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MacArthur House, Birch Hill

September 18, 2012, 5:27 pm
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     My brother Kerras was out to this house the other day and took the following photographs.  The house will soon be demolished - it sits on a newer foundation but there's not much left that's salvageable.
     The house was the former Gerald and Lucy (Wagner) MacArthur House.   The following is from page 52-43 of The History of Birch Hill.
     "Gerald MacArthur and his wife Lucy (Wagner) MacArthur, next farmed the property.  They have two daughters and two sons: Shirley, Marlene, Vernon and Brian.  Due to ill health, Gerald gave up farming in 1952, and lived in Wellington, PEI for a number of years.  Gerald and Lucy are now residing in Tyne Valley.  The old homestead was vacant for a number of years before being purchased by Thomas Gillis, son of Dr. Edwin Gillis, formerly of Grand River.  Dr. Gillis is a brother of Willard Gillis.  Thomas and his wife Kathleen have one daughter, Karen and they reside in West Palm Beach, Florida.  In 1980, they had the kitchen rend of the house removed, and are presently having the main part renovated for use as a summer home."
 Below:  the stairs from the house - the middle is missing!
     Below: are a few pages (50-53) from the book, Climbing the Hill: A History of Birch Hill, Lots 13 and 14, PEI. Compiled by Birch Hill Women's Institute. 
    The construction date of this house is not known, however, it's early Island architecture - the low slope roof is typical of the early to mid 1800's.  Often when a property transfers from one generation to another the family home is either renovated or replaced.  This property transferred to a new generation between 1855 and 1861 - one might assume this house was built around that time.
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PEI Architecture Books by H.M. Scott Smith

September 25, 2012, 5:34 am
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     I often refer to the excellent publications of H.M. Scott Smith on Prince Edward Island Architecture - they are must have books if you have any interest in knowing all about the built heritage of our Island.
     Below are scans of his book - they are available at local bookstores as well as on www.amazon.ca


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Former Cape Tryon Lighthouse, Cousins Shore

September 26, 2012, 8:48 am
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     I was up to Cousins Shore recently and took this one photo of the former Cape Tryon Lighthouse - now used as a private summer cottage.
     I found this www.youtube.com video and comments.
     This is the former Cape Tryon Lighthouse located on the north shore of Prince Edward Island near Park Corner.
     This, the first Cape Tryon Lighthouse, was put into operation i 1905. The original Cape Tryon Lighthouse was replaced in 1967, and it has been moved twice since then. It Currently serves as a private summer cottage.

I also found the following information http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=983
Description: Cape Tryon, located 2.4 km (1.5 miles) northwest of New London Harbour, is a remarkable red sandstone cliff with a height of 33.5 metres (110 feet). From this lofty perch, the Cape Tryon Lighthouse guides mariners along the northern coast of Prince Edward Island between Richmond Bay and New London, warning of the shallow water that extends out a considerable distance from shore.
     The first Cape Tryon Lighthouse was put into operation on the opening of navigation in 1905 and stood on ground 15.2 metres (50 feet) back from the edge of the cliff. B. D. Huntley of Vernon River Bridge was awarded a $1,590 contract to construct the lighthouse, which consisted of a rectangular, wooden dwelling, painted white, with an octagonal, red iron lantern mounted on the north end of its gambrel roof. The lighthouse stood 11.3 metres (37 feet) tall from its base to the ventilator on the lantern, and its first beacon was a temporary seventh-order white light, visible for sixteen miles from all points of approach.
     In 1906 the temporary lens was replaced with a fourth-order Fresnel lens manufactured in Paris, France by Barbier, Benard & Turenne. The lens had four lenticular panels and completed one revolution in twenty seconds producing a 0.638-second flash every five seconds. The illuminant was petroleum vapor burned under a mantle. Captain William Bell from French River was the first keeper of the Cape Tryon Lighthouse, serving from 1905 until his passing in 1915.
     The lantern deck was recanvassed and the flashing around the lantern base renewed in 1928. An unused chimney was also taken down at that time, the resulting hole boarded over, and leaks in the roof and plaster in the dwelling were repaired.
James Graham was hired as a temporary keeper in 1936 but resigned in early 1937 only to return as a permanent keeper later that year after William Brander was relieved of duty.      Keeper Graham took a leave of absence in September, 1942 to join the armed forces and returned as keeper in 1948. Arthur Paynter kept the light from 1953 until it was automated in 1962.
     The original Cape Tryon Lighthouse was replaced in 1967 by the present square, pyramidal tower, which stands 12.4 metres (40.7 feet) tall, has a focal plane of 33.4 metres (110 feet), and exhibits a two-second flash every six seconds.
     After the original Cape Tryon Lighthouse was decommissioned, it was moved a short distance to Cape Road, where it sat empty and neglected for a few years. Around 1964, a family from Montreal, Quebec purchased the lighthouse and relocated it a few kilometres to the west to their property in Sea View.
     Ron and Alberta Somers purchased the lighthouse and moved it to its current location in Park Corner, where they lovingly restored the lighthouse to serve as a summer cottage. The Somers just happen to be related to two of the keepers who served at Cape Tryon. Ron's great-uncle is James Graham, and Alberta's great-great-grandfather is Captain William Bell, first keeper of the lighthouse.
     Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables and numerous other works set on Prince Edward Island, was living in Cavendish, on the eastern shore of New London Harbour, when Cape Tryon Lighthouse was established. In 1909, she recorded the following about Cape Tryon and its new lighthouse.
Away to the westward six or seven miles the view was bounded by New London Point [now called Cape Tryon], a long, sharp tongue of land running far out to sea. In my childhood I never wearied of speculating what was on the other side of that point – a very realm of enchantment surely, I thought. Even when I gradually grew into the understanding that beyond it was merely another reach of shore like our own it still held a mystery and fascination for me. I longed to stand out on the remote, lonely, purple point, beyond which was the land of lost sunsets. I have seen few more beautiful sights than a sea-sunset off that point. Of late years a new charm has been added to it – a revolving light which as seen from here, flashes on the point in the dusk of summer nights like a beacon “O’er the foam/Of perilous seas in fairylands forlorn.”
 
