All Saints Anglican Cemetery #1 Municipal Heritage Site

The All Saints Anglican Cemetery #1 was designated a municipal heritage site because it has spiritual, environmental and historic values.

The All Saints Cemetery has spiritual value because it represents the belief system of the earliest settlers. The original, marked gravestones date back to the 1850s, but there are a vast number of slate stones with no markings on them that probably date in the 19th century. This suggests that many poor people used the cemetery, but were unable to afford commercially produced headstones. Instead, they would have used local slate, often picked up off the beach, or other outcroppings, and would have searched for stones that approximated commercially produced markers. This demonstrated how the early community respected their dead and how, even when formal markers could not be obtained, they took the time to mark the graves with slate stones. The cemetery is also a reminder that the earliest settlers were likely Christian and that a Christian system of belief was in place.

The All Saints Anglican Cemetery #1 has environmental value because it is located on a small hill overlooking the ocean and can be seen from the water. It follows a typical early pattern of graveyards for the area. As well, the headstones all face east, representing an ancient practice of placing the deceased feet towards the rising sun.

The All Saints Anglican Cemetery #1 has historic value because it is one of the oldest cemeteries in Conception Bay South. With the earliest known grave listed at 1850, the slate markers may indicate graves as early as 1800.