Park Corner Pioneer Roman Catholic Cemetery

The cemetery is valued for its historical association with the Irish settlers to the area and the history of the Roman Catholic Church in the province.

In his 1913 "History of the Roman Catholic Church in Prince Edward Island", Rev. John C. MacMillan notes that the land on which this cemetery is located was settled by mainly Irish families in the early 19th century. They were part of the mission of Indian River which had been settled in the late 18th century by Scottish Highlanders. The first priests, including Bishop MacEachern, to serve the area were itinerant and did not live in the community. The first resident priest was Rev. Louis Olivier DeLigney who had come from the Diocese of Montreal. The church and cemetery were established around 1828 at Park Corner. The land had been purchased by the priest at Indian River.

By the mid-1880s, outmigration from the area led to the church being sold to James Doyle who later took it down. The cemetery gradually fell into disuse, but the parish register reveals the names of Sinnot and Ready interred there in 1842; Doyle in 1893; and Brennan in 1894. There are definitely many others, though a complete record is currently unavailable.

Today, there is no evidence of the cemetery site, although it once purportedly had standing headstones and fenced burial plots. In later years, these stones were either removed or covered over and the site used for agricultural purposes.

Residents agitated in the late 1960s and 1970s to have the site restored. It was finally surveyed and given its own parcel number by the Province of PEI in 2005.

The pioneer cemetery is well-maintained and now includes a cairn dedicated to the early area settlers buried at the site, as well as a commemorative plaque, fencing, and seating which enhance this historic cemetery.

Source: Heritage Places files, PEI Department of Economic Growth, Tourism & Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8

File #: 4310-20/P13