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Stanhope: Sands of Time. A Community History

October 22, 2013, 8:50 am
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    I got a copy of Stanhope: Sands of Time,  A Community History.  Published in 1984 by the Stanhope Women's Institute History Committee. ISBN 0-9691724-0-0.
     I'm an avid collector of Prince Edward Island community histories as they contain photographs of the houses and buildings - it's an excellent source.  I have a loarge collection of these books, which didn't include Stanhope, until last week.
     The following is the front and back book cover along with a few pages of houses which I find interesting.
     Below: The Hudson House was bought by Parks Canada, eventually it fell into disrepair and was burned by them on March 5, 1980.
     Below: Page 268. "In 1900 George Alexander deeded his property to his son George Herbert Alexander, sold it in January of 1912 to David Swan and his son Harry, who later (1922) sold it to Herbert Kielly.  The old home with a small acerage is now owned by Joe and Louis Roper and David Jay, who use it as a summer home." This was the status of the house in 1984 when the book was written - not sure if it still exists.
     Below:  Page 167.  "One of the military men in Stanhope was Francis Alexander who signed up as a British regular soldier in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1825, aged 18, and was posted to Halifax and Niagara Falls.  His son Captain George Alexander built an armory on the family farm, "Erinville", on the Stanhope East Road.  It was strongly built, on a stone foundation, with barred windows and a sturdy door which could be locked and bolted; these precautions were necessary because the militia rifles and ammunition were kept there, the rifles in racks with each man's name opposite his rifle...The armoury, which can still be seen today (1984), and the rifle range were used for militia drills and training over the years."
     Below: Page 224.  "The large farm house was built by Alexander MacLauchlan in 1898, the contractor being Herman Jones of Pownal.  Alexander's son Ashley inherited the property in 1916 , and sold the house with its 100 acres of land in 1919 to Charles Burt of Baltic, P.E.I.  47 acres were expropriated by National Parks in 1937...eventually Charle's son Leith sold the house and remaining 25 acres to James and Minnie MacFadyen and Dorothy Douglas:  these three had previously managed Stanhope Beach Inn and Dalvay House Hotel.  They named the property "Kiloran" Gaelic for "by a sandy beach".  Kiloran Lodge opened for business in 1949 with four cottages...In 1967 the property was sold to  Mr. and Mrs. Hector MacDougall of Charlotteotwn, Donald MacDougall, Mass., and Thomas Hall of Summerside...In 1970 the MacDougalls started a campground, named "Brigadoon", a 10-acre field.  In 1969 they sold their home in Charlottetown and moved to Stanhope as year-round residents...In 1976 they ceased operating the campground...They are now (1984) working at restoring the fine old farmhouse as nearly as possible to its original condition."
     Below: Page 215.  "In 1889 Mr. and Mrs. Francis Mutch engaged a Mr. Pickering, from the Kensington area, to build a summer resort hotel on their property at Stanhope; this property, at the Point, was previously owned by Mrs. Mutch's father, Alex MacMillan.  The new hotel was a three-storey building with 15 bedrooms on the second floor and third floors, while the ground floor contained sitting rooms, dining room and kitchen...in 1916 it was sold with 45 acres of land, to Donald MacMillan, son of Angus MacMillan, founder of Point Pleasant Hotel.  Donald operatted the hotel under the name of the MacMillan Hotel, later as Seaside Inn...Jack Warren rented the hotel from Donald MacMillan from 1934 on, and in 1945 he bought it, together with 2 acres of land, and operated it with his wife Hazel and son Rhodes, and the latter's wife Doris (Pickard), as Seaside Inn and Cottages, including a 4 unit motel.  Jack died in June 1952, Hazel and their son Rhodes continued to operate the Inn until on April 23, 1966 a fire of unknown origin leveled the old structure, and the Mutch Hotel and Seaside Inn came to an end."
     Below: This historic hotel is considered to be the oldest tourism resort on Prince Edward Island.  It has had many names over the years - Pleasant View Hotel / Point Pleasant Hotel / Cliff Hotel / Stanhope Beach Inn / Stanhope Beach Lodge / Stanhope-by-the-Sea.  
     This historic property was destroyed by Fire on April 23, 2013 - see previous blog post... http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.ca/2013/04/stanhope-by-sea-resort-destoyed-by-fire.html

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Old Brudenell Schoolhouse renovated

October 22, 2013, 11:13 am
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Published on October 22, 2013
     Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay presents a plaque to Frank Dolan to mark the official re-opening of the Brudenell school house following a complete renovation.
Photo & Article by Steve Sharratt.  The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2013-10-22/article-3435902/Old-Brudenell-school-house-given-new-life/1
Extensive two-year renovation aimed at giving venerable
Kings County school another 100 years of service
BRUDENELL — For years it sat lonely and leaking.
            The local council would sit in the original school desks when holding a monthly meeting and a stiff wind through the drafty windows would easily chill the coffee.
But after a two-year effort, the old Brudenell schoolhouse here has been completely renovated and ready to face another 100 years of community service.
            “It’s unbelievable the amount of work involved to get this done,’’ said council chairwoman Peggy Coffin. “Now we have a beautiful building.”
Coffin welcomed guests to the school house Saturday during the official opening ceremony where former students Athol Robertson and Catherine Robertson (no relation), both 91 years old, cut the ribbon.
            She paid special tribute to council member Frank Dolan, who oversaw the project and spent much of the past summer supervising the contracted work.
            The two-year project began with lifting the building and the installation of a foundation and heating system. The rebuilding continued with water, insulation, shingling, windows, roof and a complete painting.
            “It was badly in need of renovation,’’ said Dolan. “We were holding our council meetings in here and you could see the old place starting to fade.”
            The roof was leaking and the foundation was crumbling when the community contributed $13,000 towards a renovation assisted by both levels of government to cover the estimated $70,000 project.
            Located a few miles from Montague, it’s one of the smaller one-room schoolhouses in the province and served a baker’s dozen worth of students. There were photographs and early textbooks on display, and even two handwriting awards presented to former student Athol Robertson.
            “George Dewar, before he became a doctor, was our teacher one year,’’ said Robertson, who attended during the late 1920s and early 1930s.  “When you saw his face turning red, you quieted down.”
            Former student Annie (Stewart) Cameron drove from Indian River to attend the opening.
            “We all had jobs to do whether it was fetching water twice a day or carrying coal up from the basement,’’ she said.
            “You would roast sitting by the pot belly stove and be chilly if you sat in the corner.”
            Built around the turn of the last century, the school will now be available for events, gatherings or reunions, and absolutely free to residents of the community.
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The following article appeared earlier in the Eastern Graphic www.peicanada.com
            Athol Robertson and Catherine Robertson, both 91, sit in the desks they used when they attended Brudenell School in the 1930s. Brudenell School is getting a makeover, and the Brudenell Community Council is selling 20 of their desks for $40 each. - Heather Jordan Ross photo
cf.  http://peicanada.com/eastern_graphic/publication/community_brudenell_raise_funds_keep_schoolhouse_focal_part_its_communit
Community of Brudenell to raise funds to keep
schoolhouse focal part of its community
Wed, 07/10/2013 - 05:00 By Heather Jordan Ross hjross@peicanada.com
            As 91-year old Catherine Robertson settled her small frame onto the seat of an old desk, she recalled her first day at Brudenell School in 1928.
            “I went to school with my brothers and sisters and I was very afraid of the first teacher,” she said. “So I was permitted to sit with my sister Doris.”
            It’s been 75 years since nonagenarian relatives Athol Robertson and Ms Robertson sat at those desks as students.
Mr Robertson enjoyed playing more than school work, but he’s grateful of the Brudenell Community Council’s efforts to preserve the school.
            “It’s part of my youth, and I really appreciate what’s being done,” he said.
            Brudenell Council is working to maintain the heritage of the school, which is at least 150-years old, while making it accessible to the community, thanks to money from ACOA and the PEI Community Fund.
            Vice chair Frank Dolan wants a more accessible, warmer community centre that could be used for information sessions, meetings, classes, and music lessons.
            The old school is the community’s only meeting place, and yet it has never had washrooms or year-round heat.
“The big thing is we’ll be able to get public use of it for small meetings,” Mr Dolan said.
            By August, Mr Dolan hopes the building will have a heating system, washrooms, hardwood floors, a refurbished roof, and a display to share the history of the building with visitors.
            Council would like to purchase new chairs and fold up tables, which is why they’re willing to part with every school desk except one.
            “That’s what we were using for people to sit in when they came to a council meeting,” Mr Dolan said. “We’re generating funding from them (the old desks) to buy proper seating.”
            Twenty desks, made by the Globe Furniture Company in Waterloo, Ontario, and at least 70-years old, will be available at a cost of $40 each.
            One desk will be kept for display with other Brudenell School memorabilia.
            “Margaret Jean and Georgina Dewar, who are also on council, have gone through old textbooks, artifacts, and pictures of historical importance,” Mr Dolan said.
            Councillor Margaret Jean Smith also attended the school, and her father designed the first tongue and groove style ceiling. She’s excited to finally see the school provide space for more use than for cold councillors.

