Description of Historic Place

This early cemetery is located on a hill overlooking the Dock River. It is on the west side of Route 12 about one hundred metres from the Alberton town limits. The one acre site contains various styles of gravestones bordered by mixed evergreen and deciduous trees.

Heritage Value

The cemetery is valued for its historical association with the Presbyterian settlers of the Alberton area.

One of the oldest churches in the Cascumpec or Alberton area was the Old Dock Presbyterian Church which was built near this cemetery between 1833 and 1835. It was replaced by another church on the site in 1856, but this was destroyed by fire just before it was completed.

The congregation decided to build again, but this time they located the church closer to the centre of the Town of Alberton, about one kilometre from the cemetery site. This church was completed in 1857. It is now known as Gordon Memorial United Church.

The cemetery was likely in use from the time of the construction of the first church around 1833. The first recorded interment was that of infant Orestes Travers in 1844. The last was that of Miss Mabel D. Fielding in 1981, a retired school teacher who lived to the age of 104 years. Another notable Alberton resident who rests here is the Hon. Benjamin Rogers, who was a member of the PEI Legislative Council from 1878-1904. He later served as PEI's lieutenant governor from 1910-1915.

Many of the early settlers were originally from Scotland and included: Fraser, Clark, Hardy, Hunter, Dunbar, Campbell, Wells, Currie, Rennie, McArthur, Rogers, Hubbard, Forsyth, and Matthews.

The site contains a variety of interesting styles of gravestones which remain legible. The inscriptions of the earliest sandstone markers have unfortunately weathered away. The site continues to be well maintained by volunteers.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/A48

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the cemetery is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the prominent location of the cemetery on a hill overlooking the Dock River
- the mixed hardwood and softwood trees which form a perimeter around the site
- the variety and style of gravestones with their inscriptions
- the potential for unmarked graves on the site