Ah an island is a sure-fire way to spend a little time relaxing while you are on a holiday. And that is exactly what we intended when we booked a few nights on Prince Edward Island. A slower pace, surrounded by water, what more could you ask? We decided to stay in a little cabin (it’s a hotel, cabins with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and living room) right outside of Cavendish. This spot allowed us to see most of the Island one way or the other and still allowed us to be in an inlet on the island. It was also very close to the home of L.M. Montgomery…yes Anne of Green Gables. Which is where we’ll begin…
Lucy Maud Montgomery was born in what is now called New London on Prince Edward Island. Her mother died when she was just under 2 and her father placed her in her grandparents’ care who raised her in the Cavendish community. She spent much of her childhood alone and that fueled her creativity. She spent a single year with her father in Prince Albert, but it was not a time she enjoyed, having not liked her stepmother. She later attended college for her teacher’s license- completing her requirements in half the time allotted for the degree. She did continue to study in Halifax in the following years. Teaching was not her passion, but it did allow her to write freely- and write she did.
Now, L.M. Montgomery is most known for her Anne of Green Gables series, but she published a total of 20 novels, 530 short stories, 500 poems, and 30 essays in her lifetime. She also had a fair amount of suitors before marrying Ewan MacDonald in 1911. Now they were quite a mismatch, and they had their own struggles throughout their marriage, at one point they did in fact consider divorce, but in the end tried to work through it. They had three children, though the second was stillborn. She suffered a very serious depression after her third child, dealt with migraines, as well as almost succumbed to the Spanish Flu in 1918. She is the most successful Canadian author of all time, though many in her time dismissed her works. She died in 1942, her cause of death was listed as due to a blood clot, however this was disputed by a family member who said she may have overdosed after years of battling depression.
We spent our first afternoon in Cavendish visiting the Green Gables Heritage Place. This is a National Historic Site that, while isn’t the actual farmhouse of her childhood (that was torn down by her family due to tourists), this is a replica of the Green Gables of her books. When I say it was like walking through a fairytale- I’m not joking. You can wander through the farmhouse, see the homestead, walk along Lover’s Lane, or go back to the Haunted Woods and Balsam Hollow. You are also able to see the remains of L.M. Montgomery’s home as well if you want to. It was raining off and on while we were there, so we stuck to the farmhouse, the Lover’s Lane, and the museum.
Fun fact- the land was purchased by the Government of Canada and was initially set aside to become a clubhouse for the golf course right down the road. However, the public would not stand for this and after her death it was turned into a historic house. The interpretative center was added in 2017 to make it what it is today. It was quite the property to visit and a truly special way to spend an afternoon! We loved it- there was something for everyone.
Now let’s talk about Prince Edward Island in general. One of the three maritime provinces, it was originally the traditional lands of the Mi’kmaq. The French landed and colonized in 1604 and held on to it until the end of the French and Indian War- where it was ceded to the British. Most of the island is devoted to farming- in fact a quarter of Canada’s potatoes comes from Prince Edward Island. Another fun fact- they used to have quite a large population of large game- moose, bear, caribou, etc.- but due to over hunting and other factors, they are no longer found on the island. You can see small game, foxes, coyotes and several bird’s species.
We spent one day exploring a variety of beaches and cliff sides of the island. Most of these were actually red dirt, which, made for a very pretty site against the backdrop of the green grasses and blue waters. It was actually so pretty! The second day we drove over to Charlottetown to wander the capital city. Named for Queen Charlotte, it was selected to be the county seat of Queens County. It was also the location of a raid during the American Revolution. Charlottetown became a city in 1855 and in 1874 a railway opened a main line between Charlottetown and Summerside. One of my favorite spots was to walk along the marina in Charlottetown and then up through some of the areas that still hold on to the Victorian era architecture.
And that really sums up our time on Prince Edward Island. It was slow, it was easy, it was beautiful. It was somewhere we would go back to- happily.
A Cuppa Cosy 