            “The need in the community is there,” she said.
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St. Simon & St. Jude Roman Catholic Church - 1859

October 22, 2013, 5:30 pm
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     The other day I came across this history brochure I picked up while at a service at St. Simon & St. Jude in the summer of 2002.
     Also with the above brochure was another of the 129th organ built by Louis Mitchell of Montreal built in 1882. 
     Below is a photo of St. Simon & St. Jude taken by Henry Cundall of Charlottetown in 1860 - a southwest view.
Below: my 2009 photo showing the northwest view of St. Simon & St. Jude.
     Below my photos of the church east front, along with a view of the adjacent Parochial House.
     Below:  Photo from Parish Website.  Interior restored in 2002 by Atlantic Cathedral Painters. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Atlantic-Cathedral-Painters-Ltd/289022579488  The first time I was in the church for a service following the restoration I couldn't stop looking up at the gold stars on the ceiling - it's absolutely spectacular!
     Below is a before and after from Altantic Cathedral Painters Facebook page of the painting of St. Simon & St. Jude ceiling.
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Crokett's Jewellers closing after 124 years in Summerside

October 23, 2013, 7:23 pm
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     Above the Crockett-Gallant Building, 281 Water Street, Summerside. Built 1919.
Info. cf. Historical Places website:
http://www.gov.pe.ca/hpo/app.php?nav=details&p=6520
            This structure at 281 Water Street has been a landmark on Summerside's principal thoroughfare since 1919. It has heritage value not only for its solid construction under the supervision of architect George E. Baker, but also for its long association with the Crockett family. 
            It was erected on the west corner of Water and Summer Streets for two of Summerside's prominent businessmen - Herbert R. Crockett and J. Edward Gallant. They purchased the empty lot in 1917 following a devastating fire of December 1916, which destroyed many original buildings on both sides of Water Street. The building that stood on this location had been owned by Charles C. Gardiner and occupied by grocer, Joseph Locke. 
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cf.  http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2013-10-22/article-3436227/Crocketts-Jewellers-closing-after-124-years-in-downtown-Summerside/1
Crockett's Jewellers closing after 124 years
in downtown Summerside
Mike Carson
Published on October 22, 2013
SUMMERSIDE – It will be the end of an era in downtown Summerside when Crocketts Jewellers closes its doors after Christmas.

© Mike Carson/Journal Pioneer/ Lynn Nicholson (left) owner of Crockett’s Jewellers, waits on customer Tara Broome during the businesses closeout sale. The business has been operating in Summerside for 124 and will close its doors after Christmas. 
SUMMERSIDE– It will be the end of an era in downtown Summerside when Crocketts Jewellers closes its doors after Christmas.
            Store owner Lynn Crockett said it was hard decision to make but one whose time has come.
            “My great grandfather started the business in 1889,” Nicholson said. “Then my grandfather took over and his brother. Then my dad took it over from his father and then I took it from my father. So, it’s the fourth generation. For 124 years we’ve been a fixture in Summerside. It’s pretty amazing.”
            With all of the success that Nicholson has had with the family business, she felt it was time to close down.
            “I’ve got 41 years in working,” she said. “There are a number of factors. It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for a while and it’s also a decision I knew I was going to have to make. It just seemed in the last little bit that things kind of fit in a row and it was the right time to do it. And I wanted to end on a good note.”
Nicholson said she still loves her job even though she has decided to leave it.
            “I don’t want to be somebody who doesn’t like their job at the end,” she said. “I know people like that and I don’t want to be that person. I still enjoy my job. It’s time. You just know it in your bones and that’s a really hard thing to describe to people but you do. You just really know when the time is right.”
            Nicholson said it took a long time for her to reach the decision to move on but she’s doing so with no regrets.
            “Now that I’ve made it, I’m okay with it,” she said. “The hardest people to tell were the staff. That was tough.”
            Nicholson has no children so there is no one in the immediate family to continue on the Crockett’s’tradition and the rest of her family doesn’t live in the area. The business has also been on the market as well.
            “I have two sisters and my sisters don’t live here and they have different careers,” she said. “It’s been on the market but I just decided that this was the right decision for me at this time.”
            Through the years in running the business, Nicholson has seen the good times and the bad times for downtown Summerside but she sees a positive future for the area.
            “There have been a ton of changes but I think if you’re not changing, you’re not going anywhere,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of changes down here even in the last year.  Kelly’s Flower Shoppe has been sold again. That’s a positive thing. Their building sold. We have a new brew shop opening. We’ve had a Halloween store opening.”
            Nicholson said the advent of Holland College and its Waterfront Campus bodes well for the future of downtown.
            “It’s all positive,” she said. “It’s what life is all about. Crockett’s Jewellers is just another chapter in the history of Summerside and then we’re going to turn the page and there will be something else and there will be something else here.”
            Nicholson said she has many memories of downtown Summerside and it’s difficult to pick out just one.
            “For myself, coming downtown when I was a little kid shopping with my great aunt - pretty good,” she said. “I’ve got tons of memories. I’ve worked every sidewalk sale but two, maybe three since it was started in 1973. Problem is I have a lot of good memories. Somebody said to me ‘What’s the best memory?’ and I thought I can’t say one because so many things keep flowing through your head. It’s just been phenomenal. I’ve been very fortunate.”
            Nicholson said she no real plans once the store closes but travel is something she intends to do.
            “I have family in Paris and we’ll go and visit them. My dad’s brother lives over there and my cousins live between Paris, London and Geneva so we’ll go there,” she said. That’s on the list for next year. Other than that I haven’t thought any farther than that.”
            Since word got around that Crockett’s was closing its doors, the outpouring of well-wishers has been non-stop.
            “It’s been an amazing few days, I will have to day,” Nicholson said. “We have a guest boo because people might like to tell us their favourite memories. It’s been really wonderful. We’ve had generations of families come here. I just waited on somebody who will be back on the weekend with her granddaughter because she wants to come here to get a ring for herself. That’s pretty powerful stuff.”
            “People are amazing and they’ve said so many nice things like ‘Sorry to see you’re retiring but happy for you,’” she said. “They’ll say in one breath ‘I’m sorry the store’s not going to be here’ but then in the next breath they wish me well. You can’t get any better than that. It’s a pretty wonderful thing to think you’re so well thought of in the community. It’s pretty humbling.”
mcarson@journalpioneer.com
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Guernsey Cove Roadside Garage

