Description of Historic Place

The Rustico Pioneer Cemetery is a landscaped, fenced area with a 1974 memorial cairn dedicated to the memory of the early settlers of Rustico interred there. Located off Pioneer Cemetery Road in Anglo Rustico, Prince Edward Island, the cemetery overlooks Winter River, also known as Chapel Creek, and Rustico Bay.

Heritage Value

The Rustico Pioneer Cemetery is valued for its association with the early Acadian settlers in the Rustico area of the province, and for its associations with the early history of the Roman Catholic presence as the Mission of St. Augustine.

It is believed that Louis Gallant, his three brothers and Jean Pitre were the first settlers in Rustico in 1763-1764. Land was set aside by the Roman Catholic church in 1764 for this cemetery and it was in use until 1812-1813. No priest was available to serve the area until 1772 when Father James MacDonald, who had settled in Tracadie with a number of Scottish Catholics, travelled to Rustico. There being no church, mass was said in the home of Jean Doucet, built in 1768, at Grand Père. Father MacDonald also travelled to parishes in Malpeque and Fortune until his death in 1785. The community grew with further settlements in Grand Père Point, Oyster Bed and North Rustico in 1792. Father Angus Bernard MacEachern (later Bishop MacEachern) came to Rustico in 1795 and encouraged the settlers to build a log church, very likely near this pioneer cemetery. The settlement grew and by 1798 close to 300 were living in the area. By 1803, when the Bishop of Quebec visited, the population had grown to between 500-600 and a larger church was built.

The present nearby St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church was constructed in 1838, the oldest Acadian church, and at the time of its construction, the largest church building in the province. A new, larger cemetery, still in use, was established next to the church.

Following a visit to the overgrown cemetery by Monsignor Father G. Edgar Gallant in the early 1970s, and at his encouragement, the restoration and regular maintenance of the pioneer cemetery began. A stone fence that once surrounded the cemetery was removed along with overgrown trees and brush, and a new fence installed. During the 30 July 1975 plaque dedication ceremony, Théophile Blanchard thanked all those involved in the cemetery's restoration, namely Jeremiah Doucette, Wilfred Doucette, Cyrill Gallant, Henry Martin and R. Doucette. A black granite tombstone in memory of the Rt. Rev. G. Edgar Gallant (1894-1975), born in Rustico who worked primarily in Alaska, is the only grave marker in the cemetery.

The peaceful resting place of some of the province's earliest Acadian families, the Rustico Pioneer Cemetery continues to be an important landmark commemorating the history of early Acadian and Roman Catholic settlers of this area.

Source: Heritage Places files, Dept of Economic Growth, Tourism & Culture, Charlottetown, PE
File #: 4310-20/R4

Character-Defining Elements

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

- The well maintained landscaped and fenced pioneer cemetery property
- The cement memorial cairn, painted white with a bronze plaque inscribed "Érigé a la memoire des pionniers de Rustico inhumés en ces lieux 1764 - 1812 Erected in memory of the early settlers of Rustico whose remains are here interred. RIP"
- The peaceful and picturesque setting of the pioneer cemetery overlooking Chapel Creek and Rustico Bay