From the Land of Anne

Anne with an 'e' Shirley at the Green Gables House

     When people think of Prince Edward Island, typically three things come to mind: potatoes, red soil and Anne of Green Gables.  Those things are certainly notable and here is all you need to know about Anne.

Al can play the role quite well too.

I'm sure that the "Republic of Newfoundland
t-shirt really added to the role.

     Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) [who preferred to be called Maud] grew up in Cavendish, on the north centre of the Island and this town inspired her fictional town of Avonlea in her book Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908.  The story of the red-haired orphan and her overactive imagination entranced readers and remains popular to this day.  It is particularly popular in Japan where the idea of a headstrong young girl who is generally a non-conformist was a folk hero in the Japanese culture, where females had little opportunity to act impetuously or independently. L. M. Montgomery lived in various locations in Canada, mostly in Ontario such as Leaksdale and Toronto but she was always drawn back to her island, Prince Edward Island. 

     While traveling in the north (Cavenish area) we were surrounded by everything Anne. It is a real industry here.

Postcard by Kim Roach

     In preparation for going to see the stage play: Anne of Green Gables: The Musical (which holds the distinction of being the longest-running annual stage musical in the world) and going to the various landmarks in P.E.I., Al read the first two books of the 8-book series (Anne of Green Gables and Anne of the Island). I had read the books years ago and still have some original L. M. Montgomery books in my collection. L.M. Montgomery had quite the imagination and it spilled into her books about Anne. Today, people have kept this story alive of an orphan girl who finds a home on Prince Edward Island. Some people believe that Anne is real and that Green Gables really exists.

     L. Maud Montgomery loved Prince Edward Island and her imagination was swept up by the beauty of it. Here is how she described it in one of her journals:
     "Every thing was invested with a kind of fairy grace and charm, emanating from my own fancy, the trees that whispered nightly around the old house where I slept, the woodsy nooks I explored, the homestead fields...the sea whose murmur was never out of my ears...amid all the commonplaces of life I was very near to a kingdom of ideal beauty. Between it and me hung only a thin veil. I could never draw it quite aside, but sometimes a wind fluttered it and I caught a glimpse of the enchanting realm beyond -- only a glimpse -- but those glimpses have always made life worthwhile."

     The first place we visited was the Anne of Green Gables Museum which is situated on the farm where L. M. Montgomery lived with her Aunt and Uncle. The surrounding area was part of her inspiration for the Lake of Shining Waters.

This is the house of John and Annie Campbell, aunt and uncle to Montgomery.
Lucy Maud Montgomery called this home, "Silver Bush" and it is now owned by her Uncle John
and Aunt Annie Campbell. "Silver Bush" she said in a letter to her cousin Donald Campbell.
"I love this spot better than any place on earth.""

A view of the barn and lake beyond -- the Lake of Shining Waters

A view of the lake which inspired "Lake of Shining Waters"

This is the "Crazy" quilt that took Maud 5 years to finish while a young teenager.

Note the last paragraph
"Well, after all, it gave me pleasure in the making and so what matters if the result was not
worth while? I had "the joy of the working" and that was the essence of heaven."

     In New London, we stopped at the house which was the birth place of Lucy Maud Montgomery. At this time we only took photos of the exterior. Days later when we were at The Table Culinary Studio we had a tour of the interior. I love the decor of the late 1800's and early 1900's. This was a fine example of how people lived simply and functional with what they had. On display in this house are a large number of newspaper articles concerning Montgomery.

This is a woven display of various family members' hair.
Apparently during this time period it was quite common
to make a wreath or other design out of the hair of dead relatives
adding to it as people died. It is very intricate and at
 the same time creepy.

A hooked rug. Nice design.

The kitchen stove was a very important item in the home.
Not only could you feed your family using it but you could
also heat the home and heat up irons to iron clothes.
Keeping the fire going in the stove was a full-time job in itself.

Here are some fine examples of simply designed hooked rugs.