October 28, 2013, 12:30 pm
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     This is a great little weathered building on Rte. 18, the shore road, in Guernsey Cove.  A roadside garage from the days when folks parked their car close to the road so when the snowplow went by they didn't have alot of snow to shovel to get their car on to the road.  There were many, many of these around the countryside, however, today few are found.
     I recall being at my grandparents farm one time and in my mind's eye I can still see my grandfather, Roy McDowell in Knutsford, shoveling the big pile of snow in front of the garage doors.  I didn't offer to help, guess I was too young.
     See previous post about roadside garages.
http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.ca/2011/02/roadside-garages.html
 Above/Below: Northeast View.
 Above: North view.  Northumberland Strait in the background.
Above; Northwest View.
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Beaton-Cameron House, East Point

November 1, 2013, 11:17 am
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     My brother was to East Point earlier this week where he saw this old house which will be demolished later this month.  He was told the house was built around 1895 and that the family once owned all the land south of Lighthouse Road (road leading to lighthouse from East Point Road).
     The 1880 Meachams Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows this property belonging to Alex. Beaton with 250 acres.  I appears the East Point Lighthouse is on this property out at the point.  Below see the lighthouse keepers list - Alexander Beaton was the first and third keeper.  
    By the time the Cumins 1928 Atlas of Prince Edward Island was published the property changed ownership to the Cameron Brothers. 
    East Point is located in Lot 47.
     Below is the map of East Point from Meachams 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island showing the Alex. Beaton property and lighthouse. 
     Below is the map of East Point Lighthouse from the Cummins 1928 Atlas of Prince Edward Island - the Alex. Beaton property now belonging to Cameron Bros.
     Lighthouse Keepers (and years in the position):  Alexander R. Beaton (1867-1871); Angus McDonald (1871-1872); Alexander R. Beaton (1872-1897); Lauchlin McDonald (1897-1908); Ronald J. McDonald (1908-1912); Angus C. MacIntyre (1912-1926); Wilbert Stewart MacIntyre  (1926-1960); and Harry James Harris (1961-1989).  cf. http://vre2.upei.ca/cap/node/302
     Above: The East Point Lighthouse - photograph taken on 14-August-2007.
     The lighthouse was completed in 1867 and has the distinction of being the last lighthouse built on Prince Edward Island before joining the Confederation of Canada.
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Davis Lodge, Tignish - destroyed by Halloween Fire

November 2, 2013, 7:34 am
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     Halloween is tough time of year on abandoned buildings n Prince Edward Island.  There's been a few old houses burned this year.  One was the old Davis Lodge near Tignish.  This old house was converted into a Seniors Community Care Facility about 25 years ago by Jean Davis of Alberton.  Not long after it opened she died suddenly.  The Lodge continued operation under another owner and eventually closed.  It's been abandoned now for 15 years and in much disrepair.
     The following are two articles from the local Guardian and Journal-Pioneer newspapers.
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A firefighter sprays water at dawn this morning on Davis Lodge, the former seniors home that burned near Tignish overnight.
© Eric McCarthy/Journal Pioneeer
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2013-11-01/article-3463719/Abandoned-seniors-home-in-Tignish-burned-Friday-morning/1
Abandoned seniors' home in Tignish burned Friday morning
The Guardian Newspaper.  Published on November 01, 2013
TIGNISH — Firefighters were called to Davis Lodge, an abondoned former seniors' facility near Tignish early this morning after the building caught fire.
            An excavator is now on scene to bring the remaining portion of the building down as a safety precaution.
            Tignish Fire Chief Harley Perry says the vacant Davis Lodge in St Felix was so badly damaged that the whole building must be brought down.
            Tignish fire department was called to the scene around 5 a.m., and called in four neighbouring Halloween-weary departments for assistance.
            Although the building had sat idle for about 15 years, Perry said the structure appeared sound prior to the suspicious fire.
            RCMP and assistant fire marshal Robert Arsenault are on the scene investigating.
            For Arsenault, it is his third fire investigation of the night in western Prince County. Around midnight, the O'Leary fire department fought a fire at an abandoned house in Milo.
            Miminegash fire department was called out to a fire in St. Edward around 2:30 a.m. Tignish firefighters were not home long from assisting with that call when they were summoned to Davis Lodge.
            The newer, single-storey section of the lodge was reduced to charred posts but the two-storey section was still standing. Perry said it was so badly damaged that it was unsafe to enter and would need to be knocked down.
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The former Davis Lodge, near Tignish, was knocked down Friday morning, just hours after five West Prince fire departments fought a fire that left it too unstable to salvage.
The fire has been turned over to the RCMP as an arson investigation.
Arson blamed for fire that destroys former seniors facility
Eric McCarthy/ Published on November 01, 2013
http://www.journalpioneer.com/News/Local/2013-11-01/article-3464232/Arson-blamed-for-fire-that-destroys-former-seniors-facility/1
ST. FELIX -- Fire left a former seniors home near Tignish so unstable Friday that the Tignish Fire Department ordered it demolished. It was knocked down Friday morning.
            Tignish fire chief Harley Perry said flames were pouring from the vacant building when fire fighters arrived on scene shortly after 5:30 a.m. He said it might have been burning a while before anyone noticed.
            The newer, one-story section was completely consumed by the fire. Fire fighters were able to douse the flames in the two-story section but Perry said the fire had left it unstable and unsafe to enter. A himack was called in to knock the building down.
Police and fire officials believe the fire was deliberately set, one of three Halloween night fires in West Prince.
            Approximately 45 fire fighters fought the Davis Lodge fire, coming from O’Leary, West Point, Miminegash and Alberton to assist.
            The building has sat idle for about 15 years but was still in reasonably good shape, according to the fire chief. Real estate signs were posted on the property. “Just by looking at it, everything was sealed up,” said Perry. “The structure looked sound.”
            The Davis Lodge fire was the third response of the night for the Tignish department. They had been to a dumpster fire in the community and had been to St. Edward around 2:30 a.m. to assist Miminegash with a structure fire.
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            A related story about Davis Lodge appeared on CBC PEI website May 24, 2001 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/davis-lodge-will-die-owner-says-1.284897
            The owner of the Davis Lodge senior citizens home in Tignish is accusing the government of trying to put him out of business. His lodge is half empty, yet the government is putting up $1-million to build a new one. "It's pure competition for the Davis Lodge and ultimately, and the end of the day, with a brand new shiny facility Davis Lodge will die," said Ray Brow. Brow said Tignish does not need another senior citizens' home. "This is scandalous and a waste of taxpayers' dollars, especially in light of the impending closure of Sunset Lodge," he said.
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Former Alley-Myrick Summer Home burned at Halloween

