“And here, around a certain corner, is a certain small, yellowish-brown house, close to the road, that I always look at with a kind of fascination, for it is the house where my father and mother lived after their marriage, and where I was born and spent the first year of my life. The years have passed on and each succeeding one has left the little brown house something shabbier than before, but its enchantment has never faded in my eyes. I always look for it with the same eager interest when I turn the corner.” — The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1889-1900, Saturday, December 31, 1898.
This journal entry is quoted on a sign outside of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birthplace. She was 24 at the time of writing this, and I think she would be happy to know that even though the building has been altered superficially—it is brown no longer, but white with dark green trim—the house still holds a certain enchantment. Here in this tiny house close to the road, a great writer was born some 150 years ago.
Lucy Maud Montgomery was born on 30 November 1874 to Hugh John Montgomery and Clara Woolner Macneill in the village of Clifton, now called New London, Prince Edward Island. The home overlooks picturesque New London Harbour, complete with the quintessential sand dunes any viewer of the many Anne of Green Gables adaptations would imagine if asked to picture the landscape of the Island.
Maud was not yet two when her mother, Clara, died of tuberculosis at the Macneill homestead in Cavendish. Afterwards, Maud continued to live with her maternal grandparents, Alexander and Lucy Macneill. She lived there at the Macneill Homestead in Cavendish until her marriage to Rev. Ewan Macdonald on 5 July 1911.
Now seems like a good time to share Maud’s wedding dress, which can be viewed at Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Birthplace. This replica is on display in a glass case right next to the cash desk, which made it very difficult to photograph without capturing annoying reflections. I admit, I found the mannequin quite disturbing. Most mannequins are a bit unsettling by nature, but the fact that this one looks like it has a stocking pulled over its face, ready to rob a bank, added another dimension of creepiness.
Speaking of the cash desk, I didn’t pay much attention to the gift-y things in portion of the house designated as a shop. I was much too excited to focus on shopping. But I did happen to notice they did have a very good selection of books. When you walk in the front door the facing wall is covered in books with the covers facing out, which I found particularly tempting. I bought two published by Kindred Spirits of PEI, a publisher run by George Campbell, a relative of Maud. The two books were, Anne of Green Gables (1908), because I needed a backup—this was not the last copy I bought on this trip—and The Story Girl (1911). (I have linked to the same editions I bought, which you can find at the Anne of Green Gables Store in person, or online. These are not affiliate links.)
In that same room is where I spotted this photo of Maud, wearing a truly fabulous hat, and her husband Rev. Ewan Macdonald on their honeymoon.
On the same wall as the above photo of Maud, I found this flower made of human hair, which was apparently a popular craft around 1900. I could admire for its craftsmanship, maybe even its artistry, if only I didn’t have an abhorrence of hair that is not attached to a body. I considered not including it here, because it is another creepy thing, but, for better or worse, I was struck by its oddity and thought it might be of interest to others. Let’s move so I can shake off the heebie-jeebies.
When you come in the front door of the house the cash desk is to your left (go there first and pay your entry fee), to your right is a flight of stairs, and straight ahead leads to the rest of the main floor. Let’s head to the kitchen and work our way counterclockwise through the rooms.
An imposing Franklin stove presides in this room. I cannot imagine relying on this not only to cook, bake, heat the iron, but also to keep the house warm. It must have been used as heating, because what was noticeably lacking from this building was any sign of a fireplace. The one chimney you can see on the outside of the house, must be for the stove. The kitchen also contains a number of chairs, a table that has been pushed against one wall, and a corner cabinet filled with dishes. I can’t help but wonder how this room was set up when Maud’s parents lived here.
What I find most fascinating about historic homes that have been set up as they might have been however many years ago, are all the little domestic items. The area next to the stove has such an interesting array of items that I felt compelled to capture it. One of the items appears to be a preserved bird wing. For beauty, or for purpose? Either answer would only end up in more questions.
In the main room downstairs there is a display which takes up the centre of the room, filled with Maud’s scrapbooks. There were other objects, tables, chairs, some china I meant to ask about, but I didn’t. I was too captivated by the scrapbooks to focus on anything else. I had not heard about Maud’s scrapbooks before our visit to the Island. To be honest, I knew very little about Maud, outside of the contents of her novels and short stories. As you can see from the collection here, she certainly loved scrapbooking, including invites and programs from outings. She also collected clippings of her published stories, which can be seen in the long display case in the centre of this room.
I have just recently started reading the first of seven volumes in her collected journals, The Complete Journals of L.M. Montgomery: The PEI Years, 1889-1900. She wrote her journal with the intention of it being published one day. That is striking enough, I think, but she even edited it. There are places where she had removed leaves and pasted in new ones. Another notable difference between Maud’s journal and many other writer’s personal record is that she added visual elements as well, including newspaper clippings, postcards, studio shots, and her own photography. I’m just up to the entries from 1890, but the photographs of Maud’s friends, family, and the landscape have added so much to the reading experience. Also, I never would have expected that Maud’s voice to be so mature from such an early age. From the start of the journal in 1889, when Maud is almost fifteen, the writing and the scenarios could have been pulled straight from the pages of The Story Girl or Anne of Green Gables.
I snapped this photo of Imagining Anne: Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Island Scrapbooks at The Site of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Cavendish Home. I’ll talk more about that location in another post, but I will say here that they did have a great selection of books at that location. I wish I had bought a copy of this book while I was on the spot, but you can find it online. If you are interested in learning more about Maud’s scrapbooks, I think this book would be a great resource.
