This "Park" first began to be used as a burial ground in about 1766 and by 1837 was considered to be full. It wasn't until 1865, though, that the cemetery was closed forever, then neglected until 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Silver Jubilee. It was then converted into a park, "
Victoria Park". It remained such until 1958 when, in honour of native son
Sydney Frost who, through diligence and hard work, ultimately became President of the Bank of Nova Scotia, it was renamed Frost Park.
At some time in the past a large tree toward the front, east, end of the park, just east of the fountain and wading pool, died, later to become a sculpture. A very gifted and enterprising individual has changed the lower six or so feet of the tree and artfully turned it into a life sized sculpture of Queen Victoria. In the sculpture she wears a long, loose fitting robe, with decorated sleeves and neckline, beaded necklace and a crown upon her head. There are crosses around the crown with a rendition of a Victoria Cross atop. This rendition of the Victoria Cross is similar to the Cross pattée, similar to the Prussian Iron Cross which appeared very early in medieval art. It has been associated with several entities through the years, including the Knights Templar. Though the work seems not to have been signed, we have learned that it was the work of former Yarmouth County resident, Bill Thibeau.
We visited Yarmouth in 2015 and the carving/statue had been vandalised in 2013, causing damage to the nose, the eyes and the Victoria Cross. A news article on the vandalism, reprinted below, appeared on CBC News shortly after the incident. By 2015 the damage had been expertly repaired by the original creator, Bill Thibeau, an insert to repair the damaged nose remaining visible.
Either a great many of the old headstones have been removed or they have turned to dust and returned to the earth as there remain only a few headstones scattered about near the eastern edge of the park. Among the many large mature trees are benches and picnic tables on which one may enjoy a leisurely lunch. Other additions and improvements have taken place through the years, including a large compass rose plaza on the western edge and a large seafarers' memorial in the southwest corner. In the southeast corner of the park is Yarmouth Town Hall.
See
fifteen different views of the park as a slideshow, all taken from the fifth floor of the nearby Grand Hotel. The photos and postcards there were taken over the course of more than a century and show the changes that have taken place in that time, in the park, in the harbour and the surrounding area.
Vandals deface Queen Victoria statue in Yarmouth
CBC News · Posted: Apr 30, 2013
Vandals attacked a Queen Victoria statue in southwest Nova Scotia recently, sparking a police investigation.
The statue was carved into a tree trunk that would otherwise have been removed from Frost Park, Yarmouth.
The nose was cut out, the eyes defaced and a cross on her head was chopped off. The badly damaged carving remains in the park. The incident came to light this week, but it's not clear when the damage occurred.
Corp. Andrew Clarke said the RCMP are looking for the vandals.
"Like any investigation, we try to see if there are witnesses and look for suspects," he said Tuesday.
Members of IODE (which during the British empire stood for Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire) said they were saddened by the damage.
The group celebrates the Queen on Victoria Day. Shirley Bradsaw, vice-president of the Leif Erickson chapter, said members were upset to learn about the defacement.
"I expect they are all rather disgusted and dismayed that such a thing would happen," she said.
From CBC News