November 4, 2013, 3:42 pm
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     The previous Post in this Blog tells about the Halloween fire at the former Davis Lodge at Tignish.  The lodge/house was located on the corner of the Route. 12 (shore road) and the Christopher /Tignish Shore Road.   The house was close to the bridge that crossed the Big Tignish River. 
     This was built as a summer home by John Alley and later given to James II & Sybil Myrick.
     Below are photos from The Myricks of Tignish book with the exception of Eric McCarthy's photo of Nov. 1st and the PEI Gov't website 1935 map.
Above: an early photo of the Alley-Myrick Summer Home, Tignish.
"In 1913 Uncle John Alley gave James Howe Myrick II and his wife Sybil Stone (married in 1911) this house as a wedding gift".  The stairs were built of birds-eye maple.
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     Below: the November 1, 2013 fire completely destroyed the new addition. - you can see the original house left standing.  Note the open porches had been filled-in, the gable double window with diamond pattern still remained along with the large chimney.  The entire building was knocked-down later that day.
Above Photo by Eric McCarthy. Journal-Pioneer Newspaper.  November 1, 2013.
The Myricks of Tignish
     The story of the Myrick's family is told in a book published in 1995 by Carolyn Myrick titled, The Myricks of Tignish: 1853-1969.  Below are excerpts from the book starting with the Preface...
     "Have you ever built a grand sand castle at the beach only to have it washed away at high tide?  In the century from 1850 to 1950 at the Myrick shore in Tignish a whole business community was prospering.  Twenty-one separate buildings existed where people who lived at the Shore worked and came to depend on the store, fishing, and the canning enterprise.  There were other Myrick activities around the island, but all are gone now, like a sandcastle.  But have you ever seen initials carved in a tree trunk with an old date?  The initials and the date remain as the tree grows.  So has the Myrick influence endured while the Island has grown around it.  In the early 1930s John B. Myrick was finding business at the store slipping because of competition and he saw that the fishermen needed income other than fishing.  He developed the Irish Moss industry, which is bringing prosperity to much of the West Prince area today.  Ever since I married Roger Myrick I have heard that there should be a book written about the Myricks. As the other family members died those of us left realized if it was ever to be done it should be now...After Sybl Myrick died we had her diaries, but almost ten years passed after her death before I could bring myself to read them.  Then I started in earnest and each summer while we were at the Island I did research at the Archives in Charlottetown.  The diaries have been most helpful through the years..." Carolyn E. Myrick.  Page 11
    "Why is it called Number Three?" I asked Rog.  "In the days when they first had telephones my Uncle Joh rigged up lines from the store at the Shore, the Tignish station store, our house, his house, Grandfather's, and Mr. McFadgen's, the Tignish store manager.  Their house was up beyond Uncle John's, down a long driveway.  Each place had a different number of rings.  The Tignish Shore store had one, the store at Tignish station two, Grandfather's three, McFadgen's four, Uncle John's fire, and our house six." Page 15-16
Number 3
     "Number 3 was the three-storey house Merrill had built himself when he was first married in 1884.  When he built it, he told Rog, there was an open field between the house and Tignish center, so that he could sight from the foundation of the house ot Tignish church of St. Simon and St. Jude.  Rog's parents had lived on the third floor of Number 3 when they were first married.  After Rog was born they moved next door to number 6, a summer house, built by his grandfather's brother-in-law ((the Alley's)).  In 1883 the bark "Minnie Gordon" had blown ashore at North Cape loaded with lumber for England.  Rog's grandfather bought the cargo from the owner and used the lumber for building the house.  The masts and spars were of beautiful hard pine and he used them for the floor and mantelpieces.  Two large anchors from this ship were at the Shore for years.  in the Dining room stood a large table, which would seat sixteen when the five leaves were added.  Rog remembered as a child there were always interesting things around the dining room, such as birds' nests and cocoons.  Rog's grandmother was his teacher for several years.  In the large living room was a partner's desk with drawers on both sides, so that Merrill and his wife, Bessie, could work at it at the same time.  The windows had window seats, one of which contained toys for visiting children.  There was a large fireplace, well used.  The house had a coal furnace.  Upstairs were three bedrooms and bathroom.  On the third floor were three more bedrooms, one where the maids stayed, and one where Rog's folks had lived before they inherited the house next door, now David Lodge, from the Alleys. ( The Alleys were Jay's aunt and uncle, and this house was a wedding gift from them).  The third room was a spare room.  The bathroom had a tub made of sheet metal enclosed in wood.  The water had to be pumped up to a tank on the third floor.  A cistern in the ground outside the house held rain water, especially useful in the summer during dry periods.  Barrels stood at the downspouts to catch more rain water." Pages 16-17.
     "James Howe Myrick married Mary Converse in 1854 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where the Myricks lived in the winter.  They came down summers and stayed near the trading post at Conroy's, until they built what was known as the "Wigwam", because "they lived like Indians", Mary said.  The Wigwam was south of the group of buildings known as Myrick Shore. Page 23.
     "When Alice Bradford Hall used to go to PEI by train in the early 1900s she remembers that the kerosene lamps in the train would sway.  When she arrived at the Wigwam in Tignish her grandmother and Aunt Alice would have every window lit with candles, and even if it were 2:00 A.M., Aunt Alice would offer the weary travellers thin sugar cookies from a tine in the closet under the stairs." Page 41.
     "Grandmother put fishnets with glass floats over the ceiling, probably to cover the cracks.  When it rained the girls ran around putting  long "snakes" made of turkey red cloth, filled with sand, in the window ledge to keep out the rain and cold.  It was very exposed there.  When the northern lights or a particular planet were visible in the sky the children would be awakened to see them, as their mother had been awakened before them." Page 65.
Below a couple of photos from the book.
     "...The original store had been built about 1858.  Around it sprung up twenty-one building for various purposes, as ice house, can shop, blacksmith shop, bakery, boat shed, granary, and factory.  A wharf had been built with a railroad on it with horse-drawn cars to facilitate imports and exports.  Hides, canned lobsters, grain, salt fish, potatoes, and canned meats were amount the products shipped out.  The cookhouse held more than one hundred people, for that many local people were employed seasonally, and most received three meals a day.  There was a large barn built in 1911 and town down in 1982.  All these buildings are gone now, existing only in pictures and memory." Page 22.
Below is the 1935 Aerial Photo from
http://www.gov.pe.ca/aerialsurvey/oneplace.php3?community=Tignish
     The Davis Lodge / Alley-Myrick House is located in the clearing at the upper right road intersection at the top of the map.  You can see the bridge over the Big Tignish River.   The Village of Tignish is at the middle bottom of the map.  North is towards the lower left of the map.
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Falcon Wood Estate - John A. recovered here Summer 1870

