Today marks the last day of LM Montgomery Month here on An Historian About Town, and I’m a little sad! However, I think it has gone swimmingly. I’ve looked at Montgomery’s life, her works and adaptations of them, resources, fashion, and more. I knew that I wanted to include a post about Prince Edward Island and Green Gables itself, but I’ve not been myself. So, I was excited to ask Emily Scott from Museums and Emily to write a guest post for me, as she grew up on the East coast. Today’s post is looking at Anne Shirley’s Prince Edward Island and the Green Gables Museum, and what you can expect there!
If you have missed any of my other LM Montgomery Month posts from this month, you can find them here!
May is L.M. Montgomery Month – An introduction to the month
Who Was L.M. Montgomery? – Looking at the woman behind these incredible books!
If You Like Anne of Green Gables, You Should Read… – My best book recommendations for anyone who loves Anne!
The Best L.M. Montgomery Resources – If you want to know more about Montgomery, her life, and her works, I’ve got you covered!
The Fashion of LM Montgomery– I explore some of the fashion trends during Montgomery’s life!
The Best LM Montgomery Adaptations – If you are in the mood to watch or listen rather than read, these LM Montgomery adaptations are for you!
Why I Choose Emily of New Moon Over Anne of Green Gables – Anne Shirley gets all of the attention, but I think that Emily Byrd Starr deserves far more!
Style History: Lucile – Lucile, aka Lady Duff-Gordon was one of LM Montgomery’s contemporaries, and one of the most fascinating women of the early twentieth century!
Famous Fans of LM Montgomery– Looking at some of the more famous fans of Anne and Emily!
Anne Shirley’s Prince Edward Island
Growing up on the east coast of Canada, I always felt a great fascination with Anne Shirley. Like everyone who comes across her books, I loved her free spirited personality and her love for the simple things in life. I also loved knowing that the books were set in Canada- within reach for me. My love for Anne of Green Gables grew every summer when I would visit Prince Edward Island with my family- to the real life town of Cavendish which inspired the fictional Avonlea represented in the books.
Why Prince Edward Island?
The province of Prince Edward Island has a physical landscape and tourist community that is significantly different from the rest of Canada. PEI is especially known for its red rocks and potatoes. My personal memories of PEI include great seafood. My family always rented a summer cabin and ate mussels on the beach.
PEI definitely has a lot to offer, but it was the Anne of Green Gables books that made it a top tourism destination. Lucy Maud Montgomery was in New London but moved to Cavendish to be raised by her grandmother after the death of her mother and her father’s move to the west and remarriage. Cavendish was established in 1790 by Scottish immigrants and originally a farming community. The Anne of Green Gables museums was built by James Campbell. Lucy Maud Montgomery spent much of her childhood at the Campbell farm. The home was built in 1872, on a farm first settled by the Campbell family in 1776, by Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Uncle John and Aunt Annie Campbell. She dearly loved the home and called it “the Wonder Castle of My Childhood”.
Anne of Green Gables Museum
There are many aspects of the Anne of Green Gables Museum that mirror the books. One of the main attractions is “Matthews Carriage Ride”, which is private carriage ride around the property with views of the Lake of Shining Waters and the surrounding farmland. Of course there is also the main Green Gables House which looks exactly like the one shown in the films and described in the books. Inside the house you will see Anne’s Enchanted Bookcase, the Crazy Patchwork quilt, and the Blue Chest from the Story Girl, another one of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books. The museum is a celebration of not only the character of Anne of Green Gables, but Lucy Maud Montgomery as well. A combination of the real life attributes of Cavendish that inspired Montgomery, and a representation of the fictional elements of the Anne of Green Gables books.
Dressing like Anne
The buildings in Cavendish have been preserved to resemble 19th century buildings, which of course reflects the setting that Anne and Lucy Maud Montgomery would have experienced. The charm of the museum is that you can imagine you have stepped back in time to the 19th century. I remember dressing up in a Victorian outfit and taking staged photos in one of the buildings surrounding the museum. There are even straw hats available so people can dress up like Anne herself.
Anne’s favourite treats
The scene in which Anne and Dianna get drunk from wine that they mistook for Raspberry Cordial is a classic Anne of Green Gables scene. Raspberry Cordial became strongly associated with Anne after that. My strongest memories of the Anne of Green Gables Museum is the taste of Raspberry Cordial. You can buy the drink in the gift shop, or find it in cafes in the Anne village.
Anne was also known to love ice cream, which can be found in PEI as well. Cavendish is known for Cow’s ice cream, which has been called Canada’s best ice cream. In fact, if you are lucky you may even find an Anne of Green Gables inspired “cow shirt”.
Adding to your Anne collection
The Anne of Green Gables Museum has a great Anne shop where you can buy limited edition Anne books, and other Anne merchandise including mugs, bookmarks, coasters, etc. When I was there as a child, I bought an Anne of Green Gables porcelain doll in the Anne Shop. I still own that doll today as a 27 year old woman, and when I look at the doll I remember the fascination that I had with Anne as a child. Of course the red hair is a signature feature of the doll, with a Victorian Era dress. The doll has managed to stay in great condition 18 years later.
I am very proud that Canada has created a character that is beloved enough to preserve a historic community around her, and that this museum still exists today.
Museums and Emily- Emily Scott
Emily Scott is a museum professional originally from Newfoundland, and now living in Victoria BC. Emily has a masters in English Literature from the University of Victoria and a masters in Museum Studies from the University of Aberdeen. She is currently working for the Conservation Officer Service, creating a museum display related to their historical collection that goes back 100 years. Emily uses social media to support museum professionals and cultural identity across Canada.
Instagram: instagram.com/museumsandemily
Twitter: twitter.com/museumsandemily
WordPress: https://museumsandemily.wordpress.com
Have you visited Anne Shirley’s Prince Edward Island?
Cheers,
The Historian
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