About Us
In 1835, by Deed from the Crown, a group of Presbyterian settlers was given land for a Church and Cemetery, at Springhill.
A partly erected Church, later altered to make a residence for the first Minister, Rev. Wm. Lochead, who arrived
from Scotland in 1846, was the first building on the property. Here the faithful worshipped until a new Church was
erected in 1885, in Vernon. This property is now known as Springhill Cemetery.
First burial in the Cemetery was an infant child of Finley McNeil, son of Mr. John and Mary McArthur McNeil, daughter
of a United Empire Loyalists. Maps of the Cemetery, dating back to 1836, have been carefully preserved. A systematic
record of burials was begun in 1952 when Alex J. Campbell became Secretary Treasurer. Credit is given to Mr. Campbell
and his wife Allison, for the research and recording of the early days of the Cemetery.
In 1851, on property south of the Cemetery, a log school house was erected. Eventually replaced by a brick structure,
this was the local school house for many years. No longer in use, the property was purchased by the Cemetery Board
for $2500, altered and dedicated as the Springhill Memorial Chapel in 1969. The concern, interest and generosity
of many plot owners made this purchase, and the necessary renovations, possible. Credit is given to Dr. Lorne MacLachlan
and the Board of Directors at that time, for their efforts in making this building a great addition to the Cemetery property.
To this day Springhill Cemetery is governed by a volunteer board of directors. The cemetery is registered under
Canadian Charitable Organizations.