     Montgomery's Anne’s House of Dreams, published in 1909, is set around Four Winds Harbour, in actuality New London Harbour, and features the Four Winds Lighthouse kept by Captain Jim. The following description of the setting of the lighthouse, given in Chapter 9 of the book, leaves little doubt that it was based on Cape Tryon Lighthouse: “The Four Winds light was built on a spur of red sandstone cliff jutting out into the Gulf.”
     Keepers: William Bell (Mar. 17, 1905 – 1915), James Adams (1915 – 1927), Frank Pidgeon (1927 – 1936), James Garnet Graham (1936 – 1942, 1948 – 1952), William Brander (1937), Arthur Lea Pidgeon (1942 – 1945), John L. Graham (1946 – 1948), Arthur Elwood Paynter (1953 – 1962).
References

  1. Annual Report of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, various years.
  2. Binder on the Lighthouses of Prince Edward Island, Carol Livingstone, 2002.
  3. “A Visit to ‘Four Winds Lighthouse’”, Carolyn Strom Collins, The Shining Scroll, December 2010.
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Save Glenaladale Estate, 1883-1884

September 26, 2012, 9:23 am
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Glenaladale Estate - The Way We Were

September 28, 2012, 2:06 am
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     This was article was in the Guardian newspaper yesterday.
Mary MacKay,  The Guardian, Sept. 27, 2012
The house is the third that was built on the Glenaladale Estate.
Constructed in 1883/84 it has withstood the test of time and is still a solid structure.


The Prince Edward Island Scottish Settlers Historical Society Inc. is hoping to purchase the Glenaladale Estate in Tracadie to keep this historic property intact as part of P.E.I.’s unique Scottish heritage

