Welsford-Parker Monument & Old Burying Ground
The Welsford-Parker Monument (1860) is an imposing structure with its lion-topped edifice at the main entrance to the Old Burying Ground at the corner of Barrington Street and Spring Garden Road, across from Government House. The monument honours two Nova Scotians killed in 1855 while leading an assault at Sebastopol during the Crimean War, Major Augustus Welsford of the 97th Regiment and Captain William Parker VC of the 77th Regiment. It is a rare pre-Confederation Canadian war memorial and described as the only Crimean War monument in North America. The Old Burying Ground dates to the establishment of Halifax in 1749 and was turned over to Paul’s Anglican Church in 1793. It served as the city’s main cemetery until 1844 and contains 1,300 headstones. The Old Burying Ground contains War of 1812 burials, including the tomb of Major General Robert Ross who led British forces in burning Washington. A second major restoration of the site is underway.