At the back of the house and to the far left, in relation to the front door, there is a small sitting room. Here I picked up a couple of brochures about the Island and Maud-related locations, including one specific to her birthplace. I can see this room being used as a study or quiet space back when the building was a family home, so it was fitting to find a cabinet with a number of foreign editions of Maud’s books on display.
Returning back to the front door, we go up the stairs that appear on the right on your way in. At the top of the stairs on the right is a door marked “The Child’s Room”.
I’m currently reading The Golden Road (1944), and in it Cecily is making a quilt that people have paid to have their name stitched on in either a 5¢ or 10¢ piece. In the book, the governor’s wife pays to have her name and her husband’s stitched on a 10¢ piece, which speaks to their financial and social position. More surprising is that Peg Bowen, a reclusive woman who lives is a decrepit old place and appears to only have one outfit, also says she will take a 10¢ piece. She even appears affronted when Cecily asks her which price of piece Peg would like. But then, Peg says she will pay later, because she doesn’t have the cash on hand. That was a couple of chapters ago, and so far no mention that she paid Cecily for the privilege. I don’t think Peg would unintentionally go without paying. She did give the children refuge in a snowstorm, after all. But after a night spent in the woman’s house they are no less convinced she is a witch, and there is this constant back and forth between whether Peg is just a misunderstood woman who lives by herself or something more sinister. Back to Maud's birthplace...
Back to Maud’s birthplace… This is the first of a number of rugs I took photos of on this trip. There are a couple of other beauties to come in the guest room, but overall, I was just really impressed with the attention to detail in dressing these rooms. I am not a historian, so I cannot comment on historical accuracy of all of the items, but they are all beautiful to look at, and the child’s room was my favourite room in the house. There is something so welcoming about an adorably decorated children’s room.
A room marked “The Main Bedroom” is the next door down the hall on the right. This is the room Maud was born in and would have been her parent’s bedroom. This is another room with a lot of items to admire. The hooked rugs, and the braided rug caught my eye, as did the garments of clothing. But just look at the bedspread! A sign outside the door reads, “This bedspread is on loan from the family of the late Edith Woodside, a valuable former board member.” I’m going to assume Edith Woodside made this bedspread, and very talented she was too. I wish I could have got a better photo of it, but there are low gates that run across the doorways of each of the upstairs rooms, preventing visitors from going inside. When I go back this year, I hope to at least ascertain whether the bedspread is crocheted or knitted.
Well, I had to take a photo of this man, Adonijah (Nige) Marks (1858-1945), posed with a litter of fox cubs that he raised. He made the bed in this room. Although, I think it is fair to assume that this is not the bed in which Maud was born in 1874. According to Nige’s great-great granddaughter, Elizabeth (Ingraham) Tumblin, “He was known for his long beard, his furniture making, his apple orchards and his telling fortunes through reading tea leaves.” He sounds like such a character, and just the sort of person I would like to know more about. Also, why are we not naming children Adonijah anymore?
Here are a couple more photos of the main bedroom that I am not going to comment on, otherwise, we are never going to get out of here.
We have made it to the last room upstairs, which is situated at the end of the short hall, “The Guest Room”. I have no idea what the deal is with the wedding dress, I will add that to my list of questions to pester the staff with on my next visit. But turn your attention to the quilt to the left of the mannequin bride. There is a small tag attached that says this is a log cabin afghan “[s]tarted by a little girl 8 years old, Sue M. Moncey (Muncey?), later Mrs. J.B. Leigh Lowther, Carleton Lot 28. Born November 1874. Died March 22, 1974.” It’s a beautiful piece, but no doubt it was also included in this room because Sue shared the same birth month and year as Maud. I would imagine this is the kind of handiwork that Maud and other little girls would have learned at the time.
More of those beautiful rugs I mentioned earlier…
I love the patchwork quilt that sits on blue chest of drawers in the next photo. Patchwork speaks of a time when pieces of old clothes and bits of fabric were repurposed into beautiful and practical objects, instead of being thrown away like we would today. We donate our family’s old clothes to charity, and items that are at the end of their life I usually just turn into rags. It has never occurred to me to try my hand at patchwork, but it might be something to fill up the long winter nights and would take a lot longer than crocheted or knitting blankets, which is my current crafty pastime.
Now, it’s time to go back down the stairs. Watch your step. The staircase is just about as steep as it appears in this photo.
From start to finish, we spent 45 minutes at Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Birthplace, that’s including making a couple of purchases in the bookstore/gift shop area and having a lovely chat with the woman who was working there. I believe her name was Deborah. We were the only visitors at the time and Deborah, as we are calling her, was very generous with her time. I remember commenting to my husband that it felt like we had been given a personal tour. Other than leaving us to explore the upstairs on our own, she was close by, providing us with tidbits of information about the building and its objects. Now, I’m thinking the worker’s name could have been Margaret. Heaven help me. Well Deborah/Margaret, if you are reading this, thank you for your time and for offering to stamp not just the books I had bought, but any that I had in the car. She was so kind and she made me feel like she was just as excited to see us as we were to see Maud’s birthplace. All round, we had a very heartwarming experience visiting Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Birthplace.
Additional information:
Address
Lucy Maud Montgomery Birthplace
6461 Route 20, New London
PE C0B 1M0
At Junction of Route 20 and Route 6
Summer (902) 886 2099
Winter (902) 836 5502
Hours
Open Daily 15 June - 15 September
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
For off season hours visit their website.
Other useful information
Free parking
Air conditioning
$7.00 per adult
$3.00 per child 3-12 years
No washrooms
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