Geographic location: Lot 9, Conc. 5, Stanhope

Current address: 1125 Boshkung Lake Rd., 2 kms. from Hwy. 35 at T-junction

Date range: over 150 years

Interesting facts:

In 1861 Thomas Mason made his way to Stanhope Township after a remarkable series of escapades. His family farmed the same land, once called The Maples, for 134 years and along the way experienced success and tragedy. On the corner of the property is a small cemetery plot surrounded by cedar trees that holds the remains of three small boys who died in the 1860s and 1870s. A small brass plaque remembers the lives of the 3 children, including 2 year-old George Mason, who drowned in Boshkung Lake in 1865.

Thomas Mason has been called the Patriarch of Boshkung because of his authoritative presence in rural life on "the island". Source: Stanhope Heritage Driving Tour brochure / Stanhope Museum collection

Public access: The cemetery is public; the farm is not.

Current use: Farm

Photo 1. Mason cemetery - Stanhope Heritage Driving Tour brochure:

Photo 2: Mason Farm in the 1990s. Source: Carol Moffatt