November 17, 2013, 8:07 am
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    Recently there was article in the Guardian newspaper telling about the rezoning of part of the Falcon Wood Estate for a new Hospice Facility.   The estate is situated on the Hillsborough River with south exposure.
     This former Estate is better known to Islanders as the site of the Provincial Hospital for the mentally ill.  Over the years, in a few different buildings, it's been known called Falconwood Asylum, Falconwood Hospital, Riverside Hospital and today the 1957 building called Hillsborough Hospital.  
     In 1842 John Grubb Esq., a native of England, merchant and member of the Legislative Assembly, bought the large property in Charlottetown Royalty and built an impressive brick house which he called Falcon Wood.  At the time Mr. Grubb was living in an impressive home at Holland Grove in Charlottetown. 
     See City of Charlottetown's Historic Places listing:  http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/image-image.aspx?id=7481#i2
Falcon Wood House
     On March 26, 1855 an advertisement in the Daily Examiner describes the Estate as a grand mansion with a large estate.  The house was described as, "one of the most substantial brick buildings on the Island and contained a dining room, drawing room, parlour, library, spacious hall and staircase, servant's room, laundry, storeroom and kitchen on the first floor.  The second floor included eight bedrooms and a dressing room.  The house also featured a large cellar and a hot air stove in the "sunk story".  The grounds included flower and kitchen gardens, 12 acres of land, some of which was cultivated, and "fine old trees".  Those interested were to apply at the house."
     Mr. Grubb died in 1850 and his Will instructed  their Holland Grove house be sold and Falcon Wood be finished, which it was by the mid 1850s.  It is not known if the family ever lived in the house as it was leased to many tenants including the Prime Minster of Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald and his family who came to Falcon Wood in the summer of 1870 for John A. to recover from gallstone attacks.  
     In 1871 the Provincial Government leased Falcon Wood House as a mental health facility - eventually the mansion would be considered unsuitable and in 1879 the government purchased the property from the Grubbs and built a new institution (see below).
     See also the article, "Mrs. Haviland's Plants", which appeared in The Island Magazine by Elinor Vass.  Mrs. Haviland was Ann Elizabeth Grubb.
http://vre2.upei.ca/islandmagazine/fedora/repository/vre:islemag-batch2-482/OBJ/07_Mrs._Havilands_plants_p_23-25.pdf
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     Falcon Wood Estate reminds me of Fairholm House built in 1838-1839 at 230 Prince Street in Charlottetown for Hon. Thomas Haviland.  This home belonged to three of Charlottetown's prominent families - the Havilands (who's son, Thomas Heath Haviland, was a Father of Confederation), the Youngs and the Rogers.   
     The style of Falcon Wood was similar to Fairholm in the following features: constructed 3-4 years apart; built entirely of brick, low-pitched hip roof, many tall brick chimneys,  round bay with three windows on each level, and false brick-up windows to balance the facade.
     Fairholm has survived 175 years on the corner of Prince and Fitzroy Streets.  In 1999 the house was purchased by MacDonald's & MacPherson - following restorations it was opened as a heritage inn called Fairholm National Historic Inn.  Below are photos from their website (Falcon Wood might have been finished in a similar style): http://www.fairholminn.com/.  Also see the City of Charlottetown's Historic Places listing: http://www.city.charlottetown.pe.ca/searchaproperty.php?propid=1104
 
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     In 1879, Falcon Wood Estate, was the site of the Island Government's new state-of-the art facility called Falconwood Asylum.  The 5-storey Second Empire style building was sprawling and imposing.  In the winter of 1931 the facility was serverly damaged by fire.  Falconwood Hospital was rebuilt in 1933 in a less grand style.  For more information see the City of Charlottetown's Historic Places listing:  http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/image-image.aspx?id=7481#i2.  
Below: Engraving of the former Falconwood Insane Asylum.
Canadian Illustrated News, Vol. 17, No. 12, 180 (23 March 1878)
Falconwood
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Seacow Head Lighthouse

November 18, 2013, 12:35 pm
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     I was recently out to the Chelton and Fernwood area of the Island - located between Bedeque and Bordon-Carleton.
     I went down to the Lighthouse, off Route 119 - my first time in this area.  Beautiful!
 

