Owen Sound - Greenwood Cemetery

 

Location:  Grey County   N 44 32.862  W 080 56.506                                                                       The cemetery is located on the west side of 2nd Avenue East.

The main interest in this large cemetery is the Chapel, an historic building from 1906, used for services during inclement weather and a vault for storage of bodies in the winter months, when burials were not possible in the frozen ground.  In the later part of the century, the Chapel was no longer used for burials, with a new mausoleum being built for this purpose.  The Chapel was used as an office and for storage.

The other key element of Greenwood, is the burial place of Owen Sound's most famous son, Billy Bishop.
The grave of William Avery Bishop is very unassuming for Canada's greatest war hero.  His family plot holds only one grave marker, with the names of his family members engraved together.  A makeshift Canadian flag was planted next to the grave, but nothing official, no plaques or signs.
Other areas of Owen Sound celebrate the life and history of Billy Bishop, including an Ontario Historical Plaque along with two other Victoria Cross winners beside the downtown memorial, and a National Historical Site and museum at the Bishop home.