Glenwood Cemetery tour highlights contributions of prominent Masons

Members of Prince Edward Lodge No. 18 A.F. and A.M. will lead a walking tour of Picton’s historic Glenwood Cemetery Sunday, Sept. 18, at 2 p.m. as part of their 200th anniversary celebrations. The public is invited to join in.
Tour leader will be Gary Foster, sales manager of Campbell Monument and a Past Master of Lake Lodge, Ameliasburgh.  Special guest will be vocalist Lorain Sine.

The history of the local Lodge is closely linked with Glenwood. When the cemetery’s stone chapel was constructed in 1901, Masons donated a large stained glass window in memory of their departed brethren. Many Masons are buried within Glenwood’s gates, among them William Smeaton, who was believed to be the oldest living Past Master of any Canadian Lodge. At the time of his death in 1937, he was 100 years old.

Participants in Sunday’s walk will assemble at the chapel at 2 p.m. The tour will begin at the nearby Masonic plot purchased and donated by Col. Donald Ross, Past District Deputy Grand Master Prince Edward District 1875-76. Tour participants will visit gravesites of approximately 12 distinguished Lodge members whose lives of service became an example for all. A brief commentary on each of these men, and their outstanding contributions, will be provided by Foster.

For those who want to take part in the tour but who may have concerns about walking over Glenwood’s hilly terrain, transportation will be available.

At the close of the tour, light refreshments will be served in Glenwood Chapel.

“Glenwood is pleased to partner with the Masons for this special event,” says Judith Zelmanovits, a cemetery board member who has taken part in planning the upcoming walk.

“A City of the Dead, this cemetery celebrates Lives Lived with events such as Veterans’ Day and the Masonic walk. It’s a place for remembering the words and deeds of those who have gone before. This year, as Prince Edward Lodge celebrates its 200th anniversary, Glenwood celebrates the 110th anniversary of the Lodge’s donation of a beautiful stained glass window in the chapel. It serves as a symbol of our long relationship.”