Tombstone Tuesday - Johnstone Cemetery

It is just over two years ago that I went for a Sunday afternoon drive with a friend when we came upon a small roadside cemetery. I insisted that we stop to have a look.

A view of the area from the road.

The Cairn remembering the former church

Johnson

 Presbyterian Church

1920

This cairn is erected in constant and

loving memory to the pioneers of the

Johnstone community who found a

House of God about 1859 and to the suc-

cessive congregatons of dedicated men and

women and their pastors, who in 1920,

by the generosity of John Johnstone built

a new brick church on this site, where

they worshiped until it was closed in 1969.

part of the area

MACGREGOR

In commeration of

the 150th anniversary of

the arrival of

Peter and Janet MacGregor

In March 1842

with their children

from the Isle of Mull, Scotland

I posted some information about the cairn and church in a previous blog article

Tombstone Tuesday - Johnstone Cemetery

 

The Johnson Presbyterian Church cairn is in front of the few monuments that are in a fenced in area. The cemetery is five miles north of Annan on the Balaclava Road. A frame church was built on the Johnstone property in 1858. In 1920, it was replaced with a brick building. John Johnstone, son of William, who had originally gave the land, gave a bequest through his will to go towards the new church. In 1925, the church became a United Church. The last church service was 23 November 1969.

Ken Kivell built the stone cairn to mark the original location of the church. He inlaid the slab of stone from the building that bore the name "Johnson Presbyterian Church". The cairn was dedicated on 6 November 1977.