With 40 per cent of Prince Edward Island’s population being of Scottish origin, a great many can trace their arrival roots back 240 years ago to Lot 36 in the Tracadie Bay area.
One historic 529-acre piece of allotted land still original to that settlement time is Glenaladale Estate, once the home of army officer and colonizer Capt. John MacDonald who brought with him in 1772 the Scottish ancestors of many Islanders today.
Now that property and its impressive 19th-century house are up for sale and the Prince Edward Island Scottish Settlers Historical Society Inc. (PEISSHS) is putting the wheels in motion for the Save Glenaladale Estate campaign to preserve this piece of Island history.
“It’s a very important part of P.E.I.’s heritage,” says Aggi-Rose Reddin, who is spearheading the campaign with Mary Gallant, a fellow member of the PEISSHS, which has been active since the late 1960s in preserving Scottish culture and heritage on the Island.
In 1772 Capt. MacDonald, who was the laird of Glenaladale and Glenfinnan in Scotland, brought with him a bonny lot of 210 Scottish Roman Catholic settlers to the 20,000-acre parcel of land he’d purchased on what was then known as St. John’s Island.
“They were one of the earliest Scottish groups to come to the Island,” Reddin says.
“Some of them came out as servants for four years. Some came out agreeing to lease the land from Captain John for a number of years. . . ,” Gallant says.
The descendants of the Glenaladale settlers spread far and wide across the province and throughout North America.
“He was one of the landlords who took his mandate and settled the property. A lot of them had the lots but they didn’t bring the people. He brought the people,” Reddin says.
“The person who ended up running this estate was his sister, Nellie (MacDonald). So we have an early feminist story here (as well).”
The Glenaladale land holding is thought to be the last of the intact properties of the early landlords.
“Most of them are chopped up and this one is one. It’s the full 529 acres that he had for his personal estate,” Reddin says.
The stately brick house on the Glenaladale property is the third home that was built on the land.
“The original log cabin was down by the water (Tracadie Bay) and we’d love to see an archeological dig down there someday,” Gallant says.
The house that exists today was built in 1883-1884 by Capt. MacDonald’s grandson Sir William C. MacDonald for his brother John MacDonald.
In 1905 the estate was purchased from the MacDonald family by the McKinnon family, who in the 1930s operated it as a lodge.
It was used as the family home after that.
“When we heard it was for sale we picked up the phone and arranged to come out and see it. We did go through and we were amazed at how structurally sound it was. It’s well built,” Gallant says of the house, which has three bedrooms on the third level that were the servants’ quarters and seven bedrooms on the second floor.
On the main level there are five rooms: the kitchen, pantry, parlor, dining room and sitting room, as well as a large foyer.
The purchase price has yet to be determined but it’s most likely to be a seven-figure sale.
The society is considering contacting the descendants of the Glenaladale settlers for support, as well as corporations for donations or sponsorship.
They also hope to apply for funding through government agencies and private foundations.
Once purchased the house would have to be restored and subsequently used as base for an as yet undetermined enterprise.
One possibility could be an ecological centre, because the design elements that were used in the house were quite environmentally forward for its time.
“There is also the idea of an academic research centre and possibly a partial partnership with a university either here or MacDonald College at McGill (University), which was founded by Sir William Christopher MacDonald (who built the house in 1883/84),” Reddin adds.
“It’s got to be something that is of significant use. We want it to be sustainable and vibrant and it helps it to become a go-to place for whatever purpose it ends up being used for. But it also stands as an active living memorial to recognize the Scottish-ness of Prince Edward Island.”
Although acquiring the property is a major undertaking the PEISSHS recognizes that this is a one-time-only opportunity to preserve this intact piece of the Island’s history before it’s gone for good.
“We’ve got 40 per cent of the population of P.E.I. that identify themselves as having Scottish heritage. We are the most Scottish province in Canada. We tend to take our Scottish heritage for granted,” Reddin says.
“We’ve spoke with representatives from other groups and we said it’s time that we started to do something about that. So we see this has the potential for some sort of a project that celebrates our Scottish-ness on P.E.I. for everybody that has Scottish heritage, not just the Glenaladale (settlers’ ancestors).”
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Glenaladale Estate for Sale

September 28, 2012, 5:17 am
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Mapping a parish's past, St. John the Baptist, Miscouche

October 2, 2012, 5:56 pm
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The following is on today's Journal-Pioneer website:
http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2012-10-01/article-3088173/Mapping-a-parish%26rsquos-past/1
     John Gillis (left), Michelle Perry, Fr. Alban Arsenault and Ivan Arsenault show off the map that was made of the cemetery at St. John the Baptist Church in Miscouche over the past summer.
By Nancy MacPhee, Journal-Pioneer, Oct. 1, 2012
nmacphee@journalpioneer.com

MISCOUCHE - It's a project Fr. Alban Arsenault believes has helped to connect residents of the community of Miscouche with their ancestors.

