To check out "Can you solve the mystery?" Click Here Project Outline This site was created as a component of the course History 300, "A Cultural and Intellectual History of Canada", taught by Professor Laurie Stanley-Blackwell at St. Francis Xavier University. The main objectives of this project were to make history "come alive" for students and to introduce them to cemeteries as "outdoor museums" and "historical documents". By "reading the stones", students glimpsed into the lives of the people of the past, into their cemetery symbology, burial customs, attitudes towards death, ethnic traditions, aesthetic tastes, artistic skills and class values. Students in History 300 were organized into teams of three persons and were assigned a selection of tombstones in Antigonish cemeteries. The following students participated in this project: David Algee, Heather Anderson, Jonathan Cumminger, Krista Farrell, Connie Feltmate, Janley Grant, Mandi Hayne, Peter Hill, Catherine Hirbour, Chad Leblanc, Andrew MacDonald, Lindsay MacDonald, and Irene Yorke. Christopher Greencorn, an Honours History student, compiled the information gathered by the aforementioned students and prepared edited versions of many of their submissions. Professor Stanley-Blackwell launched the project, gathered the photographic evidence, wrote the contextual materials, and supervised all phases of the site’s development from initiation to completion. She collaborated initially with Jamie Symonds who created the preliminary design for the website. The current design was conceived and implemented by Brandon Kolybaba, a former BIS student at St. Francis Xavier University. The interactive features owe much to his technical expertise and imagination. This web site was also realized with the generous assistance of Marie T. Gillis who helped with the research and photography. Jocelyn Gillis, curator of the Antigonish Heritage Museum, also made an invaluable contribution to the site, with her knowledge of local lore and archival sources. We are also grateful to Ann MacQuarrie, one-time Casket reporter, for permission to post her photos of Mary MacPherson's tombstone. [ Back ]