76 A Bridge To The Past

and who have all been gathered home. Their memories will long be held in loving remembrance. To us, who were then young, their faces seemed beautiful, sealed with the peace of an upright life, and with a certain spirituality which seemed to speak of souls in touch with the unseen.”

Flora T. Cameron.

Although the writer has chosen another location as a setting for her story yet the same enthusiastic response would be felt in the little Wilmot Creek Church of Scotland. This unusual excitement among the church con- gregation became known as the “works” and was an accepted part of the ministry of Rev. Donald MacDonald. While the “Works” was only one aspect of the MacDonalite faith yet they became the customary means, in the opinion of many people, of identifying the group.

Until 1873 the followers of the Church of Scotland from Summerside came here to attend worship services. Following the opening of the Kirk, the Church of Scotland in Summerside, the one in Wilmot Creek closed its doors. About 1889 the building was sold and during the process of being prepared for hauling, it was blown down. It was then hauled in pieces to Ross Corner where, in turn, it was used as a workshop, butcher shop, the home of a horse trader, woodworking shop, machine storage building, and presently as a mechanic’s shop and an apartment.

Originally the cemetery was the burial ground for the followers of the Church of Scotland. After the church closed and was moved away, the grounds were more widely recognized as a peoples cemetery. In this little acre there have been 185 burials and there are ninety-three memorial stones.

Through the years this cemetery has been very well cared for. Original- ly the family members were responsible for the upkeep of the individual plots. Stephen Huestis in his lifetime donated a great deal of time to the care of the cemetery. In 1932 it was arranged for a Mr. Phillips to come and assist the people of the community in landscaping the grounds. The Super- visor and holder of the chart since 1930 is Horace Huestis. His father, Gordon Huestis, was caretaker until he passed away in 1951 at the age of ninety-one. He was followed by James Cairns of Summerside. All of these men donated their services free and spent many hours cutting grass and trimming hedges. The present caretakers are Barry and Sandra Mills and under their care the cemetery continues to present a neat and well-kept ap- pearance. T0 passersby it gives the message that the folk of Wilmot Valley are a caring people; proud that their ancestors are resting in “God’s little acre” and willing to share in the upkeep of this hallowed spot.

The Church of Scotland was the only religious denomination with a church building in Wilmot Valley but there have always been close affilia- tions with churches outside the community. The ministers from these