St. Margarets Pioneer Cemetery Restoration

Home

NEWS & EVENTS

2010 News

November 25, 2010 - An article from PEI's Newspaper, The Guardian

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Arts/Entertainment/2010-11-25/article-1991104/Buried-treasure/1

A rock wall of ages ago has now been fully uncovered at St. Margaret of Scotland Pioneer Cemetery.

The sandstone structure strings like a chain of rock pearls around the perimeter of this historic site in St. Margarets, which officially dates back to 1803 but goes even further back to the 1700s when the first Scottish settlers arrived.

A crew of four and a foreman has been working diligently for the past few weeks to uncover each of these sandstone nuggets, sometimes using tools as small as a trowel to excavate the stone wall details.

“I kind of felt like an archeologist,” says Margaret MacDonald of Souris, who is one of the workers on this 15-week project, which was funded by Skills P.E.I., the Island Community Fund and the St. Margaret’s Pioneer Cemetery Management Committee.

“It was really exciting when we started uncovering (each wall). Then we’d see the wall when it was all done it was, ‘Oh my god I love that one.’ And then we’d do another one and we’d love that one. Now I love that one the best,” she adds enthusiastically, pointing to the eastern wall with an old apple tree growing at its centre point.”

Add a comment

Stone Wall Excavation begins!

Our committee received funding for a work project through Skills PEI and the Island Community Fund earlier this year - which was approved. The project concept is to hire a foreman, and four unskilled workers who could learn a trade, i.e. carpentry, etc. and develop their skills, while at the same time, helping to restore the cemetery.

The project commenced on October 18, and it is a 15-week project which will restore the stone wall around the cemetery; building two gates; a tool storage shed; and at the cemetery, as well as a garage at St. Margarets Hall. The project foreman, Lennie Rose, started Oct 18 organizing and planning the project work for the team which started on October 25.

After the first week of work, tremendous progress on excavating the stone wall was achieved, and we are very pleased with these efforts. A rented Bobcat earth mover helped the team clear both sides of the wall. The team is busy clearing roots and debris and organizing the stones. Local Island sandstone from nearby shores will be used to complete missing sections of stone wall, in the tradition of our ancestors. The team is enjoying what they are doing and they all work so well together. This is a unique experience for all of us - and they are happy to be a part of it!

Add a comment

2010-October Rural Beautification Award Win

We won the Rural Beautification Award again!

October 2010 - For the second year in a row, we are proud to announce that we have received a rural beautification award! Thank you to all those who have contributed to the restoration of the Cemetery!

Add a comment

Cemetery Update - Fall 2010

A tremendous amount of work has occurred in the cemetery. With the restoration work, a number of stones were uncovered (i.e. they had become buried over the years), and these stones were fixed and righted. The cemetery is now in excellent shape, and receives a steady flow of visits on almost any day with good weather.

In the fall of 2010, a grant to restore the stone wall is being investigated. The cemetery appears to be unique among known PEI cemeteries in that it is surrounded by a sandstone wall. With the passage of time, the wall has become completely covered with soil and is now visible only as a mound. Some excavation work has confirmed the use of large sand stones. We hope to have this wall restored for 2011.

Add a comment

CBC Island Morning Radio Program interview

On July 23, the CBC Program Island Morning interviewed Kelly Stephen, the author of the Memorial Book was interviewed. You can listen to the interview by clicking this link.

Add a comment