Maud's bedroom

Her cradle

Another bedroom

Another bedroom

      Next we visited the Green Gables House which is a designated Historic Site within Prince Edward Island National Park. They have added a barn to house a theatre and other displays and offices. The buildings are all consistent with the era and descriptions in the books. Montgomery never lived in this house but it was her inspiration for the Green Gables in her stories. The house is now decorated as Green Gables was described in the books. On this property you can walk through the woods following a path Anne called Lover's Lane.

The parlour

Fancier design in the hooked rugs

The dining room which would be used for special occasions

Matthew's bedroom in the first floor with his suit laid out.

A full cupboard in the kitchen

The pantry

China is carefully stored

The kitchen work area

The stove

Eating area 

Anne's bedroom on the second floor with her school clothes on bed

Hanging on the closet door is the dress with puffed sleeves

The slate that Anne broke over Gilbert's head
and other school items

Marilla's room with her shawl on the rocking chair

The sewing room

During that time, the homeowners were taxed
according to the number of rooms, so small
hallways were made to store items and did not count as a "room".

The farm worker would also have a room but it was not made up as well as the others.  The mattress would be supported by ropes which had to be tightened each night to keep from sagging.  This is where the expression "sleep tight" comes from.

On the property they had a small stage where three actors playing roles
would take the audience through some stories and songs from
that era. They stayed in character the whole time and did a great job.

The audience got song books so they could sing along and spoons
in order to tap along with the music.

We had a great time, sitting in the sun, hearing stories of the past,
singing songs and playing the spoons.

A lovely brook with small water falls flowing
along "Lover's Lane"

Al walking along "Lover's Lane"

At one point in the brook, there was a small glass milk bottle attached to a branch with a string.
"The schoolhouse was set back from the road and behind it was a dusky fir wood and a brook
where all the children put their bottles of milk in the morning to keep cool and sweet until dinner time."
Anne of Green Gables Chapter 15

A lovely vista of the brook 

The bark of a birch tree in Lover's Lane with
initials carved in it

The back of the house

The typewriter that L.M. Montgomery used to write her stories

     If, from the front of the house, you walked down a path through some woods, cross what is now a highway and through a pasture, you would get to the homestead where L. M. Montgomery actually lived. The house is no longer there but you can still see the foundation. This area is not connected with the Parks Canada Green Gables house. It is owned by family members.

     So now, you would think that there is nothing more to see but only a block away is the Cavendish Cemetery where Lucy Maud Montgomery is laid to rest. It is very obvious which grave is hers. The cemetery is a very simple, small-town cemetery and at one end of it is Montgomery's grave site.

This is the only grave that has a stone path leading to it,
bushes and flowers planting around it with a small fence

There is even a small sign stating "Grave of L.M. Montgomery

      I found it very interesting what people will leave when they visit a grave site. The photo above shows the coins and small stones that have been left by admirers. Apparently it is a sign of respect to leave a coin at the grave when you visit. Below shows a bottle of Anne of Green Gables -- Raspberry Cordial at the foot of the garden

Along the pathway to Montgomery's grave there is a sign showing the  graves
of her mother and grandparents.

     All over the island there are shops that sell Anne of Green Gables merchandise from dolls, to books to placements and small touristy items. As mentioned above, one of the products they sell here is Anne of Green Gables Raspberry Cordial (which is a raspberry-flavoured soda pop). This was a significant event in the original book.

A & P sitting in the grass enjoying a cold Raspberry Cordial

     The Cavendish area in particular (and gift shops all over the island) have exploited the popularity of Anne of Green Gables and created a thriving tourism business, to the point where groups come from other countries (particularly Japan) just to experience everything "Anne".  Cruise ships stop in Charlottetown and run shore excursions to take in "Anne" and there are several campgrounds and many tourist accommodations in the town.  It's great for the economy!

     Apparently, Al went to high school with Kate MacDonald who is L.M. Montgomery's grand-daughter. Al did not even realize this. What a small world! MacDonald is in charge of licensing merchandise, productions and projects related to Montgomery’s legacy.

     PEI Islanders are very proud of Montgomery and the timeless "Anne". Come and see the "land of Anne".