About the Memorial
The construction phase of a memorial for those 'Lost to the Sea' has been completed in Yarmouth to commemorate all the sons and daughters of Yarmouth County who have died at sea. This project of the Waterfront Development Committee is headed up by its 'Lost to the Sea Committee'.
In early 2006 a site for the memorial was chosen: it is on the northeast corner of Water and Glebe Streets, just below the Yarmouth Town Hall parking lot. This space measures 30 feet deep by 90 feet. It is backed by a 100 foot wall which is 22 feet high. The site is owned by the Town of Yarmouth, near Frost Park (an early burial site) and very close to Yarmouth Harbour. The site was approved by the YWDC and the Town Council. A sign indicating the site as the future location of the memorial was erected prior to the construction phase.
In May 2006 a "request for concepts" was made to the public. Eight submissions were received and were viewed by both the committee and the YWDC who chose the winner, James Colbeck. The winning design was further developed by the architect firm of Sperry and Partners and was held by the Yarmouth Waterfront Development Corporation until an opportunity to move forward was identified. We then partnered with the Yarmouth County Historical Society to make this memorial a reality.
As we planned the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Township of Yarmouth in 2011, it was decided that this memorial would be a great legacy project for the community. With the support of the anniversary committee and the Yarmouth County Historical Society, we applied to Canadian Heritage to assist with funding to complete this significant project.
Funding was approved in December of 2010 and construction began in 2011 with the official unveiling of the Monuments taking place on Sunday, June 9, 2013 . View an early concept of the memorial.
Three panels were unveiled as a lead up to the Memorial unveiling ceremony. One panel was placed in Tusket near the Courthouse and Archives, one at the Cape Forchu Lighthouse and one in Yarmouth. A copy of the conceptual design of theses panels are below.