Island History (Queens County)

Explore Island history with a variety of speakers. We have a great line up of speakers and topics this year. We have a few more details to finalize, so I encourage you to keep checking back. To date we have: Dr. Jean Mitchell - Reading PEI History through L.M. Montgomery: Drawing on four of her lesser-known novels and selected journal passages, Dr. Mitchell's talk gleans historical fragments, stories, and images about orphans, loss, belonging, community, nature, land, and gender. Kate MacQuarrie - Wildlife on PEI - 1600's to Present Day - Join kate MacQuarrie for an illustrated talk on wildlife that were once present on PEI, those that were brought here much later, plus a few historical and current plants for good measure. Arnold Smith - The Clothing of Confederation - In 1989 Arnold portrayed one of the Fathers of Confederation during the 125th celebrations. Since then, he has amassed a substantial collection of information, patterns, vintage and reproduction clothing. Arnold will share his knowledge and research and have a selection of clothing on display – from everyday to formal. Georges Arsenault - The Island's Acadian Community and Confederation. Historian Georges Arsenault will discuss the economic and social situation of Island Acadians in the 1860s and 1870s, and their participation in the debate surrounding the Island's entry into the Canadian Confederation. Dr. Ed MacDonald - "Enshrined: Tourism and the Birthplace of Confederation" - For over a century, Prince Edward Island has projected itself to visitors as home to place where Canadian Confederation began. But neither the status of "Birthplace" nor the branding was in any way inevitable. It was constructed through a campaign of tourist promotion beginning in 1914. This lecture will trace the rise - and apparent decline - of PEI's career as "Birthplace of Confederation." Leonard Cusack - In 1955 St. Dunstan’s was an independent, thriving Catholic university. Fourteen years later the university closed its doors and sold its campus to UPEI. In his presentation “Caught in a Changing Society,” Leonard Cusack will explain the many factors that caused the closure of this prestigious institution. Bob Harding - "Who Knew? Recent natural history discoveries in the Hillsborough River Watershed”. For decades, Bob has conducted natural history surveys and documented a wide variety of animals and plant species on the Island. These surveys have resulted in many exciting finds along the Hillsborough and its tributaries., including some new Island records. Throughout his presentation, Bob will be sharing photographs and stories of some of these interesting natural history discoveries.

Course Locations and Times