We visited this cemetery on June 3rd, 2015. It appears that our timing was impeccable, as the cemetery had just been the beneficiary of a complete restoration and was in pristine condition. CBC News was made aware of the restoration and ran an article on the cemetery and its restoration on May 26, 2015, which can be read further below.
Charlottetown's first Roman Catholic Cemetery, at 123 St. Peters Road, was outside the city limits. It was used from 1811 until about 1843, when this cemetery was consecrated, July 18, 1843. It was used for 40 years. The earliest known burial was that of Moses Keough, on March 10, 1846, while the last was that of Catherine Morris, on July 19, 1884. The cemetery contains the remains of many of the early residents of Charlottetown, including some of its more notable citizens, such as merchant, Daniel Brenan and newspaperman and Father of Confederation, Edward Whelan.
Though it can only be stated with certainty that 460 people have been buried here, research suggests that the true number is much closer to 1,500. Among those buried in unmarked graves are approximately 30 Irish immigrants who died of Typhus Fever shortly after arriving in Charlottetown. Over the years many headstones have been vandalized and removed. Pieces of some of these have been found and returned, to be laid in the back of the cemetery. Also in the cemetery are several large black granite monuments containing the names of those known to be buried here in now unmarked graves.
Historic Longworth Avenue Roman Catholic cemetery restored
The Longworth Avenue Roman Catholic cemetery in Charlottetown has received a major facelift...
CBC News Posted: May 26, 2015 6:01 AM AT
The Longworth Avenue Roman Catholic Cemetery in Charlottetown has received a major facelift and historians say it was worth the five-year wait.
The cemetery was used for 40 years in the mid-1800s and fell into disrepair.
A committee from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown restored the graveyard to its former glory at a cost of around $160,000, which came mostly from donations.
"We've recognized the sanctity of the property and we recognized that some dignity had to be restored to it and we've accomplished that," said Michael LeClair, who headed up the restoration committee.
"Lou Daley, a genealogist and researcher in Prince Edward Island went to old newspapers, to parish records, to any records that he could find basically and pieced it all together," said LeClair. "And he published an article in the Island Magazine, in I believe it was 1991, and that's what we used as the source material."
'Restores dignity'
The committee estimates around 1,500 people are buried in the cemetery but they can only confirm the details on 460.
Many of the stones had been removed or damaged, but a memorial now displays the names of everyone buried in the cemetery — even some famous Islanders such as one of the Fathers of Confederation Edward Whalen.
Historian Ed MacDonald says, whether famous or not, celebrating the history is what counts.
"Many of the people are ordinary people. And when the stones in the cemetery were lost, in a way their memory was lost. And so what the committee of the parish has done is to restore a dignity to these people and to restore their memory," he said.
"And these stones, the list of names on the monument, will now preserve them."
Coun. Greg Rivard says the city appreciates the work that went into the restoration.
"The cleanup of the area is so important to the city of Charlottetown, so important because it's such a huge landscape in the city so we're quite happy to see this work done."
The planning committee from the diocese says they may look into fixing up at least one other Catholic cemetery in Charlottetown and they hope this project will inspire other groups to do the same.
From CBC News