Green Gables Heritage Place is a 19th century farm and literary landmark in

Cavendish Cavendish may refer to: People * The House of Cavendish, a British aristocratic family * Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673), British poet, philosopher, and scientist * Cavendish (author) (1831–1899), pen name of Henry Jones, English au ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

, Canada. Green Gables served as the setting for the ''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, ...

'' novels by

Lucy Maud Montgomery Lucy Maud Montgomery (November 30, 1874 – April 24, 1942), published as L. M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a collection of novels, essays, short stories, and poetry beginning in 1908 with ''Anne of Green Gables''. She ...

. Green Gables is recognized as a Federal Historic Building by the

government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

and is situated on the L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

. The National Historic Site itself is situated on

Prince Edward Island National Park Prince Edward Island National Park (french: Parc national de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard) is a National Park of Canada located in the province of Prince Edward Island. Situated along the island's north shore, fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the ...

. The building was initially erected during the 1830s, by the MacNeil family, relatives of Montgomery, who was born nearby the homestead. Interest in the Green Gables property grew in the decades after Montgomery published her novels, resulting in Green Gables' purchase by the

in 1936. The government initially operated the home as a

historic house A historic house generally meets several criteria before being listed by an official body as "historic." Generally the building is at least a certain age, depending on the rules for the individual list. A second factor is that the building be in ...

that depicted 19th century farming life on Prince Edward Island. However, by the 1970s plans were undertaken to refurbish the building to resemble Green Gables as depicted in Montgomery's novels. Since 1985, Green Gables and the larger National Historic Site operate as a museum of Lucy Maud Montgomery and her novels.

History

Green Gables was initially owned by the MacNeil family, relatives of

, the author of ''

''. The building was initially built by the family during the 1830s and was expanded during the 1870s and in 1921, the latter expansion resulting in the building's present L-shape. In 1908, Montgomery published ''

'', with Green Gables serving as the home for the titular character

Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel ''Anne of Green Gables'' by L. M. Montgomery. Shirley is featured throughout the classic book series, which revolve around her life and family in 19th and 20th-century Prince Ed ...

. Interest in the home grew after the publication of ''Anne of Green Gables'' and the release of a movie based on the novels in 1934. With Green Gables vacant during the 1930s, the

purchased the property in 1936 as a part of a larger effort to develop

. In 1938, plans were made to develop Green Gables into a clubhouse for the adjacent golf course; but these plans were abandoned after public backlash against the proposal. After Montgomery's death in 1942, her body was transported from

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, with a funeral ceremony held at Green Gables. Anne of Green Gables (37094999792)

During the 1950s, the home was furnished with period-appropriate furniture and was used as a

. During the 1970s, the building was refurnished and remodelled to resemble the Green Gables depicted in Montgomery's novels. In the same decade, the building was expanded again; before it underwent significant restorations in 1985, after

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

decided to switch the furnishing in the home to reflect how Green Gables was depicted in Montgomery's novels. On 10 July 1985, Green Gables was officially designated as a Federal Heritage Building as an example of 19th century architecture in the province, and for the home's importance to the literary community. The larger property, including the ruins of Montgomery's homestead were designated as the L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish National Historic Site of Canada in 2004. In 2017, the government unveiled a million restoration plan to restore the Green Gables building, in addition to building a new interpretive centre. On 29 August 2020, an interpretive centre built north of the Green Gables homestead was opened to the public; with

Hisako, Princess Takamado (born ; 10 July 1953), is a member of the Japanese Imperial Family as the widow of Norihito, Prince Takamado. Background and education Hisako was born on 10 July 1953 in Shirokane, Tokyo. She is the eldest daughter of Japanese industrialis ...

in attendance for the interpretive centre's grand opening. On 1 December 2020, Green Gables was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister's commendation for their contributions to promotion of mutual understanding between Canada and Japan.

Property

Green Gables is situated on the L.M. Montgomery's Cavendish National Historic Site of Canada, a large property that also includes Montgomery's homestead, greenspaces that served as inspiration for Montgomery's novel, and several trails including ''Haunted Woods'', ''Lovers' Lane'', and ''Balsam Hollow''. The larger property was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada on 12 October 2004. The property itself is situated within Prince Edward Island National Park. The National Historic Site is largely divided into two areas, Montgomery's home and Green Gables. The former served as the home for the author of ''Anne of Green Gables'' and consists of the ruins of her home and other farm buildings from the late-19th century. Green Gables is situated to the west of Montgomery's home; with the lands surrounding Green Gables also including a historic schoolhouse, farm buildings, and trails. In 2019, an interpretive centre built north of Green Gables was opened to the public, and houses exhibitions on Montgomery and her novels, particularly ''Anne of Green Gables''. Designed by Root Architecture, the centre includes exhibition spaces, gift shop, and offices. The interpretive centre surrounds a courtyard. Timber framing and panels is used throughout the interpretive centre.

Green Gables

Green Gables is a -storey L-shaped home clad in white-painted shingles throughout; with the only other colour present on the building being the green-

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aest ...

d rooftop and its window shutters. The green gable and shutters were painted onto the building shortly after the federal government purchased it in 1936, in an effort to make the building more "suitable," for its opening. There are six windows on the two floors of the building, each with shutters. The includes five bedrooms, a dining room, sewing room, and a parlour. Although wood is used throughout the home, the building's chimneys are made of brick.

Notes

References

External links