Archaeology duo took to Battle Harbour to restore graves, which included one iconic resident

CBC

7 days ago

A husband and wife team of archaeologists made a trip to Labrador this summer to restore dozens of grave markers — which included one that belongs to a resident immortalized in an iconic photograph from more than a century ago.
Black Cat Cemetery Preservation directors Robyn Lacy and Ian Petty travelled to Battle Harbour in July to tackle two sites: the St. James Old Anglican Cemetery and the St. James New Anglican Cemetery.
The new cemetery is the resting place of Victor Croucher.
Croucher may not be a household name, but many have likely seen him in the popular black and white photograph — shot by educator and photography enthusiast Robert Holloway — which shows a small boy standing between two large cod, both about a head taller than the lad.
Restoring Croucher's grave was priority from the start, said Lacy, which she described as a "complex" piece made out of a number of pieces of stone.
"It's made of white marble. It's gleaming somehow. The rest of them were not in as good of shape as Victor's, and it's from 1918," Lacy told CBC Radio's The Broadcast.
Croucher died during a bird hunting accident when he was just 21-years-old. His grave stone says it was erected by his "sorrowing" wife and father.
Help needed
Lacy and Petty were first contacted about tending to cemeteries in 2023 by Battle Harbour Historic Trust executive director Peter Bull. A private donor in Montreal funded the project.
Petty said they saw their work laid out for them when they arrived.
"A majority of the stones were falling over, half buried, just overall in need of conservation," he said.
The couple cleaned about eight to 10 stones a day.
Lacy said the oldest stones they saw dated to the 1840s, but there could be older grave markers on site.
The older headstones don't have a heavy base at the bottom, and are put straight into the ground.
Lacy said that's why those tend to lean but not fall over. To reposition them, the couple would dig, reposition the headstone and then place crushed gravel underneath, like a paving stone.
Some also were broken and needed stone epoxy, she said.
Petty said when they finished their work it was a "stunning display."
"Nothing was beyond repair," he said. "We were able to complete conservation on every stone we set out to, which was thrilling and a little bit surprising given the tight time frame, but overall [we're] very pleased with it."
Black Cat Cemetery Preservation has taken the couple to a number of communities.
Petty said one of his favourite projects was the St. Paul's Anglican Church in Trinity, but the Battle Harbour project is special too.
"Having just been up in Battle Harbour, I'd say that's by far on the podium of highlights," he said.