This past summer, with funding from the province and the hard work of a local student, a map was drawn up of the graveyard at St. John the Baptist Church.
As a result, those searching for their ancestors can now simply look at the map on display in the back of the church to find a loved one’s final resting place.
“It is about heritage and legacy, especially today,” said Arsenault, the parish priest. “I believe more and more that we need to be connected to our roots. We belong to an Island and it’s part of our history. The cemetery, there is so much history. This is to honour the deceased loved ones, our ancestors.”
Parish council committee member and long-time Miscouche resident John Gillis came up with the idea.
He, along with David Gills, Norma DesRoches, Arsenault, Ivan Blanchard and Michelle Perry, formed a committee to devise a plan on how to properly identify the hundreds of graves in the cemetery and to find money for the project.
The committee looked to Summerside resident Art Lockhart for advice. Last year, Lockhart and his wife, Miriam, took on a project in which they photographed thousands of headstones across the province, photos that are now online.
Area MLA Sonny Gallant was approached for funding and local student, Haley Perry, was hired to research each and every grave, photograph it and draw the map.
“She spent probably two weeks out in the graveyard just sitting on her chair and drawing and mapping out exactly what the graveyard looked like and what each gravestone looked like,” said Michelle, who is also Haley’s mother. “She did receive a lot of information from Art Lockhart so it was cross referencing with that to make sure the information was correct.”
Mother and daughter spent countless hours thumbing through church records in an attempt to identify those lying in unmarked graves.
By the end of the summer Haley had memorized almost the entire cemetery.
“There was a couple that came from the States and they were looking for their grandparents. He rhymed off names and she was like, ‘oh, I know where that is’. She took out the map and was showing them where they were,” said Michelle. “She really knew a lot about the graveyard after.”
Gillis said the result of Haley’s hard work is a book containing a map and key of all the marked graves, 576 in total, and reference to the 421 unmarked graves.
“There are a lot of children, a lot of infants and a lot of women that died that it just says their husband’s name,” said Michelle.
Each headstone is numbered and, in the book, there is information on the deceased.
On the map the corresponding numbered headstone is marked, which makes it easier for someone to search out their loved one’s resting place.
The photos have also been burned to DVD, which are available at the community office, the church and the Acadian Museum, for those looking to find a burial site.
Some date back almost 200 years, when the first church was built, said Arsenault.
Gillis said the initial hope was to build a website detailing the work and where the map would be available for those outside the community who were searching for a loved one’s grave but the cost was too much.
Gillis hopes neighbouring parishes follow St. John the Baptist’s lead.
An information night detailing the project is being planned. The hope is to update the map once a year.
“Now that we have the end result, it’s wonderful. It’s a relief that it is on paper. Everything is on record,” said Arsenault. “It is a treasure.”
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New London House, New York Times' Real Estate

October 19, 2012, 6:55 am
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     This article appeared on today's Journal-Pioneer website:
http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2012-10-18/article-3102826/PEI-house-makes-New-York-Times%26rsquo-real-estate-publication/1


PEI House makes New York Times' Real Estate Publication
This 1925 farmhouse on 20 acres of coastal
land in New London (Prince Edward Island)
is on the market for $1.2 million. 

Journal-Pioneer by Mike Carson, Published October 18, 2012

SUMMERSIDE - A New London home has been featured in the New York Times Great Homes and Destinations - a publication featuring real estate listings from around the world.
The Island home overlooking the New London Bay is a three-bedroom farmhouse built in 1925 on 20 acres of coastal land and it’s going for $1.2 million.
Realtor Wayne MacKinnon of Royal LePage said he was contacted by the Times and at first wasn’t sure it was all true.
“Great Homes and Destinations, it’s a huge publication that they do for homes all over the world,” MacKinnon said. “When they first phone you think they’re just trying to sell you an ad, but we were pleasantly surprised when it came out.”
Getting this kind of real estate coverage doesn’t happen every day.
“In my 20 years, I’ve never seen anything like that before, to get that much exposure,” MacKinnon said. “It puts P.E.I. on the map,” especially in Europe, “because their distribution is greater in Europe than it is anywhere.”
The Prince County realtor said the hits on the Great Homes and Destinations site after just one day were very high.
“It was amazing how many there were,” he said. “The U.S. had a lot of hits but other countries had some really big numbers. It’s really good exposure for the Island for anybody who doesn’t know it or who has never been here.”
According to figures from the Meadowlea StatCounter, the site received nearly 500 hits in just two days.
The United States accounted for 382, followed by Canada with 87. Six hits came from the United Kingdom with five each from the Netherlands and Australia. There were three inquiries from Thailand and two each from Japan, Israel and Azerbaijan. Hits were also recorded from the Asia/Pacific region, Singapore, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
MacKinnon couldn’t put his finger on the exact reason why P.E.I. was selected for the Times’ publication but did think it had something to do with the Royal LePage listings on his website.
“I think it generated from my website originally where she (the representative from the New York Times) found the home because when you do a search for P.E.I. real estate, I’m always in that top 10 on Google,” he said.
“I was out showing homes… and I got a call and the lady told me her name. She was with the New York Times and said they were looking to do a feature on P.E.I. oceanfront properties and the ins and outs of buying it and what the requirements are.”
She told MacKinnon, “One of your properties has been selected as being the feature home that we would like to do an article on. One thing led to another and within a few days there was a photographer here and interviews being done. It was very quick.
“She told me she does destinations all over the world and they were looking for something in eastern Canada and she has heard a lot about Prince Edward Island. We’re going to link it to some of our sites and use it.”
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Souris and Area

