Wellington Cemetery Tours

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Thursday, July 16th, 2015
10:00 AM to 10:45 AM

Nanaimo’s most hidden cemetery will highlight local history this summer.   The Nanaimo Museum is offering two guided tours of the Wellington Cemetery in July and August.  The tour features the history of Wellington and intriguing stories of the people who lived there.

Wellington was created by Robert Dunsmuir as a coal miners’ town in the 1870s, had a population that rivaled Nanaimo during the late 19th century.  “These tours are ideal for people who want to learn more about local history,” says Aimee Greenaway, Interpretation Curator at the Nanaimo Museum.  “You gain an understanding of the culturally diverse population in Wellington because the markers are inscribed in French, Italian and English.”  Some headstones tell the tragic story of deaths related to mining accidents; events that united them all.

Researching stories of people who were buried in the Wellington Cemetery paints a picture of life in Nanaimo during the height of local coal mining operations.  Significantly, the cemetery is divided into sections by religious denomination.  “There are over 100 recorded burials in the Wellington Cemetery,” says Greenaway.  “But only a few dozen grave markers remain.”  Well-known local names and stories on the tour include Leopold and Josephine Labiaux, who Labieux Road is named after, as well as Thomas Haggart whose house disappeared into a sinkhole after a nearby mine flooded.  The tour includes the story of Haggart’s family emigrating to Vancouver Island and their lives in the area.

The Thursday tours are 45 minutes long starting at 10:00 on July 16 and August 20. The cost is $10 per person and advance registration is required.  The Nanaimo Museum is open 10am-5pm daily until Labour Day weekend.  For more information please call 250 753-1821 or visit www.nanaimomuseum.ca.  The museum is located in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.