Notice of Proposed Heritage Designation - Paris Plains Cemetery

The County of Brant Heritage Committee received a request to designate the Paris Plains Cemetery. The adjacent cobblestone church and schoolhouse are provincially designated; there is a desire to designate the cemetery at this time to protect and preserve the history of the site as a whole. Research was conducted to evaluate the one-acre property.

The Paris Plains Cemetery is an active settler cemetery that is the final resting place for many families with deep ties to the County, including veterans from the War of 1812. The land was given to Henry V. S. Maus by employer Absalom Shade (of Galt); in 1823 Maus cleared the plot and shortly after began to use the land as a burial ground. 

The Paris Plains Cemetery is an example of a 19th century cemetery designed in the rural cemetery style and is linked to the history of Paris Plains Church and the Town of Paris. Typical of Ontario cemeteries of this era, it contains a variety of grave markers and monuments which document the many changes in burial practices from the 19th to 21st centuries. The cemetery includes early examples of headstones, as well as many unique monuments displaying local craftsmanship.

The Council of the County of Brant supports the heritage designation of 705 Paris Plains Church Road under the Ontario Heritage Act as a property of cultural heritage value and interest under Section 29(1) of the Ontario Heritage Act (December 20, 2022).  

Notice of objection to the intention to designate the property may be served on the Clerk of the County of Brant in writing at clerks@brant.ca or a local customer service office within thirty (30) days after the date of publication of this notice to be considered by the Council of the County of Brant prior to final decision. Notices must be received by Friday, June 16, 2023. 

For more information, visit the Proposed Heritage Designation webpage.