Ontario's Historical Plaques
at ontarioplaques.com
Learn a little Ontario history as told through its plaques
Neutral Indian Burial-Ground
Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted August, 2004
Plaque Location
The Region of Niagara
The Town of Grimsby
Along the road inside Centennial Park
off Main Street East (Road 81)
1 km east of Mountain Road/Christie Street (Road 12)
Coordinates: N 43 11.336 W 79 33.164 |
Plaque Text
This nearby burial-ground, one of few representative sites known to have survived relatively intact in Ontario, was used by the Neutral Indians, a confederacy of Iroquoian tribes which occupied the area around western Lake Ontario before 1655. The remains of over 373 individuals were carefully interred here in 31 single graves and 24 multiple graves. Revered by the Neutrals, these remains were typically accompanied by a variety of wares, including carved combs, pipes, pottery, beads, and mid-seventeenth century European trade goods. The burial-ground, discovered in 1976, provides an invaluable record of late Neutral burial-customs and material culture. The remains were reinterred in 1977.
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Posted November 5, 2011
Kenyan, along side the ROM and other archaeologists from the museum worked the site, cataloged the remains(which are in the book Kenyan published)and grave furniture and once that was complete interred the remains and furniture once again. It is one of the most preserved burial sites in S. Ontario. However I would have to say that the historical plaque inclusion of the Neutrals known as the Chonnonton in their language, Attawandaron (people who spoke differently) by the Huron in the Iroquois language group appears outdated now. The Grimsby Museum has a copy of the book containing the dig information which was published by Kenyan and the Royal Ontario museum sometime shortly after the interment. Outside of this copy I have not come across another.
Posted December 4, 2010
According to Kenyon, in his book, "The Grimsby Site: A Historic Neutral Cemetery," the site was discovered in 1976 by a local resident by the name of Mr. Lawson Allez, who was searching for arrowheads on a property that was under development. Mr. Allez phoned the Royal Ontario Museum with notification of the discovery of human remains, and Kenyon arrived on October 14, 1976 to start the excavation. The excavations were not completed until April 4, 1977.
Posted November 3, 2010
but who found them? did the excavation? info. is not provided
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