Absalom Shade Monument, Cambridge - Restoration
The Trinity Cemetery Committee received a grant in 1992 to restore the Absalom Shade monument. William Dickson came to Canada in 1792 and was called upon to act for the Six Nations and employed to legalize all transactions. Dickson called on his friend Absalom Shade to cultivate his interests in the Township of North Dumfries and Waterloo County. Shade, a Pennsylvanian German from Buffalo, can be described as "a carpenter by trade, and a visionary by inclinations". There were at least 40 families in the township, mainly Scottish from either New York or direct from the Old Country, who paid 4 pounds per acre for their farms. Because of the benefactory nature of Mr. Shade's administration, the settlement became known as "Shade's Mills". In 1827, the settlement was renamed "Galt" after John Galt, a friend of Shade and Dickson, and a prominent figure of the times. Shade was one of the first settlers in the Cambridge area and was recognized by the community as a driving force in its development. He not only saw to the development of this area, but also spearheaded the construction of the Trinity Church. He and Dickson Jr. paid for most of the structure which was consecrated in 1844. He went on to build and finance a Sunday School building in 1855. When he died on March 15, 1862, Absalom Shade left a bequest of 6,000 pounds to finance the building of a rectory. In honour of this great man and founder of "Galt" one can still view his monument in the Trinity Church Cemetery in Cambridge.