October 19, 2012, 7:32 am
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    I was recently in eastern Prince Edward Island and took the following photos in and around Souris.
     Below: 1930 St. Alexis Roman Catholic Church in Rollo Bay.  Designed by James Harris, nephew of well-known PEI Architect William Harris. See also: http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.ca/2011/11/legacy-of-james-harris-architect.html
     Below: view of the coastline of the Town of Souris as you drive over the causeway to Souris from Rollo Bay.
 Below:  Souris Town Hall - see their website:  http://www.sourispei.com/about/about.html
    Following renovations to Townhall (designed by Architect Donald MacKinnon, for whom I worked for at the time) a plaque was placed during a visit by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1989.
 Below: Houses and Buildings on Souris' Main Street.
See also Historic Places for the Matthew and MacLean Store:
http://historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=5983&pid=16304&h=Souris,Pe
     Below:  The Donald Beaton House, built in 1851 - in 1854 he brought his bride Marie Clementine Sobieski MacDonald to Souris - she was the daughter of the Hon. John Small MacDonald.  Donald Beaton was born in East Point in 1816 - he was the grandson of a Charlottetown merchant.  He moved out to Souris in the 1840s to engage in the fishery and shipbuilding. Donald Beaton was a wealthy man and owned considerable acres of land at the time of his death in November 1865 from diabetes - he was 49.  His widow sold a large block of the center of the village in 1876 to Owen Connolly of Charlottetown.  Caleb Carleton Sr. bought the house from Mrs. Beatons estate and it remained in the Carloton family until 1953 when it was purchased by Ray A. Leard.  Above information cf. Ten Farms become a Town: the History of Souris, 1700-1920.  Published in 1986.
      Below: an old, seemingly abandoned home on the corner of High and Prince Streets.
      The house is in the Second Empire style featuring symmetrically placed 2-storey bay windows on the front south facing side.
     Below:  St. Mary's Souris.
From the book, A Faith Walk: Diocese of Charlottetown by Revd Art O'Shea:  In 1901, with an increasing Catholic population, a quite massive new church of Island Sandstone was built, William Harris being the architect.  Unfortunately in 1928 this impressive church burned almost to the ground, leaving only the outer shell.  From the ruins arose in 1930 the beautiful St. Mary's Church of today.
Below: houses on the back streets of Souris.
Below: St. James United Church.  See earlier post in this blog:
http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.ca/2012/01/more-pei-churches-for-sale-in-souris.html
Below: these buildings and houses are on the streets that go along Souris' shoreline.

 Below: 1875 MacLean House Inn.
http://www.mcleanhouseinn.com/
See also Historic Places:
http://historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=18476&pid=12409&h=Souris,Pe
 Below: St. Albans Anglican Church.  This church was built in 1980.  See article below.
Tiny Anglican Church holds services in Souris - July 23, 2011
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2011-07-23/article-2672553/Tiny-Anglican-Church-holds-services-in-Souris/1
Every Saturday afternoon during the summer months less than a dozen Anglicans gather in St. Alban's Anglican Church in Souris for services. This Saturday the services were led by Richard Ball, a lay minister. The church, erected in 1980 to serve approximately 70 parishoners, sits near site of the original church adjacent to Church Street in the town and close to the edge of a cliff bordering Colville Bay. The first church was built in 1895 under the leadership of Rev. E.T. Woollard. Before that, servces were held in a private home. It was closed in 1919 and later demolished. The land was sold for $300 together with part of the churchyard after the Second World War.
 Below: here's a few old barns, etc. from the area.
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Kitchen Cabinet from West Point House

October 19, 2012, 9:13 am
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     My brother Kerras bought this cabinet from an old homestead in West Point - it was built in to a corner.  He had to fix-up and match a few things with it but it is original with its detailing, doors, glass, drawers, etc.       



     This cabinet is for sale.  For information about my brother Kerras' woodwork and folkart see his website: www.birchgate.ca/kerras and http://birchgate.ca/kerras/furniture.html
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Heritage Prayer

October 19, 2012, 1:35 pm
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     We were at Cumberland Historic Village this week near Ottawa - in this Knox United Church ( formerly located in Vars, Ontario ) we saw this prayer in the vestibule - it was adapted from a prayer in the old Covenanters' Church - 1804, Grand Pre, Nova Scotia.

"Heritage Prayer"
Father God;

We keep forgetting all of those who lived before us.
We keep forgetting those who lived and worked in our communities.
We keep forgetting those who prayed and sang hymns in our churches before we were born.
We keep forgetting what our fathers have done for us.
We commit the sin, Lord, of assuming that everything begins with us.

