This small park west of downtown has a strange history. The first cemetery for the city of York (later Toronto) was established here in 1763. The graveyard served its purpose until 1863 when it reached its capacity. Meanwhile, it became part of a public square named after Princes Victoria. After years of neglect, the abandoned graveyard was converted into a park in the 1880s.
The creepy thing is that graves are still under the park. This gives a literal meaning to the 'walking on someone's grave' expression. Out of around 400, only 17 headstones survived through time. These are on display on the eastern side of the park.
A monument to the war of 1812 was added to the park in 1902. Its plaques commemorate the officers and the soldiers who died in the defense of York during the said war.
The Old Soldier's bust was sculpted by the famous Canadian sculptor Walter Seymour Allward.
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