Written by Joe Barkovich, Catholic Register Special,
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INDIANA, Ont. - Indiana, a place that time forgot, is described now as a ghost town. But it was thriving and bustling in the early to mid-1800s, a village along the Grand River in Haldimand County near Cayuga, Ont.
It had its own Roman Catholic church, St. Rose of Lima. It had a Catholic cemetery on the grounds. The church, said Sylvia Weaver of Dunnville, was the first mission church in the county, dedicated in 1841. Eventually, there were five in the area.
Weaver has been researching Catholic history and genealogy in the area for the past three years and her work led to the discovery, and restoration, of the long forgotten cemetery. The restored cemetery was described as “a major undertaking” for a small group of mainly local residents, all of them volunteers.
The cemetery was rededicated on June 16 in a special service presided over by Bishop James Wingle of St. Catharines diocese. Weaver said about 150 area residents were on hand for the service.
“I think we did Indiana proud,” she said. “I think the bishop was quite surprised.”
Indiana, originally known as Grand River Rapids, may have had a peak population of about 600 residents. It had grist mills, a post office and other symbols of commerce, said Dan Walker, an archivist from Delhi.
In addition to its Catholic church, an Anglican and a Presbyterian church were in town too. Lock and canal construction in the early 1800s spurred Indiana’s growth, said Walker. It went into decline in the 1850s when the railroad arrived, he added.
Only two of Indiana’s buildings remain, Hill House and the Gingerbread House, both adjacent to the cemetery site. St. Rose of Lima Church was taken apart and its lumber was sold, according to records.
Weaver, who is co-chair of the Haldimand Genealogical Society, relishes her research work. Though it has been demanding of her time, she says there is a special fulfilment in being able to piece together so much of a disappeared community’s story. Heritage such as this deserves to be preserved so it can be appreciated and enjoyed by others, she said on a day that celebrated Doors Open Haldimand, a heritage event.
She knows, for example, of 350 Roman Catholic baptisms over the years in the Indiana community.
The challenge of finding old information was comparable to “sleuthing.”
“You have to follow the paths of the priests in order to find the records you need,” said Weaver. “They would take them to their next assignment or whatever. So far, we have found records of Indiana in 12 different locations in Ontario and the U.S.”
Weaver’s husband, Donald, said the work in reclaiming the site from the wilds turned out to be “quite an undertaking.” He said it involved cutting trees and tearing out stumps. The site was also overgrown with brush, brambles and vines so clearing this away “was no small chore.” Another volunteer, Joe Long, agreed with him, offering this affirmation: “We left some days with tired muscles and sore backs. We cut trees down by the dozen.”
Long said the gravestones were found lying on the ground. Some were intact but others were cracked or broken.
John Shoveller, a volunteer and a member of Ruthven Park board, told of specialized work required on the markers. He said he took a course to learn how to put them back together properly and cleanly. It involved the use of steel pins and epoxy to hold pieces in place.
Indiana was basically a community of “skilled and unskilled labourers, canal builders and workers,” said archivist Walker. Many of the Catholics who lived here were immigrants from Ireland.
All told, there are 41 markers, all of them now upright, in the old cemetery which has been given new life.
(Barkovich is a freelance writer in Welland, Ont.)
INDIANA, Ont. - Indiana, a place that time forgot, is described now as a ghost town. But it was thriving and bustling in the early to mid-1800s, a village along the Grand River in Haldimand County near Cayuga, Ont.
It had its own Roman Catholic church, St. Rose of Lima. It had a Catholic cemetery on the grounds. The church, said Sylvia Weaver of Dunnville, was the first mission church in the county, dedicated in 1841. Eventually, there were five in the area.
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