We often hear references to local markets and farmers markets in our history books, however, we never hear much about those who supplied goods and products to those markets - we always assume they were farmers. The other evening "The Burke Gardens" was brought to my attention. I did a bit of research and found this information from, A History of Southport, published in 1982 and the Historic Places website.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Burke Gardens
Approximately 1880, James and Mary
Burke of Alexander moved to Southport, to the home formerly owned by James’
brother Walter Burke. They had four
children at the time and eight more were born after that. The youngest son, Ernest, is still living in
Southport. James was a
marker gardener (as listed in the Atlas of 1880) who took his produce to the
Market in Charlottetown. When he died in
1895, his son Arthur, at the age of 16, took over the business and the
property. He continued on with it until
1930. Ernest started going to the Market with his brother in 1907,
at the age of 15. He married Della P.
Clark in 1919, and built a home on the property next to Arthur’s, formerly
owned by a Walter Ogar. He continued in
the market-garden business with his brother until 1930 and then branched out on
his own that spring. Ernest
and Della took the produce and flowers to market twice a week until 1942. After that, until 1965, the seedlings that
were grown in the green house each spring were sold from the house in Southport
and the vegetables were taken to the stores. Della died March 29, 1971 and Ernest has
continued to live in the homestead, growing flowers and vegetables for his own
use.
Above cf. A History of Southport and District: including Rosebank,
Keppoch and Kinlock. Page 22 & 23.
Published by the History Committee of the Southport
Women’s Institute in 1982. Edited by Jim Hornby.
Image cf. http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/image-image.aspx?id=15212#i3
The Burke House, 2 Glencove Drive
There is no record of when this
house was built but when Dr. Lantz bought it and had it renovated about seven
layers of paper were stripped from the walls.
Walter Burke was a brother of James Burke and he must have passed the
property to James; in the 1880 Atlas the name James Burke, gardener, is recorded. The house passed to Arthur Burke, and he and
his wife Beatrice lived there for many years.
The property now is in the possession of Eugene MacDonald.
Info cf. A History of Southport, Page
69
Image and info below cf.
http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/image-image.aspx?id=15212#i3
This Maritime Vernacular style
house is valued for its historical association with the early history of
Stratford. Constructed in 1840, it was the site of Glen Stewart Farm
which was established by the Burke family. For a few years in the 1870s, the
house was occupied by Robert (1811-1878) and Augusta May (1812-1875). The Mays
had emigrated from England in 1862. Robert May died in England, while the rest
of the family, Augusta and her daughters, Harriet (d. 1918) and Emma (d. 1901),
are interred in the Anglican cemetery in Stratford. The noted PEI architect,
William Critchlow Harris and his brother, the painter, Robert Harris are known
to have visited the house when the Mays lived there. W.C. Harris notes in his
diary that in 1872 he and his sister, Sarah, crossed the harbour from
Charlottetown to Southport (now part of Stratford) on board the steamer
"Ora" to visit the Mays. While there, they played croquet, had a
"bountiful meal", and sang songs into the twilight hours. By 1880,
Meacham's Atlas of PEI shows William Burke (1833-1902) as then residing on the
property. Shortly after this time, Glen Stewart Farm became the property of
William's brother, James Burke (1847-1895) and his wife Mary (Burhoe) Burke.
They established a market garden on the farm which grew produce to sell in
Charlottetown's Market which was located in Queen Square on the site of the
current Confederation Centre of the Arts. When James passed away in 1895, his
son, Arthur, who was then only sixteen, took over the business. He continued to
operate the market garden until 1930. In the 1940s, the house was purchased by
Dr. J.P. Lantz. He was a graduate of McGill's medical school, but was known on
PEI for his award winning Aberdeen Angus and Jersey cattle. The current owners
purchased the house in 1964. During renovations, they discovered that copies of
the "London Times" from the 1840s had been applied to the original
walls as a form of insulation. Although renovated over the years, the house
retains elements of its original design and has many important historical
associations.
.jpg)
.jpg)