Mackay Cemetery Introduction
Dr. George Leslie MacKay, widely known as Mackay, arrived in Tamsui in 1872 and devoted himself to missionary work, medicine, and education, gaining the admiration and affection of local residents. He passed away from throat cancer on June 2, 1901, in Tamsui and was buried in the land he loved. The Mackay Cemetery is located at the corner of Tamsui Senior High School and was originally the foreign cemetery of Tamsui. However, according to his will, a wall was built to separate his grave from those of other foreigners to signify that Mackay considered himself a Taiwanese. According to documents, the gravestone was donated by his disciples, and the entire tomb is made of stone, likely from Guanyin Mountain, which is known for its hardness and bluish-gray color. After nearly a century, it remains intact, with the carved inscriptions still clear and legible. The orientation of Mackay's grave faces southeast towards the northwest, roughly directed at the Oxford College he established.
