April 23, 2013, 8:01pm
Firefighters remain at the scene of a fire at the Stanhope Beach Resort and Conference Centre on Prince Edward Island's north shore.
Four buildings were destroyed including the main building and conference centre. The main building included the kitchen, dining room and guest rooms. Some smaller buildings are still standing.
Fire Marshal Dave Rossiter said the resort doesn't have sprinkler system.
Owner Danny Murphy and his brother Kevin Murphy were on the scene.
People were working inside the lodge when the fire broke out, but everyone got out safely. Many staff remained on site, milling around in disbelief as the fire consumed one of the oldest resorts on P.E.I.
Five fire departments were called to the blaze.
There is no word on the cause and crews said they expect to be dousing the flames overnight.
The resort was supposed to open May 3 for the season.
Police are asking any non-essential traffic to stay away from the area.
Below are photos from Historic PEI on Facebook - no source was noted.
Stanhope by the Sea is a registered property with P.E.I. Historic Place
Above image - cf. Meacham's 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island
Stanhope by the Sea is valued for its association with the development of the tourism industry in PEI; for the Gable-Ell style construction of the original house; and for its contribution to the surrounding community of Stanhope. The first building to be on the site was a crude log house constructed in 1789 by Cornelius and Isabelle Higgins.
In 1855, the property was owned by Angus MacMillan who built a new house on the site which he called "Pleasant View". MacMillan incorporated the former Higgins' log cabin into his new structure. An 1880 engraving of the property shows the architectural style as an extended Gable-Ell design. MacMillan opened his home as the Point Pleasant Hotel in June 1878. The Charlottetown Patriot newspaper said his hotel could "board some 25 people" who could enjoy "surf bathing, fishing and shooting... unequalled in the Dominion" all at moderate prices. This was one of the first resort hotels in the province which promoted these activities to tourists.
By the 1920s, the hotel was known as Stanhope by the Sea and it now had been expanded to include a ball room, billiard room, smoking room, sitting room, and tennis courts. Guests often arrived by train at York station and took a horse and buggy, and later a car, to the hotel.
Today, the original MacMillan hotel has been modified with many additions, as the resort complex has many guest rooms with modern amenities.
Source: PEI Heritage Advisory Committee Files
front page of The Guardian, April 24, 2013
www.theguardian.pe.ca
Below c.f. Facebook:
Another view posted of Stanhope Resort Complex in Stanhope, PEI burning April 23, 2013
— Photo credit Janice B. Burrows.
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