Though Acadians came to the area after the 1755 expulsion, they mainly settled farther north, around Tignish. The town of Northport, near Alberton, began to take shape around 1780, while Alberton itself didn't come into existence until the 1840s. It went through several name changes, including "Cross Roads", "The Cross" and "Stump Town" before finally becoming Alberton in honor of Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales. Later, as King Edward VII, he visited Prince Edward Island in 1860. The community was named Alberton on 27 June 1862.
The Old Dock Presbyterian Church, named for its proximity to the Dock River, was built at this cemetery between 1833 and 1835. It burned in 1856, was rebuilt and immediately burned again. At that point the congregation decided to re-rebuild in the town. That church, built in 1857, remains in use, though it was moved 150 metres from its original location in 1927.
All this serves to indicate that the Old Dock Cemetery was likely the first in the vicinity of Alberton. The earliest recorded interment was that of infant Orestes Travers in 1844, while the last was that of Miss Mabel D. Fielding in 1981, a retired school teacher who lived to the age of 104.
There are around 200 headstones in the cemetery, and it's very likely that there are a number of unmarked graves within.
Old Dock Cemetery
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.
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
From Historic Places Canada