The Blackburn Pioneer Cemetery
This article first appeared in the November 6, 2020 issue of the "The West Quebec Post".
Cantley 1889 receives $3,000 grant
By JD Potié
With plans of commemorating an early pioneer burial ground in the Gatineau River valley, local historical association Cantley 1889 will benefit from a $3,000 grant from the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN).
Thrilled with the financial support, Cantley 1889 President Margaret Phillips said the funding means a whole lot for a small volunteer-run organization and feels grateful to see the cemetery's historical value recognized. We're really pleased on many levels." Phillips said. She explained that the money will be used to purchase and install a commemorative plaque at Blackburn Cemetery in Cantley to raise awareness about the site's history as a settlement area in the early 1800s. "The plaque is very symbolic of the first pioneer that came here [in 1829);" Phillips said.
According to Cantley 1889, the cemetery was built in 1842 and saw at least 32 people buried there - noting that its last burial happened in 1920. Expecting the plaque to be installed some time next spring, Phillips said Cantley 1889 looks forward to organizing a celebratory get together with activties for the community - if people can gather in large crowds. According to a press release issued by the QAHN on October 1, the organization has a partnership with Cantley 1889 and eight other community groups in Québec dedicated to preserving and sharing local English-speaking historical knowledge.
Over the next six months, QAHN will help develop various museum and heritage activities in different regions in the province. Titled Belonging and identity in English Quebec, the project is funded by the Secretariat for relations with anglophone Quebecers. It added that the project also aims to support volunteer-run historical societies and museums affected by COVID-19 by organizing acitvities minimizing the impacts of social isolation.