The Old Loyalist Burial Ground at the centre of Fredericton’s downtown is going to be restored, according to city officials.
The 1.6-acre property has plenty of toppled headstones, broken monuments, and rusting fences. It’s been subject to extensive damage and vandalism over the years, and the city said it has fallen into disrepair.
The city has plans to invest $50,000 a year to restore the burial ground, which is home to the city and province’s founds, British soldiers, loyalists, prominent citizens, and ordinary residents.
Some pose health and safety hazards, said city project manager Ashley Goggin, and those get priority.
Hired an expert
The city enlisted the help of historical archaeologist and burial ground expert Robyn Lacy from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. She helped the city take a critical look at the current condition of the cemetery.
“It takes quite a lot of work to restore these stones, and a lot of them are over 200 years old,” she said in an interview Tuesday. “So, it’s really common to see them fall over on their own, ones laying on the ground, stones that are broken. So, a pretty common condition really.”
Lacy assessed every single stone, according to the city, and she prepared an action plan for each stone as well. Her work will also extend to the exterior fencing and help maintain the work into the future.
“Staff will walk through the site weekly to monitor for any vandalism, health and safety concerns or a change in the condition of any of the graves. Any issues will be dealt with immediately,” said Ashley Goggin.
Goggin couldn’t say how many years the city would fund the project.
Rare finds in some cases
Lacy discovered some exciting items during her walkabout on Tuesday, in particular an iron-bound grave site.
“So, that grave, it’s a marble headstone, and there is a small plaque next to it as well, but as you can see there is curbing around it and that curbing is made of iron, and that’s really rare.”
She said she plans to research who made the iron curbing.
Meanwhile, the city is eager to get the work started.
The city said it did consult with Indigenous leaders ahead of any planned restoration work.
“The Old Burial Ground is a historical centerpiece of the downtown and we have struggled in the past with how to best care for it because it’s not a straightforward process,” said Coun. Eric Megarity, chair of the City’s Livable Community Committee in a media release.
“We now have expert advice and a plan to move forward.”