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Old North Head Cemetery

6 Cemetery Lane, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2010/01/11

The Old North Head Cemetery has low cement walls leveling some family plots. Most of the cemetery is level with roads throughout.; Grand Manan Historical Society
Old North Head Cemetery
This monument to Robert Bells is an example of the diverse collection of headstones in the Old North Head Cemetery; Grand Manan Historical Society
Monument to Robert Bell, 1909
This historic image from the turn of the 20th century shows the Old North Head Cemetery with the Church of Ascension in the background; Grand Manan Archives, image from the Wooster collection
Old North Head Cemetery

Other Name(s)

Old North Head Cemetery
North Head Cemetery
Cimetière de North Head

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2010/02/24

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Old North Head Cemetery is located on the top of a hill overlooking the North Head Harbour. The cemetery is not visible from Route 776 as it is up a very steep hill and located in behind the Church of Ascension buildings located at the very top of the hill. The cemetery is fairly level and easily accessible.

Heritage Value

The Old North Cemetery is designated a Local Historic Place as the final resting place for many citizens of Grand Manan Island. Various graves are of those who drowned in shipwrecks off the coasts of the Grand Manan Archipelago. The surnames of those buried here are still common on the island today. The oldest graves are for Capt. Wm. H. Benson dated 1783, and Ebenezer Gaskill dated Nov. 1788. The newest grave from this section is for Robert Bell 1909. A narrow gravel road divides the currently used part of the cemetery from the old cemetery.

Source: Grand Manan Archives – Local Historic Places files

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Old North Head Cemetery include:
- perched location overlooking North Head Harbour;
- family plots separated by narrow pathways;
- many tall family monument stones;
- headstones made of various stone materials, including marble and granite.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

New Brunswick

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NB)

Recognition Statute

Local Historic Places Program

Recognition Type

Municipal Register of Local Historic Places

Recognition Date

2010/01/11

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1783/01/01 to 1909/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Building Social and Community Life
Religious Institutions
Peopling the Land
Settlement

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Religion, Ritual and Funeral
Mortuary Site, Cemetery or Enclosure

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

Anglican Church

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Grand Manan Archives, 1941 Route 776, Grand Manan, NB

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

1976

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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