Gordon-Barbour House, Montrose

     I was out to Montrose the other day and took these photos of the Jack & Kay Barbour home.  The house is located on Rte. 152 leaving Alberton, between Huntley and the Montrose Bridge.

     The following information cf. http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=1815

     This large "Fox House" (more commonly known as "Four-Square" style) was built in 1914 for Robert Hudson Gordon, one of the local pioneers of the fox farming industry on Prince Edward Island.  The carpenter was Robert Rankin.  

     The very large (one of the largest in western PEI) 2-1/2 storeys house has a hipped roof complete with large dormers on each side.  There are shallow bay windows and a partial wrap-around verandah with round columns.  This house always been well maintained and today is in excellent condition.

     During the 1930's the house came up for offer and was purchased by Roy Barbour and his family - Roy's son Jack and his family remain here today. 

     The large barn and out-buildings are also in very good condition - always well maintained.  The property is large with mature trees all around.

Beaton House, Summerside

     I also took a few photos of this house today at 27 Granville Street in Summerside. It has impressive detailing, influenced by Gothic Revival and Queen Anne architectural styles.
     The house was originally owned by M.F. Schurman and located on Eustane Street - it was moved to the corner of Granville and Hanover Streets in 1907.  Most of the homes in this area had been destroyed by the Great Fire of 1906.  Mr. Schurman engaged "a small army of carpenters, masons and labourers to carry out the reconstruction".  Mr. Schurman and his family lived here from 1908-1916.   The house changed hands a few times until 1941 when Samuel and Linnie Beaton purchased the house and lived here for more than 40 years.
     For more information refer to the historic places website...
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=10075

 Above/Below: West front of house, facing Granville Street.



Calhoun House, Summerside

    This house is located at 39 Eustane Street in Summerside.  I took these photos this afternoon.  I always found this house an interesting old design, however, it dates to about 1870.  Here's a link to more information...
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=16237&pid=0

 Front of the house, facing south, a couple of streets back from Water Street.

The house as described in the late 1800's...

     'The advertisement for the house had stated: "The Dwelling contains eight Bedrooms, besides Parlor, Sitting, Dining and Bath Rooms, inside and outside Kitchens... The cellar is stone and brick and frost proof... The grounds are large and very suitable for a Hotel... There is a large Barn and Hennery on the premises. The east, west and south sides are surrounded by Elms, Maple, Lilac and Fruit trees, which gives the premises a rustic appearance." The purchaser of the property was Harry T. Holman, well known as one of the owners of the large mercantile firm of R.T. Holman Limited. Mr. Holman was married to Constance Eva, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wright. He resold the Eustane Street property to local bakery owner, H.H. Lefurgey.'

 Above: East side of the house.

 Above: Rear, northeast view.

 This side of the house faces west on to Eustane Street.  Note the old elm tree stumps.



today is "Acadian Remembrance Day" - Dec. 13

     I received this email from Georges Arsenault this morning complete with links to further information!

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Bonjour,

      On this December 13, Acadian Remembrance Day, I am sending you this article on Noël Doiron who was drowned when the ship Duke William sank on December 13, 1758, during the Acadian Deportation. He died with almost all the members of his family and hundreds of others. This Doiron family, originally from Nova Scotia, lived at Eldon which was called at the time Pointe-Prime.
      Article : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No%C3%ABl_Doiron
     You can also see a short video on Noël Doiron and wife Marie about when they were living in Nova Scotia in a village now called Noel.
      Video : http://hohants.weebly.com/6-noel-and-marie-doiron.html
     The article and the video are the work of two brothers from Nova Scotia, Todd and Shane Scott. They have greatly contributed to make known the story of the Doirons and of the sinking of the Duke William.
     You can also listen to a CBC Radio Documentary entitled "Noel Doiron and the Wreck of the Duke William"  - http://www.cbc.ca/maritimemagazine/archives/jan_w4.html
    A ceremony on this Acadian Remembrance Day will be held at noon today at the Port-la-Joye -- Fort Amherst Historical Site. All are welcomed.