            It comes as a bit of a surprise to most people that walruses, for which Seacow Head and Seacow Pond are named, were abundant on Prince Edward Island during the late 19th century.
            Seacow Head Lighthouse was built during the summer of 1864 under a contract of 314 pounds by David McFarlane and John Rankin.  Besides the cost of constructing the tower, 86 pounds was paid for the land and right-of-way, Malcolm McFarlane was given 30 pounds for clearing the land, Thomas Robinson was paid 85 pounds for the lantern, and 300 pounds was expended for copper, lamps, glass and materials for the frame.
            The octagonal, heavy-framed lighthouse, 18.3 meters (60 feet) in height and measuring 3.4 meters (11 feet 3 inches) on each side at the base, originally stood on a  stone foundation and exhibited its light at a focal plan of about 27 meters  (88 feet) above the surrounding water.  Situated on the coast near the turning point for reaching Summerside Harbour, the Seacow Lighthouse serves as both a harbour light and a gulf light.
            Malcolm McFarlane served as the first keeper of Seacow Head Lighthouse starting in 1865.  In 1867, after MacFarlane was no longer keeper, two commissioners were appointed by the House of Assembly of Prince Edward Island to investigate charges against the former keeper.  The commissioners found that the evidence presented to support a charge that McFarlane had embezzled public property were so trifling that it would not have been sustained in a court of law, and thus Keeper McFarlane was cleared.
            In 1877, William Mitchell, the agent for the Department of Marine and Fisheries on Prince Edward Island, visited Seacow Lighthouse with the General Superintendent of Lighthouses of Canada and had five Sibler’s patent lamp and burners, with deep reflectors, placed in the lantern room.  At that time, the keeper, Peter O’Ronaghan, was living in the lighthouse, which was very uncomfortable, and Mitchell encouraged the Department to consider constructing a keeper’s dwelling.  Tenders were invited for the construction of the requested dwelling in 1879, and a construct for the sum of $777 was awarded to James Barclay of Ellerslie.  The new dwelling was built at the station in 1880.
            A new cast-iron lantern was placed atop the tower in 1902 replacing a worn-out, inferior lantern.  The tower was also reshingled, and a new platform deck built.  In 1906, the system of lamps and reflectors was replace by a fourth-order Fresnel lens, supplied by Barbier, Benard & Turenne, of Paris France.  The lens consisted of two groups of two panels each with each panel sub tendering 90 degrees in the horizontal plane.  Every ten seconds, second flash of 0.638 seconds, and long eclipse of 6.862 seconds.  The lens completed one revolution every twenty seconds, and petroleum vapour burner under a mantle was used as the illuminant.
            Seacow Lighthouse was automated on November 12, 1959, and the dwelling was sold on March 7, 1960 and removed from the site.  The tower was moved back from the eroding bank in 1979.
            Seacow Head Lighthouse appeared in the opening scenes of many of the episodes of Road to Avonlea, which was adapted from a few books by Lucy Maude Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables.  Seacow Lighthouse was also the model for Gus Pike’s Lighthouse that appeared in the series.  Two mock-ups of the Seacow Lighthouse, one of which was cut short for scenes that took place at the top of the lighthouse, were constructed in a field near Uxbridge, Ontario, for use in filming.
            When Tom Sheery, who owns the cottage adjacent to the lighthouse, learned the federal government was divesting Seacow Lighthouse, he visited his neighbours and obtained enough signatures to file an application for the structure.  “I went around to the residents of the community to see if there was enough local support, and 99 percent of them signed the petition,” said Sherry.  Interested residents formed Friends of Seacow Lighthouse and submitted a business plan to the government.  A public meeting was held at the lighthouse on July 18, 2013, and nearly the entire community of Fernwood showed up.  Though some had questions about liability and maintenance costs, all were unanimous that the historic lighthouse should be saved.
     Keepers:
            Malcolm McFarlane            1865-1867
            Thomas P. Huestis              1867-1872
            James Wright                       1872-1873
            Peter (Pat’k) O’Ronaghan  1873-1917
            E. O’Ronaghan                     1917-1919
            Thomas J. Ranahan            1919-1946
            Walter Richards                   1946-1959
     Above information cf.
http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=977

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Old Barn on Lighthouse Road

November 18, 2013, 2:55 pm
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     On my way out to Seacow Head Lighthouse on "Lighthouse Road", I passed by this nice little barn.

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Farmhouse in Fernwood

November 18, 2013, 3:02 pm
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     Also on my travel through Chelton and Fernwood I took a couple of photos of this nice old Island-ell farmhouse - seemingly abandoned.
 Above: South facing front of house.
Above: Right / East side of house as you drive up the road.

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Chelton Saltbox House

November 21, 2013, 10:15 am
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     This is the last posting from my tour around the Chelton and Fernwood area.  
     This very old house at 48 McCardle Road caught my eye!  It would date to the mid 1800's - seemingly a saltbox style house with a center dormer on the east front.  The kitchen wing off the west would likely have been added later.  Not many saltbox houses remain on the Island - today a few remain can be found in Charlottetown's old downtown. 
     The three photos below were taken from the Campbell Road, the next road up, paralell to the McCardle Road.  
     Sorry, the photos are a bit blurry!   That's the Confederation Bridge in the background.
     The following four photos were taken from McCardle Road.  Also, there's an old barn/shed (possibly an old house from the size of the windows) to the rear of the property.
     This house is For Sale through Century 21.  The old house has had many "not so sympathetic" updates including new windows and vinyl siding.  
     The real estate listing describes the house as  “Spacious century old farm with a million dollar view...great multi-family home...”   It also notes the house having 5 bedrooms in 2,500 sq.ft. on a 1-acre lot.  
     Here’s the link to Century 21  http://www.century21pei.com/details.php?id=13068085&c=1
     The following photos are from the real estate listing.
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      The 1863 Lake Map (below cf. http://www.islandregister.com/lakem/lots/lot26.jpg) shows P. Callbeck at this location with Wm. Wright as a neighbour ( this is possibly P. Callbeck, president of Legislative Council in 1774, 1786, /  Philipps Callbeck, Attorney General 1770 cf. http://www.islandregister.com/meachamexerpts.html ).
 Below:  close-up look.
     According to Meachams 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island, this property belonged to Wm. Lowther with 39 acres and 23.5 acres across the road along with two other parcels of 25 and 78 acres, northward up the Chelton Road.  
     In Cumin’s 1928 Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows Fred Murphy owning this property.
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New attitudes in saving built heritage - Murray River residents demand old train station be destroyed!

November 23, 2013, 4:07 am
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     It amazes me when I read news articles about a local group in Murray River attempting to save their abandoned train station and most of the community crying out to tear it down!  
      Despite having had many of their old main street buildings demolished in recent years they still want to get rid of their 1904 station.  Ownership of the station belongs to the community and council seems willing to go along with the restoration, however, many vocal residents don't want a nickle spent on its restoration - they want it demolished.
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Video/29181/Murray-River-station-plans-debated
      In this Guardian Newspaper video clip of this week's public meeting in Murray River, I'm struck by all the seniors in the crowd - most of whom are against the restoration project.  As I get older (now 52) I sometimes forget that these seniors aren't the seniors of my grandparents era.   It makes me wonder if this generation of seniors / baby-boomers will respect and cherish our Island's built heritage as earlier generations.  Are we seeing a generational change where it's, "out with old and in with the new?"
     I'm surprised to see the backlash from this small rural community where the only major / visible community building is the the service station/convenience store, picturesquely located by the waters edge near the bridge.  The community last many of its old buildings in preparation for the Provincial Artefactory, however, when provincial politics changed, the project was cancelled leaving big gaps in the community's streetscape.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/cancelled-artifactory-leaves-hole-in-streetscape-1.717748
     On a more positive note, not all is lost in Murray River - many, many Islanders and tourists flock to the Olde General Store to shop and experience their unique setting, beautifully maintained country store https://www.facebook.com/peistore
     When a local sawmill was destroyed by a vandal's fire the community rallied to raise funds and hold an old fashioned barn-raising style event to build a new mill for them.
     Murray River is also a golf destination in Eagle's View Golf Course for Islanders and tourist to enjoy.  www.eaglesviewgolf.com
     In conclusion, and trying to make some sense of this whole thing, this story is as much about community politics as about saving an old building.  When you talk to people about this project, it's more than, "we don't want to spend out money on restoring the old train station" - it's about neighbours getting along with neighbours, about jealousy, preceptions and achievements. 
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Notre Dame Convent, Charlottetown to close after 155 years

