Photograph: The "Old Cemetery" as it was known, became very much neglected and from the early 1900s locals began agitating for it to be cleaned up. This photograph shows how it had been invaded by pine trees. Also in the photograph is the old Court House built in the mid 1860s and replaced in 1929.
Historical background: Before any upgrading could be started the Borough had to approach the Maori owners. Several years of discussion etc. resulted in the land being offered to the Borough as a gift. In the mid 1920s the "Old Cemetery" became the focus of the activities of the Foxton Beautifying Society and they organised the cleaning up of the section, shaping and grassing of the hill, laying of footpaths, construction of the fence and planting of shrubs. Thus the "Old Cemetery" became Ihakara gardens and the town had one of its iconic features.
The oldest marked grave (1850) is that of Dr J. Best a nephew of Capt. F. Robinson whose son is also buried here. Ann, the daughter of one of the district's other early settlers T and K Kebbell, was buried here in 1854. There are certainly others whose graves are no longer marked, buried here, for this urupu of the Te Awahou marae was the only burial ground in the town until 1871. Besides Ihakara, there are six other Maori of his whanau listed on the headstones. Earlier photographs show picket fences around sites where there is now no indication of a burial having taken place. There are twelve people who it is considered would almost certainly have been buried here.