We drink from wells we did not find.
We eat food from farmland we did not develop.
We enjoy freedoms which we have not earned.
We worship in churches which we did not build.
We live in communities we did not establish.
This day, make us grateful for our heritage.
Amen

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A house for 24 children

October 20, 2012, 1:53 pm
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    Recently this article appeared in the September 6th, 2012 issue of the West Prince Graphic.  There's no image of the family home, however, I will try to find one.  So for now - imagine a house with 24 children!
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Warren Cove Range Lighthouse loses its champion

October 22, 2012, 8:28 pm
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     Woman who protected Warren Cove Front Range Lighthouse can no longer do the work

      CBC News Posted: Oct 21, 2012 1:16 PM AT 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2012/10/21/pei-souris-lighthouse-584.html
The Warren Cove Front Range Lighthouse. (Flickr.com)

A P.E.I. lighthouse that had been adopted by a local community group is once again at risk.
Gena Yeo had been trying to protect the Warren Cove Front Range Lighthouse, at the entrance of Charlottetown Harbour, but she can no longer work to protect it.
"I've had a lot of health issues," said Yeo. "I'm able to go to work and to look after my family but besides that I'm not in a position right now to take on anything else and this would be a big responsibility."
There are about 40 lighthouses on P.E.I. listed as surplus by the Canadian Coast Guard. All but three of those lighthouses had community groups step forward to take charge of them in order to have them remain available to the public.
Yeo had organized a petition that was circulated in the community. She said no one else who signed the petition wanted to take on more responsibility to protect the lighthouse.
"There's legal issues, there's insurance issues, things of that nature that you just don't think about at the beginning," said Yeo. "I feel like I let them down, you know it really upsets me."
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My Island Pictures by A.L. Morrison

October 23, 2012, 2:59 pm
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     My brother Kerras is always finding Island books that have long been out of print - here's one he recently gave me.  My Island Pictures: A History of Prince Edward Island by A.L. Morrison.  The book was published in 1980.  I like the way A.L. Morrison describes each of his paintings with historic information.  Below is the book cover and a few pages from inside to give an idea of its content.
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Guidelines to Repair/Replace Historic Windows

October 27, 2012, 5:02 am
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     I came across this booklet the other day in my collection - it was produced by the City of Charlottetown, compiled and written by Darrin Dunsford of William Chandler Architects Inc.
    Here's the cover and a few pages from within.
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Experimental Farm - Charlottetown - Ravenwood

November 1, 2012, 5:53 am
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     On the local CBC Radio news they were telling of the demolition of a variety of farm buildings, some as old as 80 years, on the Experimental Farm site here in Charlottetown.  Here's is the CBC news item from their website complete with video. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2012/11/01/pei-farm-buildings-demolished-584.html
     Here's the text from the story...

Buildings demlished at experimental farm:  Vacant structures were safety hazard
CBC New - posted: Nov. 1, 2012 8:12 AM AT

     Agriculture Canada is tearing down some old buildings at its experimental farm in Charlottetown this week.
     The buildings are up to 80 years old and haven't been used for years.
     "No one likes to see the eye sore of the old buildings on the property," said Jamie Coffin.
     "We've had a lot of vandalism over the years where basically vacant buildings were broken into. It's really a concern that with the amount of traffic and the people of Charlottetown on the property that come enjoy the property as a whole, that the buildings are really unsafe to be around or to be inside for sure. So they've been locked up for the last four or five years, and we're trying to remove them from property."
     Agriculture Canada plans to take down a total of 10 derelict buildings on the property at a cost of $700,000. While the work is expensive it will mean lower costs for operating the farm in the long term.
     "It's one less thing we don't have to worry about maintaining and investing money in, and that way we free up money to go towards research programs at the centre."
     The land will be converted back into green space.
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     The following historic image is from "Friends of the Farm"  http://friendsofthefarmpei.ca/
Above: Ravenwood on the Left / Mt. Edward Rd. / Ardgowan on the Right

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     Below is information from the Historic Places website regarding Ravenwood.  http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=10848

DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE

Ravenwood House, also known as Building 5, sits on an extensive lawn, surrounded by trees, at the Experimental Farm in Charlottetown. It is a striking, two-storey, hipped roof structure clad in clapboard. The classically inspired composition features two symmetrical, double-storey bay windows, a classical portico entrance with columns and a centrally placed roof lantern. Classical detailing is also found in the full-height pilasters at the corners and in the wood window treatment. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

