Christ's Church seeks to dig up and identify hundreds of bodies buried under parking lot

Hamilton's Christ's Church Cathedral wants to relocate the remains of about 400 people buried under a parking lot to make way for a multimillion-dollar condo and retail project. 

The Very Rev. Peter Wall told city councillors Wednesday the Niagara Anglican diocese would like to identify and remove the bodies, now buried in "asphalt hell," beneath the parking lot of the James Street North church.

Wall said many of the bodies are of youth who likely died from illness and disease, part of a large burial ground of 762 graves that date from 1832 to 1853. A portion of the church dates back to 1835.

The diocese plans a condo, retail and commercial development around the historic church, which is one of the oldest cathedrals in Canada. The lot is behind the church bordering Hughson Street North.

The development, still in the design stages, would generate about $500,000 in taxes for the city, Wall said. The current plan is for it to include condos, retail and commercial space and two levels of underground parking.

The project would require the church to buy a neighbouring municipal parking lot, Wall said, and it hopes the city will offer it at a modest price. City council's general issues committee voted Wednesday to have staff report back on the possibility.

The diocese has hired an archeological firm to help with the project, Wall said.

Many of the 762 graves were lost over the years. Some were unidentified and never had gravestones, he said. One of them likely belongs to Richard Beasley, a War of 1812-era soldier and former member of the second Parliament of Upper Canada.

Other remains were relocated or discarded, said Wall, recalling stories of construction crews over the years that tossed bones in dumpsters.

Now, there are different rules, and the relocation will include a countrywide call for next of kin, he said. The church currently has about 25 stones in its basement associated with some of the graves, but the identity of many buried there is a mystery.

The redevelopment is necessary for the church to stay in the increasingly expensive James Street North location, Wall said.

Upkeep costs are as much as $300,000 per year for the congregation of about 300 families, he said.

"We're in the midst of trying to figure out our future," he said. "We want to stay where we are. It's tough. It's expensive."