WORDS
|
|
|
In the sleepy little hamlet of Leaskdale Ontario a white picket fence surrounds an unassuming brick house standing almost entirely shrouded by leafy maple trees. As cars whiz by en route to northern destinations, the drivers take little notice of this century-old structure and its importance to Canadian literary history.
A lonely, blue plaque awkwardly stands alone in the front lawn, desperately seeking attention. For those who get close enough to read it, the sign reveals the relatively unknown history of this small property. Under the Ontario Coat of Arms, the monument’s gold letters glitter in the brilliant sun stating “LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY In this house the author of “Anne of Green Gables” lived for fifteen years, and here wrote eleven of her twenty-two novels.”
Canada’s most widely-read author called the Leaskdale Manse home beginning in 1911, after her Island marriage to Rev. Ewan MacDonald, who had previously accepted a position with the Leaskdale Presbyterian Church. The already famous Montgomery relocated from small town Prince Edward Island to small town Ontario, adjusting to life nestled in a community which was a cluster of a dozen houses at the time, where she continued to write her thriving books.
Montgomery ritualistically sat for two hours each morning in her parlour churning out pages that subsequently formed such successful novels as Anne of the Island, Emily of New Moon and Rainbow Valley.
“It is the scene of more of her writing than any other place. So Leaskdale, we would argue, is the place where her largest contribution to Canadian literature was made,” says Earle Lockerby, Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario (LMMS) board member.
For over a decade now, this hard working group of Ontarians have been working to preserve the legacy of the Manse, which was recognized in 1965 as an historic site by the Ontario government and received federal acclamation in 1997.
“The Manse is the only remaining home of L.M. Montgomery which is designated as National Historic Site,” says Lockerby, accentuating its importance.
The Manse continued to serve the church until 1992, when it was purchased by Uxbridge Township. Coupled with the LMMS’s recent purchase of the adjoining church, both it and the Manse are now under the restorative care of the society who intends to authentically refurbish both.
Plans for the site include a Lucy Maud Montgomery interpretive centre to be housed in the renovated basement of the church and in the Manse, the LMMS aim to return it Montgomery’s era by outfitting the house in generously donated period furniture.
The society’s aim is to safeguard the historical assets in the combined properties and use the museum to draw visitors to experience Montgomery in a way not seen elsewhere.
Although here on Prince Edward Island, we often boast sole ownership of Montgomery’s most famed work, many do not realize that she spent most of her writing career living off Island, maturing as a world-renowned author in Ontario.
“While Cavendish has changed immensely since Lucy Maud Montgomery lived there, Leaskdale is largely unspoiled. The views from the house are essentially as they were when she was there, so people can go there and experience, still, what she saw and what she treasured,” says Lockerby.
Perhaps the LMMS’s website (www.lucymaudmontgomery.ca) sums their objective up best with an adaptation from Montgomery’s own work, Rainbow Valley. “We’re bringing the Manse back to life. Come with us to restore Lucy Maud Montgomery’s home. Come uncover stories of a gifted storyteller her dreams, her angst, her sensitivity. Saved within these walls. Waiting to be discovered. Wanting to be told.”
|
|
|