HERITAGE VALUE

Ravenwood House is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental value.
Historical Value
Ravenwood House is of historical value for its association with nationally significant government figures and with the development of experimental farms in Canada. It is associated with William Johnston, the Attorney General of Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) from 1813 to his death in 1828, who built the house as his country estate. The house is also associated with J.C. Pope, who resided at the house at the time of Confederation. He served as Premier of the province, was one of the first Members of Parliament from the Island, and was federal Fisheries Minister from 1878 to 1882. The house is also a very good example of the experimental farm developed by the federal government at the turn of the century to improve Canadian agriculture through research. Ravenwood was the central building around which the farm was planned, and has been home to a succession of superintendents, the first being Dr. J. A. Clark, a well-known and respected P.E.I. agriculturalist.
Architectural Value
Ravenwood House is valued for its very good aesthetic and functional design. A successful elaboration of an original Georgian era building with elements of the Classical Revival style, it was originally built with a five bay façade, steep hipped roof and verandah wrapping around three sides. Renovated in 1909 to create a classical revival composition with symmetrical double-storey bay windows and a classical portico, it is a very good example of both early 19th- and early 20th-century classical designs. Demonstrating a very good functional design, its center-hall plan, with its arrangement of parlors, offices, a rear kitchen wing and four bedrooms above, reflects the exterior symmetry. Very good craftsmanship is evidenced in its interior, 19th-century, detailing that includes marble mantelpieces and plaster ceiling rosettes.
Environmental Value
Ravenwood House is compatible with the picturesque character of its park-like setting at the experimental farm. The extensive front lawn has been embellished with trees planted by various governors-general of Canada and by members of the British Royal Family. Located near the entrance to the frequently visited farm, the house is a regional landmark.
Sources: Gordon Fulton, Ravenwood House, Building No. 5, Experimental Farm, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 91-071; Ravenwood House (Building No. 5), Experimental Farm, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Heritage Character Statement, 91-071.
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Unknown Tignish Daybook

November 5, 2012, 3:43 pm
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     My brother Kerras came across this ledger recently, it's from an unknown Tignish store - there's no indication as to who this would have belonged to.  He purchased it from someone in Little Sands, PEI - a long ways from Tignish!!
     Possibly someone familiar with Tignish and its early merchants could identify this - the Ledger begins on January 7, 1875 and ends on August 30, 1875.
     Below is the cover and inside first page and some close ups of it.
Below is an image from the middle of the Ledger.
 Below is a page from near the end of the Ledger and a few close-ups.
     Something else my brother Kerras came across recently was this tin stencil - it would have been placed against a packing crate/box and painted over leaving its mark.
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Keeper's Lodge - Old Protestant Burying Ground, Ch'town

November 8, 2012, 9:40 am
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     There is much history at The Old Protestant Burying Grounds on University Avenue (formerly Malpegue Rd. and Elm Street) in Charlottetown.
     Between 1999 and 2004 under a Millennium Restoration project the old cemetery was restored complete with new wrought iron railing and stone restoration.   The following description is from the book about the cemetery, Who Departed This Life...
    "Spanning several acres - and in existence during four centuries - the cemetery known as the Old Protestant Burying Ground is prominently located behind a wrought iron fence on University Avenue in downtown Charlotteotwn, Prince Edward Island.  It is the final resting ground for up to 4,000 souls who were interred between the late 1700s and 1873.  The Burying Ground has withstood the ravages of time - and vandalism - but in recent years great efforts have been made to restore the grounds, offering respect to those departed colonial pioneers who established the city and the province."
 
     The above image is from page 18 of the book -
Who Departed This Life: A History of the Old Protestant Burying Ground by George Wright.  ( See book front and back cover below )
    The following text is from pages 18-21:
   ...Later on, it was thought advisable to appoint a keeper, whose duty should be, to protect the property from trespassers, and put a stop to the irregularities that were being committed there, both by day and night. 
     Accordingly, two public spirited ladies of this City, Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Mason, collected $375, which was expended in erecting a lodge at the entrance gate of the grounds.  The lodge was designed by Mr. Stirling, and was completed under his supervision (free of charge by him) in the spring of 1883.  
     John Ashley was appointed Keeper, and attended to his duties faithfully until his death in July last.  Mrs. Ashley continues here.  (In this city, on the 6th of July, at his residence on the Malpeque Road, after a short illness, John Ashley in the 70th year of his age, a native of Suffolk, England.  Funeral at 2 o'clock)...     
     The Guardian 1916 - Tenders Called.  Tenders will be received up to June First by the undersigned for the purchase of the keeper's cottage now on the grounds of the Malpeque Cemetery.  Publishers will be required to remove the said cottage not later than 10th June and clear away all rubbish belonging to the building.
     It was in this period that the caretaker's cottage was sold.  The house was subsequently moved to 39 Connolly Street, where it may still be seen today.

     Below: The Keeper's Lodge, much changed, as found today at 39 Connolly Street, not far from the Burying Grounds.  Images from Google Maps.
     Below: the old house retains some of its original detailing in the running trim on the steep gables as seen here. 
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50 gal and 40 gal Crocks

November 8, 2012, 3:53 pm
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     My brother Kerras came across these large crocks recently - a rare sight!!  
     The one on the left is 40-gallons and the other, with cover, is 50-gallons.  I've read the large crocks were called "self-draining" or "fermenting" crocks.  Each of these crocks have holes at the base where a spout would have fitted in. 

