Description of Historic Place

This cemetery is located on the western side of Route 14 in Burton along the North Cape Coastal Drive in western Prince Edward Island. Although once enclosed by a fence, the exact dimensions of the site are not known and it now consists of an area which is partly grassed and partly wooded.

Heritage Value

The cemetery is valued for its historical association with the early Irish settlers to Mount Pleasant, now known as Burton.

Irish immigrants, many from County Kerry, came to this area in 1823 after first arriving in Charlottetown in 1818. Before settling here, they also briefly resided in the Bedeque area. They were soon joined by other Irish familes with roots in Wexford. These families included: Griffins, Daltons, Hutts, Doyles, Whites, Butlers, and O'Hallorans among others.

The current cemetery was mainly used before the establishment of St. Mark's Roman Catholic Church around 1879. However, some continued to be interred here to be with their loved ones until some time afterwards. This church can be seen clearly marked on Meacham's 1880 Atlas of the community of Mount Pleasant. It was known as this until 1886 when the name was changed to Burton to avoid problems with the mail. There was another Mount Pleasant in Prince County southwest of Ellerslie.

Although not marked, the cemetery was located on land owned by Patrick Griffin in 1880. Today few visible reminders of it exist. In the 1970s, the local Women's Institute erected a fence around it, but this has since fallen into disrepair. There are no visible grave markers and it is unknown the exact number of individuals interred.

The property is an important cultural resource and a reminder of the early Irish settlers to the area.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/P14

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the cemetery is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the location of the cemetery on grassed and wooded land overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence
- the potential unmarked graves on the site