea, and the Military Field of Honour at the cemetery’s southern end, all add to the heritage value.
Town of Banff officials say the monuments and headstones are private property, noting the municipality is responsible for the cemetery records, management of the cemetery and maintenance of cemetery grounds.
They say they do not install or maintain headstones unless there is no plot owner contact when something is unsafe. They have to approve any work done at the cemetery, like approving a monument before manufacturing and installation.
“Grave markers are not like homes which have requirements for a specific level of upkeep under our community standards bylaw,” said Jason Darrah, a spokesperson for the Town of Banff. “Private property owners decide the level of upkeep for grave markers.”
For those families who can’t participate in the headstone cleanup in June, permission is needed before volunteers can start the work. Letters of permission can be emailed to [email protected].
Volunteers will be provided with D2, a biological solution that removes the lichen and moss to protect the headstone for years to come.
More volunteers are encouraged to participate in the clean-up on Saturday, June 11, and Sunday, June 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We’ve got permission to clean hundreds of graves, but we don’t have that many volunteers,” said Zarkos.