November 26, 2013, 5:56 am
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     The following is an image of Notre Dame Convent at 246 Sydney Street comes from Historic Places website.  The convent faces northward over Hillsborough Public Square.  The convent will close in January 2014. http://www.gov.pe.ca/hpo/app.php?nav=details&p=1651
     The large convent was opened on July 5th, 1870, design by Architect John Corbett.   Notre Dame Academy operated her until 1971.  Below is an image of it today.
Below is an article from the Journal-Pioneer newspaper website:
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Notre Dame Convent in Charlottetown to close in January
Special Celebration Planned for Tuesday, November 26th
CHARLOTTETOWN - After 155 years of commitment Notre Dame Convent in Charlottetown is closing its doors.
     Sr. Elizabeth Dunn stands outside Notre Dame Convent in Charlottetown.  A special service of thanksgiving will be given at St. Dunstans Bascillica at 2pm on Tuesday, November 26th, followed by an open house, refreshments and a closing ritual at Notre Dame Convent.
      “The convent leaves a lasting legacy, but it is time to embrace change,” says Sister Joan Marie Chaisson, community leader. “Daring to listen to the challenges of today, the sisters of Notre Dame Convent have arranged for an outside agency to provide health care for the sisters … They do so with a sense of loss but knowing there is newness in the life before them and their mission continues no matter where their home may be.”
            To give thanks for all that Notre Dame has been to so many people through the year, a mass of thanksgiving will be celebrated at St. Dunstan Basilica at 2 p.m. on Nov. 26, followed by an open house, refreshments and a closing ritual at Notre Dame Convent.
            “As we reflect on history, we see people who had a dream, a vision and a conviction that led them to invite others to help them achieve this goal,” says Chaisson as she looks back at the convent’s history which had its start in the middle decades of the 19th century.
            At the time, Dan Brennan, a local resident of Charlottetown, and Monsignor Bernard MacDonald, bishop of Charlottetown, were acutely aware of the call to further the education of young women. Brennan donated two lots of land and a dwelling at the corner of Weymouth and Sydney streets for a school, and MacDonald asked the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal for sisters to staff this school. On Sept. 25, 1857, four sisters arrived in Charlottetown. Within a month, the first students were welcomed to St. Anne's School, which later became known as Notre Dame Academy.
            This was the beginning of the Congregation of Notre Dame's legacy of education in the province which spread to all parts of Prince Edward Island
            The annals of the convent's beginning reads like an evolving story of the joys and accomplishments in education. Along with reading, writing and arithmetic, courses were provided in music, singing, piano lessons, art and home economics. The spiritual needs of the students were met with retreats, eucharistic celebrations and other parish activities.
            Throughout the history of Notre Dame Convent, annals also tell of the generosity of the people. Many Islanders helped maintain the school in its first years of growth through tea parties, bazaars, gifts and volunteer services.
            The student population grew rapidly and in 1870, a five-storey building, the present Notre Dame Convent, was opened. In 1911 the interior of St. Anne's School was renovated and incorporated into a new brick wing.
            With this new addition it was possible to accommodate students who attended Prince of Wales College. Thus, another chapter had begun in serving and furthering the education needs of young women. These women came from all parts of P.E.I. and many returned to teach in the rural schools.
            With an increase of high school students, a modern and well-equipped high school wing was added in the spring of 1955.
            “When a new approach to public education on P.E.I. met the needs of the young people, the sisters decided to phase out the school,” says Chaisson. “In June 1971, the last 28 graduates of Notre Dame received their diplomas. Some of the sisters remained in the field of education accepting teaching positions in the public schools throughout the province.”
            True to the spirit of the foundress, Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, several sisters engaged in an outreach to the broader community offering their gifts in various ministries such as religious instructions, retreat work, visitation of the sick and shut-ins, counselling, pastoral ministry and volunteer and tutorial in schools. The sisters continue to respond to proclaim the Gospel in our contemporary church and world.
            As time went on, it became evident that the need for health care for the sisters was necessary. Changes were made to the facility, and in time, part of the house became a health-care facility for the sisters under the efficient care of a nursing staff.
            “The dream, which began with four sisters and 15 students, expanded to include hundreds of sisters and many, many students,” says Chaisson. “The sisters of Notre Dame Convent School leave a legacy that will continue to live on in the people of Prince Edward Island for many years to come.”
            A decision as to the future of the building will be determined by the Congregation Leadership Team in Bedford, N.S.
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Epworth Hall (town's 1st Protestant Church), Summerside

