Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BURIAL CROSS

Date Range From

1886

Date Range To

1915

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

254

Length

75

Width

10

Description

WOODEN CROSS WITH THREE CURVED, CARVED ENDS AT TOP, DECORATIVE CURVING SHAPES AT CENTRE OF VERTICAL SECTION, AND WIDER BASE. HORIZONTAL SECTION IS ATTACHED TO VERTICAL SECTION WITH THREE RUSTED BOLTS. LOWER HALF OF WIDENED BASE HAS REMNANTS OF EARTH CLINGING INSIDE AREAS OF WEAR. WEATHERING AND DEEP WEAR OF WOOD OVERALL. OVERALL FAIR CONDITION.

Subjects

DOCUMENTARY ARTIFACT

Historical Association

COMMEMORATIVE

History

THIS GRAVE MARKER WAS REMOVED FROM ST. PATRICK’S CEMETERY BY STAFF OF THE CITY OF LETHBRIDGE CEMETERIES DEPARTMENT IN FALL 2014. ON JUNE 3, 2015, COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT JANE EDMUNDSON SPOKE TO DARIN BOURASSA, MAINTENANCE FOREMAN WITH CITY OF LETHBRIDGE CEMETERY SERVICES, OVER TELEPHONE ABOUT THE CROSS. BOURASSA STATED THAT WHEN HE STARTED WITH THE DEPARTMENT IN 1991, THERE WERE “SEVEN TO 10” WOODEN CROSSES AT ST. PATRICK’S CEMETERY, BUT THAT AS OF FALL 2014, THIS CROSS WAS THE LAST ORIGINAL WOODEN GRAVE MARKER LEFT AS THE OTHERS HAD ROTTED AND WERE DISCARDED. WHEN IT WAS NOTICED THAT THIS CROSS WAS “ABOUT TO COLLAPSE”, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO REMOVE IT AND OFFER IT TO THE MUSEUM. ON OCTOBER 10, 2014 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED BELINDA CROWSON, PAST-PRESIDENT OF THE LETHBRIDGE HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND GALT MUSEUM EDUCATOR, ABOUT THE HISTORY OF ST. PATRICK’S CEMETERY AND CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION REGARDING THIS OBJECT. CROWSON SAID: “ST. PATRICK’S IS THE OLDEST CEMETERY, 1886, AND THERE ARE THREE SEPARATE AREAS… AN OLD PROTESTANT AREA, A CATHOLIC AREA, AND CHINESE AREA… [THIS CROSS] WOULD [HAVE BEEN] LOCATED IN THE PROTESTANT AREA [WHICH] WAS USED BETWEEN 1886 AND 1915… UP UNTIL 1886 BURIALS WERE IN THE RIVER VALLEY… SO THEY SET UP A COMMITTEE AND THEY CHOSE THIS LOCATION [FOR A DESIGNATED CEMETERY]. BEFORE IT WAS CALLED ST. PATRICK’S CEMETERY, THIS WAS CALLED THE UNION CEMETERY, BECAUSE ALL THE PROTESTANT GROUPS WORKED TOGETHER [AND] THEY RAISED MONEY… [BUT] EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD MONEY IN THE BANK, NOBODY GOT AROUND TO FENCING THE CEMETERY… THE CEMETERY ITSELF [WAS] SURVEYED OUT AND SET UP BY THE COAL COMPANY… PEOPLE BURIED THEIR OWN LOVED ONES, AND IF THEY DIDN’T LIKE THE SPOT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO GET, THEY WOULD BURY THEM WHERE THEY WANTED… SO WITH NO RECORDS AND WITH PEOPLE DOING THINGS LIKE THAT, IT [IS] VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE PEOPLE ARE… IN 1899 THE TOWN TAKES OVER RUNNING THE CEMETERY.” CROWSON CONTINUED: “BECAUSE OF THE POOR RECORDKEEPING WE HAVE NO WRITTEN RECORDS FOR THE PROTESTANT AREA, SO UNLESS THE HEADSTONES ACTUALLY HAVE THE NAMES ON THEM, WE DON’T KNOW WHOSE GRAVES THEY ARE… THIS [CROSS], UNMARKED, THIS TYPE OF WOODEN STRUCTURE [IS] PROBABLY 100 YEARS OLD AT LEAST, AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE FAMILY WAS STILL AROUND, THE FAMILY PROBABLY WOULD HAVE REPLACED IT, SO IT SUGGEST TO ME THIS IS SOMEBODY WHOSE FAMILY IS NO LONGER IN THE COMMUNITY… SO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE IDENTITY WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE… THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE LONE WOODEN CROSSES THAT I REMEMBER IN ST. PAT’S. MOST OF THE OTHER ONES WOULD HAVE BEEN DAMAGED YEARS AGO. IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE UNBELIEVABLE THAT THIS ONE HAS NEVER BEEN KNOCKED OVER AND THAT IT [STILL] EXISTS… EVEN AT MOUNTAIN VIEW [CEMETERY] THERE ARE WOODEN CROSSES BUY THEY’RE SHORT NOW BECAUSE AS THE WOOD ROTTED, SOMEONE WOULD RE-DIG IT, AND RE-DIG IT, SO SOME OF THEM STAND MAYBE TWO FEET TALL… LEGALLY [THE GRAVE MARKER] IS OWNED BY THE FAMILY AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SEEN THE CEMETERY [STAFF] PUT THEM TO THE SIDE TRYING TO RESPECT THEM [WHEN THEY ARE DECAYED OR BROKEN] BUT THEY CAN’T LEGALLY REPLACE IT… AND SO WHAT HAPPENS [THEN] IS YOU HAVE AN UNMARKED GRAVE.” SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT.

Catalogue Number

P20140040000

Acquisition Date

2014-10

Collection

Museum

Less detail