A highlight of the year 1968 was the 125th anniversary celebration of the June 23, 1843 consecration of Old St. James’. The speaker at the evening service was former rector, the

Venerable G.S. Tanton, Archdeacon of Prince Edward Island.

THE CEMETERY (Reprinted from Climbing the Hill, a History of Birch Hill, compiled by Birch Hill Women’s

Institute)

A row of stately elms, lovingly planted there by Rev. Henry Harper, stands guard over the entrance to St. James’ Church Cemetery, consecrated in 1843 and "put in order" in the year 1890. At this time, each grave was clearly marked by a mound, and each family had a plot so that there was little difficulty in locating the resting place of the deceased. Some families used rails or fences to enclose their plot. The one pictured below, formed of wrought iron, belonged

to the family of Thomas Birch.

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