Description of Historic Place

The Lockeport Cenotaph was erected in 1924-1925 of Shelburne granite. It is located at the northwest corner of Hall and Spruce Streets in Lockeport, Nova Scotia. Municipal heritage designation applies to the monument and the corner lot on which it is situated.

Heritage Value

Early in 1924 Lockeport Town Council began discussions about erecting a Soldiers’ Monument to memorialize the Lockeport men who had been lost during World War I. In May of that year a special meeting of Council was held to accept the report of the committee that had been appointed to examine the feasibility, costs, design and location of such a monument. Those matters being agreed upon, several members of the committee were assigned the task of raising the funds to proceed with the project.

The design for the monument was furnished by Edwin Locke, one of the committee members and a well-known local artist. It was estimated that it would cost twenty-five hundred dollars to carry out the project, fifteen hundred of which had already been raised. The local Women’s Institute was recruited to assist with the raising of funds and three members of the Women’s Institute were appointed to the committee that was undertaking the project.

By October1924 the necessary funds for the project had been raised and the contract to build the monument had been awarded to Mr. C. G. Reed of Shelburne, with the understanding that the contract be completed by July 1, 1925.

The Shelburne Gazette and Coast Guard of Thursday, September 17, 1925 published the following notice: “The Lockeport Soldiers’ Monument will be unveiled on Sunday afternoon next at 2 o’clock. We understand that Rev. Spidell of Liverpool will be chief speaker. Music will be furnished by a massed choir. Col. A. H. Borden will be present. Mr. G. T. MacDonald will lead the music with his cornet.” The same newspaper published a lengthy article the following week describing the unveiling ceremony that had taken place on Sunday, September 20. A final note of summary in the same September 24 issue stated: “Erected in memory of fifteen who did not return from the battlefields of the World War. Monument unveiled by Mrs. George Locke. The monument was designed by Edwin Locke and built of Shelburne granite by Charles G. Reed of Shelburne. The grounds, with two concrete walks, were prepared by Mr. Os (Austin) Peterson. The estimated cost was $2500.”

After later conflicts from which Lockeport men did not return, suitable commemorative plaques with the names of those lost were attached to the monument. The Cenotaph was designated as a municipally registered heritage on February 1, 2001.

Source: Registered heritage property files, "Cenotaph" Town of Lockeport, NS.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Lockeport Cenotph include:
- location on a corner lot in a park-like setting;
- proximity to four other registered heritage properties;
- spire in seven sections of Shelburne granite;
- galvanized cross on top of monument;
- bronze memorial plaques;
- concrete walkways from streets to monument.