St. Andrew's is "a superb example of "carpenter's
Gothic" architecture; this building was constructed to serve a
Church of Scotland congregation organized about the year
1829.
It was built during the rectorship of the Rev. Donald Ross by John
McDonald, a local contractor, and opened for service on November
11, 1862.
St. Andrew's tall, pointed openings and central, projecting tower
demonstrate how strongly its design was influenced by early
Victorian architecture of the Gothic Revival. It is distinguished
by its refined composition and excellent joinery, and many
elements, such as the buttresses, are very slender because they are
executed in wood. The tower is surmounted by a handsome, octagonal
spire of more solid form. St.Andrew's has been twice extended, and
in 1946 its interior was extensively renovated." OHF citation
The Church's cemetery is located across the
street and is the final resting place for many of the first
settlers in the Maple area. The tombstones are etched with names of
many of the founding families like Noble, and prominent members of
the community such as Aitken, MacNaughton, McDonald,McLean and
others.
Of particular note, is the marker for the Noble
Family, one of the founding families of Maple, and the maternal
side of Lord Beaverbrook.
It is also the final resting place of one of the many young men
that small towns across Ontario and the rest of the country sent to
fight for God, King and Country in World War I.
141 Battalion C.E.F.
Private
Thomas Allen Noble was born on January
13,1900.
Thomas was the grandson of Joseph Noble, Maple's
first Postmaster in 1852.
Thomas enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.) on
February 6, 1917 and then again in May 15, 1918. He listed his
birthday on his "Attestation Papers" as Jan 13, 1899 in order to
join the army.In total, he spent over two years at the front, first
in MT (Mechanized Transport), was transferred to the 44th Battalion
and then to the 141st Battalion.
He rose to the rank of private.
The war must have had a profound effect on Thomas. He enlisted
twice, spent over 2 years fighting, and the only commentary on his
headstone about his life was the mention of his service to his
country, his battalion and his rank. At the end that is all that
appears to have mattered to Thomas.
He died in 1979, at age 79, having survived the
war .
We all owe a great deal to all of the veterans
from every small town and hamlet across this country for their
service and sacrifice so that we might enjoy the freedoms we have
today.
The
Cache
The idea behind the cache is to
commemorate and remember the original settlers and pioneers of
the area and the sacrifice they and their heirs made in order that
we might enjoy the life we have today.
This is an "Memorial" cache, and from time to
time there will be various travel bugs to commemorate and honour
the sacrifices they made.
It is hoped that travel bugs will journey across the country and
remind others of men and women who carved a home out of the
wilderness with their bare hands, and then gave not only their
lives, but those of their children to defend it and ensure its
future.
Our goal is that in some small way the presence
of a geocache will increase the awareness of the rich history of
Maple.
The cache is a traditional cache in a small camouflaged lock-n-lock
container is located in the cemetery. The story of the cemetery
will give you some clues as to the general location of the
cache.
Initially placed inside the cache is a logbook, pencil and Canadian
Flags, and from time to time assorted travel bugs.
If you take a flag, please leave a flag or a pin in its
place,preferably with an army or Canadian History theme.
Like our other caches, key dates will trigger the
appearance of special items that will be announced.
This is the second in a series of caches aimed at
increasing the awareness of our rich Canadian History!
I Did Not Know That!
Caches of York
Combine your interest in history with geocaching by visiting
the
other I Did Not Know That! series of caches. Get
some
fresh air, discover the physical world around you, and improve
your
knowledge of the area.
Baker Cober Cemetery-GC28FAH-Pennsylvania to
Vaughan
Captain Vince's Graduation Cache-GC1TRME-The King
Township Museum
General John's Graduation Cache-GC1VCGW-A Short History
of the York Regional Police
Jacob's House-GC1VMOV-The Home of One of Maple's
First
Famlies
Marion's Dream-GC1M2G8-One of Canada's First Women
Aviators and The Maple Airport
Michael's House-GC28FDA-One of Maple's Pioneer
Families
St. Stephen's Anglican Pioneer Cemetery-GC28AVB-Pioneer
Cemetery in York Region
The de Havilland Cache-GC1V8V9-The Canadian Air
and
Space Museum
The Wedding Cache-GC28F6D-Pioneer Social Life in
Maple
Thomas's Memorial-GC1TWCH-St.Andrews Presbyterian
Church and Cemetery