Don Messer, born on Tweedside road in rural Harvey, York County, Canada, fiddled his way into the hearts of people all across Canada (biography). After his death on March 29, 1973, a memorial for this Canadian music icon, shown above, was erected by family members, located on a relative’s property where it can be seen as one drives along Tweedside Road, near Don Messer’s homestead. A dedication was held in 1973 with over 100 in attendance.
The recent restoration work to the historic Don Messer Monument at 556 Tweedside Road, Harvey RC has now been completed. Wayne Daigle was awarded the tender for the restoration work.
The majority of the funding for the restoration project came in the form of two grants from the Harvey Community Network, with the balance directly from Harvey Heritage.
The Harvey Heritage Board of Directors would once again like to thank the Harvey Community Network for its generous grant funding, as well as to Wayne Daigle for the skilled craftsmanship he brought to this project.
Today the restored monument, once again fittingly commemorates the distinct musical career of Don Messer, our National Treasure, (May 9, 1909 – March 26, 1973), whose family roots reach back to Tweedside in Harvey RC.
Sources: Charlottetown Guardian May 19, 1979. “Dedication of Don Messer Memorial in Tweedside”, Harvey Heritage files.
Inscription
DON MESSER
BORN MAY 9 1909
DIED MARCH 26 1973
BORN IN TWEEDSIDE NB
IN RECOGNITION OF HIS
CONTRIBUTION TO THE MUSICAL
HERITAGE OF ATLANTIC CANADA
Photos of the monument’s deterioration over time, taken in November 2023 by Randy Lynch.