St. Margarets Pioneer Cemetery Restoration

By 1860 the settlement had moved further inland from the shore and for convenience the church was hauled up to the present location. This church burned in 1921 on June 10. If I recall rightly, the fire was started by a spark from the train and burned a large area from Five Houses to Danny Sandy's.

Some markers from the old cemetery were moved from the shore to the new graveyard but most remained. In 1974 the historical spot at the shore was restored by the Department of Health and the Heritage Foundation, under the supervision of John McAleer of the Department of Vital Statistics.

The old markers represent a way of life that is gone now. One can imagine the many hours spent in the home carving out a memorial to a loved one on the sandstone slab. What if the word could not be completed on the line? Carry it over to the next. What we see today (and the carving is still clear on most of the sandstone) is the labour of love and more enduring than our cold granite ones of today.

As I wander around the stones, I wonder at the number of them that have the words, in English or Latin, "Rest in Peace." Today, now that the stones have been restored and the old cemetery is again being cared for, I truly believe the pioneers finally rest in peace.