This is my favorite graveyard on the Island for both history and "character". The lush summer foliage creates a maze among the old stone headstones, several well over a meter high, while fall and early winter paint an eerie portrait of the finality of the residents' journey.
Yankee Hill Cemetery was established in 1774. A small, 6 m square log chapel was constructed on the SW corner of the present cemetery (Reference Point #1). The oldest surviving headstone is 1815.
The first settlers arrived in 1773 on the snow-rigged brig, Elizabeth. The harbour was to become a home port for American vessels involved in the mackeral fishery in the 1840's and 1850s, which probably lead to the name Yankee Hill for the hill near the harbour. Local weather extremes and the sinking of the Elizabeth in 1775 doomed the settlement, which was abandoned by the turn of the century.
Between October 3-5, 1851, the Island experienced one of the worst natural disasters of the province's history -- the "Yankee Gale". This vicious storm claimed up to 120 vessels and 250 sailors. Many of those lost were American fishermen, hence the name "Yankee Gale". At least 25 American sailors are said to be buried in the Yankee Hill Cemetery.
The Yankee Hill Cemetery was abandoned in 1904, and only recently has been restored to its present condition.
Be respectful of nearby residents and keep noise and lights to a minimum while in the cemetery.
The micro cache is not suitable for swag and you must bring a writing instrument. Unless there's a great amount of snowfall, the cache should be winter friendly.