The St. Margaret of Scotland Pioneer Cemetery, located at St. Margaret's, is one of the oldest maintained cemeteries in the province of Prince Edward Island. The cemetery was established in 1805, when PEI was a British colony, and before Canada had even been contemplated. The eastern end of the province was mainly settled by people from Scotland, who came seeking a better life, and many of those buried in the cemetery were born in Scotland. We can see in the cemetery gravestones that some people did in fact live to a very old age, but we generally see that many died at a young age.
The cemetery is unique for its Island sandstone wall, which is a building feature said to be found in Scottish cemeteries. Visitors will also see a progression of materials for the gravestones - the oldest are made from local sandstone, which was prone to erosion, through different types of hard stone and granite, and even metal. The oldest stones were often made by the family or local craftsman.
The cemetery itself is situated on the Bear Shore Road , slightly north of the present day St. Margaret's Church. The burial ground is now easily visible on the north side of the red clay and gravel road. A brief walk will take you to a softly grass covered, well drained property, surrounded by a stone wall. The original church and parochial house was situated to the south of the cemetery, across what was known as the King's Road, later as the Queen's Road.