It is with good reason that we have so many stories to tell. L. M. Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables and many more stories is our best known story teller.
L. M. Montgomery came here as a tiny child to live with her maternal grandparents Alexander and Lucy Macneill, when her mother Clara Macneill Montgomery died of tuberculosis. This was her home from 1876 to 1911.
During her years in Cavendish, L. M. Montgomery wrote and sent off numerous poems, stories, and serials to Canadian, British, and American magazines. Despite many rejections, she eventually commanded a comfortable income from her writing. In 1899, she earned $96.88 – not much by today’s standards but a nice sum at the turn of the century. Her earnings from her writing increased to $500 in 1903.
Anne of Green Gables
In 1905, she wrote her first and most famous novel, Anne of Green Gables. She sent the manuscript to several publishers, but, after receiving rejections from all of them, she put it away in a hat box. In 1907, she found the manuscript again, re-read it, and decided to try again to have it published. Anne of Green Gables was accepted by the Page Company of Boston, Massachusetts and published in 1908. An immediate best-seller, the book marked the beginning of Montgomery’s successful career as a novelist.
After Montgomery’s death in 1942, the National Sites and Historic Board of Canada declared her a person of national historic significance. In 1999, she was voted one of the top 20 Canadian heroes in a Dominion Institute and the Council for Canadian Unity internet survey. In the same year, CBC held a millennium poll and Montgomery was voted the most influential Canadian writer of the twentieth century. In 2000, L.M. Montgomery was chosen by Maclean’s magazine as one of twenty-five Canadians who inspired the world.
On May 15, 1975, Canada Post issued a stamp to “Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables” designed by Peter Swan and typographed by Bernard N. J. Reilander. The 8¢ stamps are perforated 13 and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited.
A pair of stamps was issued in 2008 by Canada Post, marking the centennial of the publication of Montgomery’s classic first novel.
An Excerpt from the book “Cavendish: Its History Its People” by Harold H. Simpson. 1973.
Ship Wrecks
Ever since man first traveled in boats they have been at the mercy of the elements. Storms and high winds can strike without warning and for those who …
The Yankee Gale of 1851
“One of the worst natural disasters in the history of the Island was the Yankee Gale of 1851” An American fleet from the ports of …
The Wreck of the Marco Polo 1883
The Marco Polo, a 3-masted medium clipper ship, was built by the Smith Ship Builders of Saint John, New Brunswick and launched in 1851. The ship had …
The Simpsons, Clarks and MacNeills
The Meachams 1880 Atlas illustrates how well the Simpsons, Clarks and MacNeills prospered during the 90 years following their arrival to Cavendish. …
Samuel Holland’s Lot Descriptions
The area from Stanley Bridge to North Rustico is made up of the north sections of three lots: 22, 23 and 24. Lot 22 was given to John Gordon and Capt. …
North Shore Area Names
1. Cavendish Named by William Winter c 1772, probably for Field Marshall Lord Frederick Cavendish (1729-1803). (source: Geographical Places Names of …
Cavendish: A Changing Community
The evolution of Cavendish may be summed up in the following term. “It was an axe and manpower that turned a forest wilderness into a thriving …
Pirate at Cavendish
An Excerpt from the book “Cavendish: Its History Its People” by Harold H. Simpson. 1973. Here in the 1700’s, the date is not …