The town of Port Medway is barely 20 years older than this cemetery, which, according to its sign, came into use in 1783, three years before it became an official burial ground. Laid out in 1786, the cemetery was one acre in size at the time. By 1786 there had already been forty burials at the site, which was until then an "unofficial" burial ground.
The oldest headstone is that of Sam Mack, the founder of nearby Bridgewater, who died in 1783. The most recent burial was that of Josephine Wentzell, 1855 - 1938. In total,
Rootsweb lists 306 known burials in the cemetery.
The cemetery contains a great many ornately carved old headstones dating from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The stones include those made of sandstone, white bronze, marble, granite, and zinc. Recognized for its age, location, historical associations, headstones and landscape features, the burial ground is now a Provincial Heritage Site.
Old Port Medway Cemetery
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Old Port Medway Cemetery is located on the Old Port Medway Road near Foster's Point Wharf on a high bluff over looking Medway Harbour, in Port Medway, NS. The provincial designation applies to the land, burial monuments, and associated features of the cemetery.
HERITAGE VALUE
The Old Port Medway Cemetery is valued for its age, location, historical associations, headstones, and landscape features.
Port Medway is a small, sea-side community that was first settled in the 1760s by New England fishermen. The 1786 proprietors’ records of the near-by town of Liverpool note that a “Publick Burying Ground, containing one acre of land, be allowed and laid out in Port Medway,” and that at the time of this motion forty graves already existed.
The location of the cemetery, on a high bluff over looking the harbour, reflects the ties of the settlers to the ocean. The oldest headstone is that of Sam Mack, who died in 1783. Mack is associated with the E.D. Davidson Mill enterprise and was the founder of nearby Bridgewater. The cemetery also contains a marker for Alexander Dunlap, the first magistrate of Port Medway, and a cluster of headstones for the Cohoon family, many of whom were among the founders of Port Medway. The cemetery is no longer in use; the last person was buried there in 1939.
The elaborate carving of the older headstones is rare and unique. The stones display a wide variety of subject matter, styles, and materials, including sandstone, white bronze, white stone (marble), granite, and cast zinc and are known of come from a variety of places including Halifax, Liverpool, Kentville, Saint John, and St. Thomas.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- mature trees, including Basswood and Linden trees;
- location on bluff, overlooking Medway Bay;
- headstones of various ages carved from materials including white bronze, white stone (marble), granite and cast zinc and display a variety of subjects and styles.
From Historic Places Canada