Archaeologists believe the cross came from nearby Fort La Tour. (Submitted)
A waterfront war memorial has had to find a new home after initial digs uncovered an unexpected find.
Stephen Strachan , a retired Lieutenant-Colonel with the Loyal Company, and involved in the project, says they unearthed a small pewter or iron cross.
Archaeologists believe the cross came from nearby Fort La Tour.
They’ve since decided to move the gunners monument a few metres down the water front, on land adjacent to the Long Wharf Extension Canada 150 project.
“It was nice that we found it right at the beginning and not further down the road in the project. As a result we’ve moved our site a couple hundred yards down the passageway. We didn’t want to disturb any other artifacts that were in the ground there,” he said in an interview.
Strachan says it’s a win-win for everyone involved.
“You know, sometimes things happen for a reason because I think the site we ended up with is a much better location. The Port Authority in Saint John was only too pleased to join in with that venture, and I think it’ll be a good attraction to their pathway as well,” he said.
Strachan says while Fort La Tour is nearby, this location was outside of the scope.
“I think they were kind of surprised to find it there. I’m not sure what plans exactly they have to you know, do any further excavation, we just sort of put everything back as best we could and backed away from that area,” he said.
The monument will be dedicated to all the soldiers, sailors and aviators from New Brunswick who have served both currently and in the past.
It will be constructed and installed on its new location this summer with an official unveiling scheduled for November 2019.
