Description of Historic Place

Riverview Cemetery is an irregularly shaped, fairly level plot of land bounded by Renfrew Street, Adelaide Extension and the Dalhousie Fire Hall. The Local Historic Place designation is for the land and all that it contains.

Heritage Value

Riverview Cemetery is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with the Scottish settlers that helped establish the town of Dalhousie.

Riverview Cemetery was established alongside St. John’s Church of Scotland, when, on April 23, 1839, the Congressional Minute Book noted “A plan (was) approved for the burial ground to be laid out in lots, staked out, and made available for 10 shillings per lot.” The cemetery was expanded in 1883 when the church was torn down and another church was constructed at the corner of Brunswick and Adelaide. The oldest headstones date back in 1812. Among the significant settlers interred here are the following: Perry Dumaresq, naval officer, veteran of the War of 1812, creator of Gloucester and Restigouche Counties and collector of Customs; William S. Montgomery, first Mayor of Dalhousie; Dugald Stewart, deputy Treasurer for Restigouche County; Henry Chalk, master mariner of Swansea, Wales.

Source: Restigouche Regional Museum, Dalhousie, Local Historic Places file: “Riverview Cemetery“.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe Riverview Cemetery include:
- manicured landscape, including mature trees;
- tombstones of various styles, including those of early Scottish settlers to Dalhousie, the earliest tombstone dating back to 1812.