Sutherland Presbyterian Church

In 1908, land was donated by Alex Campbell for the purpose of building a church for the Pictou Island Community. The construction was completed in the fall of 1910. During that era there was a young student minister on the island named William Sutherland, who was instrumental in completing the project. In appreciation of his efforts, the church was named after him.Each summer, a student minister was assigned to the island, alternating between the United Church and the Presbyterian Church of Canada. This practice continued until sometime in the 1970s.

The island church is now under the jurisdiction of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Pictou and this presbytery provides one church service per year to islanders. In 2007, a special service was conducted by island resident, Carol Anne Lewis, a divinity student at Yale University. Visitors are always welcome.

A one and one half parcel of land was purchased from Joseph A. McInnis for the sum of forty dollars on November 05,1890, to provide a dignified resting place for deceased island settlers. The aforementioned measured 990 feet from the main road with a 25 foot right-of-way. The original trustees were Alex Campbell, James Currie and John C. MacDonald.Over the years the cemetery became neglected and overgrown. In 1991, Ron MacDonald initiated a fund raising campaign to restore the cemetery to its original condition. Family and friends of the deceased were contacted and asked to make a contribution toward this effort and due to their generosity, approximately $7000 was raised. An additional $3000 was acquired through a provincial government grant. Heavy equipment was brought in and with the help of diligent community volunteers, the restoration was brought to fruition.

There are 105 marked graves, and an unknown number of unmarked graves. The last internment was in 1998. A summer student is presently employed to cut the grass and trim around the head stones on a weekly basis. The public is always welcome to visit this sanctuary.

For more information regarding the cemetery, please click here.