November 26, 2013, 3:37 pm
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     I found this great old building posted on Historic PEI on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=396401907160286&set=a.370645529735924.1073741941.205322409601571&type=1&theater
     It appears the church is under construction - an amazing photo to say the least.  I see lots of interesting details - from the brick foundation (brick above, cut sandstones below grade) to the three second floor sashless windows, and from the 3rd level gables featuring gothic style palladian windows to the braces and ladders for shingling the roof.  
Here are comments on Facebook about the building...
D.MacE. - Epworth Hall across from Trinity United Church. They tore it down to build a parking lot and added the new hall onto the church. There is a cairn there with the following inscription:  "Site of the first Protestant Church in Summerside, later known as Epworth Hall, 1860-1983."
L.L. - I| went to United Church Youth group there every Friday in the late '70s...Me, Nelson Snow, Kevin Murphy, Mary MacLeod...the pastor's name was Gary something. He was great. Anyone else remember that? There was a back room on the second floor where we met.
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     Also, this house is listed with Historic Places - see website...http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=11265&pid=14006&h=90,Spring,Street%20(4)
Southeast elevation of former Epworth Hall, 1982
Above: Southeast Elevation.  Photo taken 1982.  Demolished in 1983.
Below info from Historic Places website.
            This site located on the northwest corner of Spring and Winter Streets is the former site of the Epworth Hall. It is now a parking lot for the nearby Trinity United Church. The site of the former hall is commemorated in a small grassed area with two maple trees and a sandstone cairn with flowers in front. A plaque on the cairn faces the intersection. Its inscription reads: "Site of the first Protestant Church in Summerside, later known as Epworth Hall, 1860-1983."
            A very large Greek Revival influenced wooden structure known as Epworth Hall once stood on the northwest corner of Spring and Winter Streets. When it was torn down in 1983 its historical significance was commemorated with a stone cairn facing the intersection.
            The Methodist Church originally was opened on the north side of First Street in 1860 on land donated by Joseph Green. This is shown in an 1887 engraving from the Journal Pioneer newspaper. Around 1871, another Methodist group - the Bible Christians - decided to erect another building on Spring Street. This was a group which had emerged from the Methodist Church. The 30 by 50 foot church was constructed in 1874 and may have been built by John Cudmore, one of the leading members of the congregation. It was one of eight churches in the town at the time. In 1884, the Bible Christians and three branches of Methodism in Canada came together to form the Methodist Church in Canada. The local congregations thus combined under one minister and the building henceforth became known as the Summerside Methodist Church.
            In 1894, the congregation opened a new church (now known as Trinity United) on the opposite corner to the south and the earlier structure was converted into a meeting hall and Sunday School classrooms. In the fall of 1894, the building formally became known as Epworth Hall. A branch of the Epworth League had been organized in Summerside in January 1890. This was a youth organization which began in Cleveland, Ohio in May 1889. An 1891 newspaper, described the League as "a temperance and literary organization, with a course of lectures and entertainments."
            Major repairs and alterations were made to the building in 1914. An addition on the west side provided for a kitchen, ladies parlour, and extra classrooms. Another renovation was carried out in the summer of 1928 when an addition was built on the north end of the hall. This provided space for a stage as well as for three classrooms on the level above. The stage became a popular feature, allowing the congregation to host lectures, plays, and many concerts over the years. 
            The next significant change to the building occurred in 1951. Under the supervision of contractor, J. Harold MacLennan, the old kitchen extension was taken down and replaced with a two-story 33 by 25 foot annex to house a modern kitchen. The second floor was designed as the church parlor and the basement was made into a recreational lounge. The original part of the building was converted into a gymnasium on the main floor and a large youth group area on the second floor, the Sunday School classrooms having been moved to the basement of the church.

            Over the next three decades, the hall continued to be used for a wide variety of congregational purposes, including as the Trinity Credit Union from 1949 to 1968. In its history, the hall was also used by the wider community. Following the Great Fire of 1906, it served as the meeting place of the congregations of the Baptist and Christian Baptist churches after their buildings were destroyed. In 1916 and perhaps in other years, the hall was used for the graduation exercises of the nurses of Prince County Hospital. In the fall of 1935, the first six grades of the Summerside School and Academy occupied the hall while repairs and rebuilding were carried out after a serious fire at the school.
            When parking space became necessary for automobiles, the congregation purchased and demolished two houses to the north and one to the west of Epworth Hall. One of those homes had served as the Methodist Church parsonage before it was purchased by the Pridham family in 1910. After a very large extension to the adjacent Trinity United Church in 1982, the hall was no longer needed. It was demolished in 1983 and increased the size of the church's parking lot.
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Breadalbane School - 1959

December 2, 2013, 9:54 am
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     Below is an image posted on Facebook's site HISTORIC PEI of Breadalbane School, 1959, posted by Cornelius Van Ewyk.  Comments noted some of the following facts: the teacher was wearing slacks; the tall girl on the left is Elsie MacDonald; 3rd in from right on front is Marian Macdonald Cutcliffe; the spelling of Breadalbane is missing an "e".
Above image cf.
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=398440983623045&set=a.370645529735924.1073741941.205322409601571&type=1&theater
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Souris Second-Empire House Demolished

December 3, 2013, 6:33 pm
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   I was in the Souris area today to see a client - a friend came along with me.  While in the Town of Souris I took him up to the corner of High and Prince Streets to show him this amazing second empire style house.  It was gone - wow!  I couldn't believe it!!  I had been recently demolished - with my smart phone I photographed the vacant lot!
After!  December 3rd, 2013 /  Before: October 6th, 2012
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Last fall I posted a few photos of this house - here's the link...
http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.ca/2012/10/souris-and-area.html
Before and After from the front.
Before and After from the rear!

Such a loss!
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Barn on Munn's Road

December 4, 2013, 7:15 am
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     I was also up to Kingsboro yesterday as I traveled around eastern Prince Edward Island. Just opposite Eastern Kings Community Center, on Munn's Road, is this old barn - probably not long for this world!  So many of these old barns are falling out of use by farmers these days.
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Eastern Kings Consolidated School 1974-2011

December 4, 2013, 7:25 am
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    Eastern Kings Community Center, mentioned in the previous post, is a newer building, built on the site of the former Eastern Kings Consolidated School which was built in 1974 and demolished in 2011 - the site is green space today.  Here's an image of the school and excerpt from the following website  http://vre2.upei.ca/cap/node/322
     “Eastern Kings Consolidated School is located on Munn’s Road. The land for the school was purchased from Mrs. James Jardine in 1969 and the new school was built in 1974-1975.  The school was a prominent symbol in Eastern Kings for 34 years, until it was closed by the Eastern School Board, in 2009 because of the small number of students then attending.  The school was later demolished in 2010/2011.  The first year the school opened the student number started off at 175 and slowly went to down to 55 students in its last year of operation. During the entirety if its running it was not only a used as a school but; it housed the local Community School classes, it was used as the Eastern Kings Cap Site, it held many extra curricular activities including; sports, concerts, pot luck dinners, meet and greet sessions, and much more.  The school was known on the island as “small school”, with few students, but, many believe this to be the reason for the excess of school spirit and closeness felt by not only the students and staff, but by everyone in the community of Eastern Kings.  The land was donated back to the community and the existing students moved to Souris Consolidated School, to continue their studies.”
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     On June 20th, 1994, the annual dinner and awards presentation of the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation was held at this school on Munn's Road.   Arnold Smith and I were recipients of a Publishing Award from the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation for the book, Heritage Designs: Homes, Inns & Cottages of Prince Edward Island - presented by the Hon. Marion Reid, Lt. Governor of Prince Edward Island.  
     Below is a photo of the presentation.  L-R: Ed MacDonald, Lt. Governor Reid, Arnold and myself (Carter).
     Below is the award citation by Dr. Ed MacDonald, Curator of History, PEIMHF:
     "Over the past few decades, the single greatest factor in shaping the Island's landscape has been modern house construction.  Unfortunately, mass-produced, "off-the-shelf" house plans are unsympathetic to the historic landscape.  Those wanting to build a house base on an authentic Island model have had to commission expensive custom designs.  
     Until now.
     Carter Jeffery and Arnold Smith investigated a number of historic Island houses, both existing and vanished.  They have published their findings in a small, well researched, lovingly assembled publication called Heritage Designs, which also serves as a guide to ordering full building plans.
     In plans ranging from the modest to the magnificent, Jeffery and Smith are seeking to preserve and enhance the Island's evocative landscape by encouraging new construction sympathetic to historic models."
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