Description of Historic Place

Frazer Park, located at 6A Church Street, Grand Bank, NL is the site of some of the oldest headstones in the community. Use of the land dates back to the early 1800s, and over the years a chapel and a church hall have been located on the property. The designation is confined to the green space identified locally as Frazer Park and enclosed by a paling fence.

Heritage Value

Frazer Park has been designated a Municipal Heritage Site by the Town of Grand Bank due to its historic, cultural and aesthetic value.

The historical value of Frazer Park lies in its past use as a burial ground for some of the early permanent settlers of Grand Bank and its association with Rev. George C. Frazer. The earliest headstone in Frazer Park dates to 1816 and the latest is dated 1916. A Wesleyan church known as the “Little Chapel” was built here the winter of 1816-17 and many of the stones mark the final resting place of members of this church. In 1903, construction began on a parish hall where the chapel had stood. Headstones were moved from the eastern end of the property to the northwestern end. The hall, which stood until 1979, was named after Rev. George C. Frazer, a native of North Shields, England who came to Newfoundland in 1883 to begin a religious mission. In 1887 he received full commission into the Methodist church and was ordained. He served the Grand Bank Methodist congregation from 1894 to 1897.

Frazer Park has additional historic value due to its association with the wrecks of the Nellie Harris and Tubal Cain. In 1907, Rankin Loyal Orange Lodge #10 hosted the session of the Newfoundland Grand Lodge in Grand Bank. At this meeting, members voted to erect a monument to Grand Bank members of the LOL who had lost their lives at sea, particularly those who perished with the sinking of the schooners Nellie Harris and Tubal Cain a few months earlier. Monies were pledged to the monument and it was unveiled on July 12, 1907. The Importers Association of Grand Bank declared a holiday for the occasion. Of the eight lives lost on the Tubal Cain when she went missing on a return trip from Halifax, four were members of the LOL. Four crewmen on the lost Nellie Harris are also recognized on the monument, as are two other LOL members who drowned in 1906.

Frazer Park has cultural value due to its extended use as a public space. For thirty years it was the site of a chapel used by members of the Wesleyan faith (later known as Methodism). Frazer Hall stood on the site for over seventy years and was the site of many community activities. Although it was constructed by the Grand Bank Methodist congregation, it became a civic space for people of all faiths. Crowds gathered here for supportive patriotic functions during the two World Wars and concerts hosted by schools and other community organizations were held here over the years. In 1987, the Town of Grand Bank declared the area Frazer Park and it has since been used for community gatherings, including the town Christmas Tree lighting, sing-alongs, dramatic productions and picnics.

Frazer Park has aesthetic value due to its environmental setting. Located on Church Street, one of the main historic thoroughfares in the centre of town, it is a well-known landmark in the community of Grand Bank. A traditional, white paling fence surrounds the site and lends to its landmark status.

Source: Town of Grand Bank Regular Council Meeting Motion #2007-946, March 26, 2007.

Character-Defining Elements

All those elements which represent the historic, cultural and aesthetic value of the site, including:
- original memorial stones with their surviving inscriptions;
- positioning of grave markers;
- size, style, location and orientation of monument acknowledging the loss of the Nellie Harris and Tubal Cain;
- present size of Frazer Park at the time of designation;
- open, green space;
- white, paling fence surrounding the site, and;
- unobstructed view from Church Street.