In the serene landscape of Fredericton, New Brunswick, a hidden chapter of Black Canadian history lay submerged under 200 feet of water. This is the story of the Old Negro Cemetery, a testament to erasure and resilience, and one woman’s mission to restore dignity to her ancestors.
Mary-Louise McCarthy Brandt, a 6th-generation Black Canadian, embarked on a journey to unearth the truth about the Old Negro Cemetery after learning from a 1990s newspaper ad about the alarming erosion of Black graves. These graves, abandoned during the construction of the Mactaquac Dam by New Brunswick Power (NB Power), included those of her great-grandfather and other local Black residents.
McCarthy Brandt’s intensive investigation at the Provincial Archives revealed a disturbing reality. The construction of the dam in the 1960s was undertaken with full knowledge of the cemetery’s existence. Yet, it was the only one listed in the “cemetery relocation project” with instructions “not to be moved or disturbed”, leading to its submersion and the desecration of around fifty to sixty graves.
In an attempt to mark the site, NB Power erected a modest stone, which bore only a few names and a vague inscription, reflecting a reluctance to fully acknowledge the lost cemetery. Years later, McCarthy Brandt discovered this stone missing, only to find it in the garage of a local resident, Laurie Jordan, who had taken the initiative to safeguard it.
Joining forces with Jordan, McCarthy Brandt became a part of the Kingsclear Kilburn Community Cemetery Committee, dedicated to rectifying the erasure of the Black cemetery. Their efforts led to the cleaning and repositioning of the original stone in front of the Kingsclear Kilburn Cemetery, a small yet significant step towards remembrance.
In 2021, NB Power agreed to replace the old stone with a new one, costing around $7,000. The new 7-foot tall memorial, bearing nearly 50 names uncovered through McCarthy Brandt’s research, now stands as a proper homage to the ancestors lost beneath the waters.
Despite these efforts, the absence of a public apology from NB Power weighs heavily on McCarthy Brandt. She yearns for recognition of the wrongs done to her ancestors, whose resting places lie beneath the Saint John River/Mighty Woolastoq.
McCarthy Brandt’s doctoral dissertation on overlooked Black cemeteries laid the foundation for REACH NB, a nonprofit aiming to reverse the erasure of Black history in New Brunswick and document lost Black cemeteries. Her vision extends to creating a national database for Black graves in Canada.
Through her participation in events like the Northside Heritage Fair, McCarthy Brandt has become a beacon for community members to share information about more forgotten burial sites. Her dedication to telling Black stories is a powerful force against historical erasure.
Mary-Louise McCarthy Brandt’s journey is more than just a quest for a memorial stone; it’s a fight for the acknowledgment and dignity of Black history in New Brunswick. Her efforts highlight the importance of preserving the stories of those who came before us and the need for institutional accountability in honoring their legacies.
