Description of Historic Place

This small family cemetery is located in a farm field in a pastoral rural setting. The plot is fenced with barbed wire and large fir trees grow on the site. There is one remaining standing headstone. Sandstone markers are also present on the site.

Heritage Value

The cemetery is valued for its historical association with the McEachern family, early settlers to the area.

Samuel McEachern was living in PEI in 1813 at West River. He married Catherine MacAuley on July 27th that year at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Charlottetown. By 1826, he held the position of fence viewer for the area of Dog and West River. This was an important colonial job since it made him responsible for settling disputes over property lines and stray livestock.

Samuel died in 1837 and was interred on his property which was then a 200 acre parcel of land. A sandstone marker was engraved with "S.M.E. 1837". There are believed to be at least fifteen other interments on the site. Today, there are a number of sandstone markers but, the only remaining standing stone is that of Samuel's grandson, also called Samuel McEachern, who died in 1878. It has a section at the top which has broken off and is lying on the ground. The stone has a carving of a finger pointing to an open book (Bible).

By 1880, the property was owned by Samuel's son, Dougald McEachern and had been reduced to sixty-five acres. The rest had been subdivided to give to other family members. The farm passed out of the McEachern family in 1898, when it was lost to a mortgage foreclosure. It was then purchased by the MacNevin family in 1904, whose descendants own the property today.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/P20

Character-Defining Elements

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

- the location of the cemetery in a farm field with mature trees and enclosed by a barbed wire fence
- the remaining sandstone markers some with inscriptions
- the single standing headstone with inscription
- the potential for unmarked graves on the site