St. Margarets Pioneer Cemetery Restoration

Crew unearths a well at ruins of Parish Priest Home

During the early era of the cemetery, located in the field directly across from the cemetery, was the home of the Parish Priest; all that remains of the house today is a small hole in the ground and and the outline of the foundation.

One of the crew was walking around the ruins and he noticed an unusual mound of clay, and as we have learned, where there is a mound, there is probably something in it.

He got the crew and they removed several layers of topsoil, and you can get an impression of how much digging was required by looking at the photo.  After some of the mound of clay was removed, they found a stone which had an inscription indicating that there was a well underneath. 

The stone was removed, and they discovered a well of 50 feet in depth, in excellent condition.  The well is dry, but could likely become a working well with some excavation.

Archaelologists tell us that these wells are not unusual and that hundreds of them can be found across the province, but we think it is a pretty interesting find!

A cover has been placed over the well for safety purposes, but a door has been provided to allow for observation.  There are no current plans for future work on the well, but it may be considered in 2011.

For some pictures of the well, click on the photo below to start a slideshow.

Mystery Stone unearthed

In the late stages of the excavation work, the crew mentioned that they had uncovered a stone with unusual markings, which you can see on the left.

The stone had deteriorated, with a chunk of it falling off during the excavation.  The stone is very unusual because of the markings on its surface.  Note the lines, which are mostly at right angles although a few other markings can be found.

We do not know the origin of this stone.  It may have been a stone on which a lot of work was performed; or it may also be stone writing left by the pioneers or early vistors.

In doing a little research on the stone, we have identified that the lines could possibly be a form of Irish writing, known as Ogdan, which had been done on stones, or perhaps it is some sort of Viking rune stone - they visited Newfoundland, and there are many stories that they travelled throughout the region. 

Of course, maybe the easiest explanation is that it was a work stone of some sort.  An odd stone in any event and worth a look when you visit the cemetery.

For some pictures of the stone, click on the photo below to start a slideshow.

Unusual stone found during Wall Excavation

Pick a spot in Prince Edward Island and all that you are likely to find is red sandstone rocks, which is why the following stone is so unusual. 

We don't know exactly what type of stone it is, but we can tell you that it is not local to this area. 

We do not know if the presence of the stone is coincidental or if there is a reason why it was found in the cemetery!