For more information regarding crocks and stoneware see:
http://medalta.com/tour/7.php
( The text and images below comes from the above website )

Heavy Stoneware Manufacture in North America Once Thrived

     This site is a celebration of the determination and craftsmanship of ordinary people who created an industrial ceramic industry without equal in the middle of the vast and isolated Canadian prairies during the 1920s to 40s. Companies such as Medalta Potteries and Medicine Hat Potteries made huge quantities of stoneware utilitarian vessels before the age of plastic. These were times when Canadians and Americans were independent and made their own products and young people starting their working lives in community owned manufacturing facilities learning the pride of self sufficiency.
Would you like to be
able to make these
classic stoneware crocks?
  
     Today many of the classic shapes are once again very popular, especially with collectors. There is an active trade in these original pieces across North America and many pieces are now fetching high prices. Many potters would like to be able to make these again. However there is much more involved than you might think, modern ceramic industry uses completely different materials, fabrication and firing processes. The secrets of their manufacture are in danger of being lost, that is the reason for this site. In addition, most of the surviving pieces are not being used for utilitarian purposes because of their value, but also because they are not sanitary by modern standards. However you can use modern materials, processes and more care and attention than the original manufacturers could afford to give to create wonderful replicas that can be used in any home or kitchen today.
     Digitalfire Corporation creates chemistry and lab software and information products used by engineers around the world in the ceramic industry. The owner, Tony Hansen, grew up in the pottery town of Medicine Hat, Alberta and knew and worked with many key surviving figures in the industry from 1972 to 2003. Over many years he accumulated and archived a large body of material and gained a deep knowledge of the local clay materials, processes and equipment used to make these pieces. This site is dedicated to making this knowledge available now to anyone so the memory of the people and their stoneware will live on in a new generation.
     Coming soon we will have articles, patterns, recipes, artwork, historical drawings and catalogs, photos, packaging artwork and ideas, etc. to help you make and market pieces like these. There are hundreds of shapes and types of articles to choose from. You are going to need computer, mechanical, material, chemistry, equipment and fabrication and firing process knowledge to make this happen and we will help you get it.

Vitrified Heavy Bean Crock

     The master mold and a number of prototypes have been hand made by Tony Hansen. This crock is made from the same clays the original companies used. Even the glaze is made from local high iron bearing clays blended with feldspar and other fluxing minerals. We will release complete information on how to make this.
This vitrified crock is much more than just an extremely durable container, it is history. A besides, there is just no better way to make beans than in one of these!
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St. John Anglican Church, Crapaud - 1902

November 14, 2012, 5:01 pm
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     I was out to Crapaud on Saturday past to the 158th Diocesan Church Society of Prince Edward Island Annual Meeting and picked up this little booklet of the Parish's history.
     On page 13 is a brief history of the present church...

    "Rev. A.W. Daniel succeeded Rev. Johnstone in October, 1888 and remained until 1895.  A number of Rectors came and went from hereafter.  At the Annual Meeting held on April 16, 1900, a committee was appointed to solicit funds for the building of a new Church.  The Rev. Charles R. Cumming became Rector in 1901, when the present Church building was completed.
     The Foundation stone of the present St. John's Church was laid on Sept. 9, 1901 by the Venerable T.B. Reagh, Archdeacon of P.E.I. ad Rector of Milton.  The services were conducted by the Rev. C.R. Cumming, Rector, and addresses delivered by the Hon. Sir Louis Davies, K.C.M.G., Mr. Justice Fitzgerald, D.C.L., and Judge Warburton, D.C.L.
     On Sunday, October 1902, the Church was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God by the Right Rev. Frederick Courtney, Lord Bishop of Nova Scotia.  The contractors were Messers. John Lemuel, and Samuel Haslam.  The architect of the building was the late William Harris of Charlottetown.
     The Rev. J.W. Godfrey became Rector in 1906.  The Church was consecrated on Sunday, July 14, 1907 by the Right Rev. Clarendon Lamb Worrell.  The Bishop preached at both morning and evening services on that day.  The services were conducted by the Rector the Rev. J.W. Godfrey.
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http://anglicanchurchcrapaud.com/

     I took this photos of St. John's Church on October 2009 - this is the southeast view - the church his located on the TransCanada Hwy on the east side of Crapaud.
     The photos below were taken on Saturday, Nov. 10th  - it's a challenge to get a good shot of the church as you have to stand in the middle of the highway to get it!!
Below: West/Rear view of Church.
Below: Interior view looking north towards altar.
Below: Winter Photos taken on February 19, 2007
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