The cache is in the Black Cemetery at Conway, just outside Digby, which is one of the most historically significant yet often overlooked heritage sites in Nova Scotia. It is the resting place of many of the Black Loyalists who settled in the Digby area after the American Revolution, making it an important reminder of one of Canada's earliest free Black communities.
A community founded by Black Loyalists
The cemetery is closely connected with the former settlement of Brinley Town (also spelled Brindley Town), established in 1785. Governor John Parr granted 76 one-acre lots to Black Loyalists—formerly enslaved people who had earned their freedom by supporting the British during the American Revolution. Unfortunately, unlike many white Loyalists, these settlers generally received much smaller and poorer-quality land grants than they had been promised.
Life was difficult. Many residents survived through farming, fishing, day labour, and timber work while facing discrimination and economic hardship. Despite these challenges, they built churches, schools, and lasting communities that became the foundation of today's African Nova Scotian population in Digby County.
The cemetery itself
The cemetery dates back to the late 1700s and contains some of the oldest known African Nova Scotian burials in Digby County.