The Blackburn Pioneer Cemetery
This article first appeared in the October 14, 2020 issue of the "The Low Down to Hull and Back News".
Cantley 1889 receives grant to protect historical cemetery
By Stuart Benson
The last remaining “homestead burial plot” in Cantley will receive funds to help protect it. Cantley 1889 received a $3,000 grant from the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network on Oct. 1 to help protect the Blackburn Pioneer Cemetery, which was in use from 1842 to 1920 and was created by one of the region’s original settlers Andrew Blackburn.
Cantley 1889 plans to commemorate the Blackburn Cemetery with a plaque commemorating its history and will organize activities to raise awareness of the site among local residents.
The cemetery is located on private farmland, which belongs to Gary Blackburn, a direct descendent of Cantley’s first settler Andrew Blackburn, and is not available to the public yet, according to Margaret Phillips, president of Cantley 1889.
Cantley 1889 is one of nine community groups from around the province that have partnered with QAHN to preserve and share local historical knowledge, with special emphasis on Quebec’s English-speaking history, through a project called, “Belonging and Identity in English Quebec.”
“We are very grateful to QAHN for this important support they are giving us,” wrote Phillips in an email to The Low Down. “Apart from the grant, it is so good to know others support us. This is the motivation needed for our hard-working volunteers.”
Phillips explained that the demolition of St. Andrew’s Church in May, one of the 20 oldest churches in the area and a landmark in Cantley for nearly 150 years, was tragic news for residents concerned about Cantley’s heritage. With so few reminders left of Cantley’s historical roots, Phillips added that raising awareness of their “heritage and rich history is of topmost concern to Cantley 1889.”
“Last year the municipality of Cantley had many celebrations for its 30th birthday,” Phillips wrote and yet she added that, “It has always been a struggle for us to convince Cantley it does, in fact, have a fascinating history since 1829 and before.”
“We are really happy to be working with our members on such a range of interesting history projects,” wrote Matthew Farfan, QAHN’s executive director, in a press release announcing the funding.
The “Belonging and Identity in English Quebec” project will provide financial contributions, totalling more than $44,000, to local history societies and other cultural groups over the next six months to be used to highlight the historic contributions of Quebec anglophones.