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Below info cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No%C3%ABl_Doiron

     Noël Doiron (Port-Royal, 1684 – December 13, 1758) was a leader of the Acadians, renown for the decisions he made during the Deportation of the Acadians.^[1] Doiron was deported on a vessel named the Duke William (1758). The sinking of the Duke William was one of the worst marine disasters in Canadian history. The captain of the Duke William, William Nichols, described Noel Doiron as the "head prisoner" on board the ship and as the "father" to all the Acadians on Ile St. Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island).^[2]
     Second only to Evangeline, the most well known Acadian story of the Victorian era was that of Noel Doiron (1684-1758). For his "noble resignation" and self-sacrifice aboard the Duke William, Doiron was celebrated in popular print throughout the 19th century in England and America.^[3] Doiron also is the namesake of the village Noel, Nova Scotia and the surrounding communities of Noel Shore, East Noel (also known as Densmore Mills), Noel Road and North Noel Road.
     Early in 1750, Noel Doiron and his family joined the Acadian Exodus and left mainland Nova Scotia for Pointe Prime, Ile St. Jean (present day Eldon, Prince Edward Island).

P.E.I.'s oldest tree falls - a sapling when Cartier visited 1534

     After standing tall for near 500 years, the large american white elm tree in eastern Prince Edward Island fell during a recent wind storm.  The tree was thought to be the oldest and tallest on the Island.
     Quite a few years ago a bore sample was taken to determine its age  - it was estimated to have been a young sapling when Jacques Cartier visited the Island in 1534.  It's amazing how the tree survived the great forest clearing of the 1800s when the vast majority of the Island's forest was cleared and harvested for farming and shipbuilding.

An ancient P.E.I. tree was knocked down during a recent wind storm on the Dixon property in East Baltic. - Submitted photo to the Guardian.
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The following article appeared on the Guardian newspaper's website today...
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/News/Local/2013-12-10/article-3538232/Wind-takes-down-500-year-old-tree/1
Wind takes down 500-year-old tree

by Steve Sharratt, Dec. 10, 2013 

SOURIS — The recent wind storm that blew record speeds at East Point brought down a tree that was a mere sapling when Jacques Cartier first visited P.E.I. in 1534.  The “Big Tree” is an American White Elm located in Glencordale and was nearing 500 yeas of age. It was located on property owned by the Dixon family of East Baltic.  According to the Souris and Area Wildlife Federation, which announced the find, the tree was approximately 18 feet in circumference and withstood fires and natural disasters over the years. One resident estimated is easily hovered over 40 metres (130 feet) high .  "It was visited by many on an annual basis as folks wanted to admire this enormous tree," the federation says, noting that North Lake resident Melissa MacInnis, who was visiting the site, delivered the news.

St. George's Cheese Factory 1893-1971

     Here's a little book I have in my collection of Island books.  It's called, "St. George's Cheese Factory:  A Brief History", written by George MacDonald, 1995.
     The cheese factory was built in 1893 and operated until 1907 when it was closed.  In 1915 Duncan MacDonald bought the building and moved it to his farm - the building saw its end when it was destroyed by vandal's fire on Halloween 1971.
     Below are a few pages from the book.

1950s House, Kingsboro

     This great little 1950's house is located on the East Point Road (Route 16) in Kingsboro, just after the turn off to Basin Head Fisheries Museum and Beach.  The house overlooks the Northumberland Strait to the south, from the rear of the house.
     Yet another abandoned Island home!  This house has nice detailing, especially with the pitched roof, side square bay, roof dormer and the multi-window north-facing sunporch.

i

Immediately beside the house, to the west, is the Singing Sands Inn...

http://www.singingsandsinn.ca/

Eastern Kings Consolidated School 1974-2011

    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."

Barn on Munn's Road

     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.

Souris Second-Empire House Demolished

   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!

Breadalbane School - 1959

     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