levi

Levi is one of dozens who gathered at Greenwood Cenetery in Owen Sound yesterday to remember those who. like the unnamed child on the  card, have no memorial to mark their final resting place.

Aly Boltman led two historical cemetery tours this year at Greenwood.  In her words, "both tours ended at Potter's Field where we talked about the 1200+ people buried in one open area, all without tombstones to mark their lives or their passing. Almost without exception, these people were some of our community's most vulnerable - the poor, the abandoned, the outcasts, and hundreds of stillborn, newborn or toddler children of those without means."

The field also contains the remains of many from Owen Sound's early black community, either escaped slaves or their descendants, those who came up from the US through the Underground Railroad.

Boltman explains that "a donor has come forward as a result of these tours, a citizen who has offered to personally fund the creation of a substantial Potter's Field monument at his own cost. The City of Owen Sound has been extremely supportive of this project and is working cooperatively to see this project to completion."

In cooperation with the City of Owen Sound a survey has been launched to get public input about what the monument should or could be.  This LINK to encourage the public to take this survey and learn more about the project.

"We want this monument to be a community effort ," says Boltman, "Everyone's opinions count!"

You can learn more about the project by opening the survey.  https://www.owensound.ca/en/exploring/potters_field.aspx