Let's Consider What Our Heritage Means to us Before Making Firm Decisions

Published in The Guardian Sept 28, 2006 - Guest Opinion by Catherine G. Hennessey

I believe that with discussions on the artifactory being moved to Murray River, our historical scene deserves to be put in a historical context.

In the late 1960s, it became clear that the Confederation Centre of the Arts was not going to be the institution that was going to look after the preservation and interpretation of this Island's history as promised. Adding urgency to the situation, the Island was beginning its serious move into the 21st century. The Comprehensive Development Plan was in its first stages and the family farm was in a state of flux. To add a visual reality, one could hardly cross on the car ferries without encountering truckloads of antiques leaving the Island.

In the fall of 1969, Premier Alex Campbell called a group of Islanders together to discuss the matter. At the meeting were rural and urban persons, conservatives and liberals, Protestants and Catholics. Two meetings were held and then a third where Ruth MacKenzie, Irene Rogers and I were asked to present a view of Island heritage. Remember, these were the days after the opening of Upper Canada Village, Kings Landing and Expo ‘67 etc. We took the tack that the whole Island was a landscape to preserve and distinctive heritage highlights existed all over.

We suggested that it was not the time to build a heritage village, or a museum. We spoke about our shipbuilding industry, farming and fishing, our mills etc. We also stressed the importance of remembering the, furniture industry, the carriage making, the blacksmiths and the stone cutters. We felt that if a good team, of historians and museum workers; was shaped, with the support of a collection, we could, from a central point, serve and encourage preservation throughout the Island .

As a result of those meetings, the P.E.I. Heritage Foundation Act was passed in the legislature in 1970 and an enthusiastic board of Islanders was appointed. The focus of the institution was to encourage, preserve, collect and market Island heritage first and foremost for Islanders. The foundation opened an office in the Burke Building on Kent Street in January 1971.

They had hardly caught their breath before the ‘73 Centennial Commission, after much debate, decided that the capital dollars made available for the centennial would be directed toward heritage. The committee specified Green Park as the shipbuilding centre, Basin Head for fisheries, Orwell Corner for a rural, crossroads and they recommended an exhibition centre in Summerside. They also gave the foundation dollars to establish a headquarters for themselves. That was how Beaconsfield was acquired. With great foresight they established an endowment fund, with the income to be used for acquisitions, research, publishing, exhibitions and such extra matters that the foundation might direct. It was a huge load for the foundation to take on, but with the help of the Department of Tourism and community boards, all the sites, with the exception of Summerside, opened in 1973. Eptek in Summerside opened in February 1978, but by that time, the foundation had added Elmira Railway Station to its list of sites. Since those days, the Acadian Museum in Miscouche has joined the family. Of course, there are still gaps in historical interpretation; there is still no restored lumber mill nor a flour mill nor are there stories of certain prominent early Islanders like John Cambridge etc.

There was also a question of storage. Although we were blessed with considerable space at Beaconsfield and the collection was being used where appropriate at the different sites, things were getting crowded. Islanders were continuing to bequeath items to the foundation — or they sometimes allowed us to purchase something special — which was a gift in itself.

As we entered the ‘80s, it was clear that we must look for better storage space for the collection, somewhere close by, where staff could easily access, study and conserve the collection as well as creatively stage exhibitions that could travel to other sites. The accession of the artifactory — a word coined by staff member Mary Burnett — is a long story of its own. It is important to note that with some aid from the government, the National Museums, Manpower and . small number of patrons, we acquired a building in the West Royalty Industrial Park, improved its condition and with great relief moved in. That was 25 years ago.

Alas, the weaknesses of the building are shown up more and more as it ages — and the collection continues to grow. Staff has not grown in numbers and as a result the creative use of the collection has been difficult to address. However, it has been remarkable what has been accomplished. Regular exhibitions at Eptek and Acadian Museums and the establishment of the Agricultural Museum at Orwell Corner have added a tremendous dimension. The small staff that has been asked to multi-task and creatively use the limited resources that are available has done a remarkable job.

Today with the Island landscape under stress, churches of every denomination closing, a proposed new artifactory in Murray River (that would further separate the staff), with local museums struggling, a new executive director being sought for the Museum and Heritage Foundation, and concern being expressed about the tourism industry, it seems. like an ideal time to bring together many concerned Islanders to discuss just what our heritage means to us all and how we should address the issues over the next 35 years.

Let us stop, ponder and mull over this issue before serious dollars are spent. The future of heritage is so important to Islanders as well as to our visitors, that good, thoughtful decisions must be made.


Catherine G. Hennessey is a Charlottetown heritage activist.