Lucy Maud Montgomery was Here

Like many of the rest of you, as a child I read and loved the book Anne of Green Gables.  When I had the opportunity this past summer to visit Lucy Maud Montgomery's home in Leaskdale, Ontario I jumped at the chance and, of course, I took some photos to share with you.
 
Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables, is usually associated with Prince Edward Island since that is where many of her books are set.  While she was born and lived for many years in PEI, she moved to Ontario after she married in 1911 and lived here for the rest of her life.  From 1911-1926 Maud and her husband lived in Leaskdale, Ontario, a little farming community just north of Uxbridge.  Her husband was minister of the Presbyterian church in town and she gave birth to 3 children (one of whom was stillborn) while living in Leaskdale.  Although this was a relatively happy time in her life, she was always very homesick for PEI.

Lucy Maud Mongomery lived in Leaskdale for 15 years and wrote 11 of her 22 novels here, including two of the sequels to Anne of Green Gables, namely Anne of the Island and Anne's House of Dreams.  She had published Anne of Green Gables three years prior to coming to Leaskdale and the local people were excited to have such a famous author coming to live in their manse. 

When we visited the house, preservation work was being done on it.   Not only was the house empty of furniture, but there were workmen busy at work on the house.  The preservation effort is to have the house looking in tiptop shape for an upcoming international conference, entitled "Lucy Maud Montgomery at Home in Leaskdale: A Centenary Celebration", which will be held in Leaskdale in October, 2011.

The style of house is one that was very typical of rural Ontario at the time.  Early photos from Lucy Maud Montgomery's photo album show that the house, and even the fence along the front, have remained unchanged from her time. 

Just a short distance south of the manse is St. Paul's Presbyterian church, where Maud's husband was the minister.

And here's what we say through the lower window of the church.

If you want to see photos of the Leaskdale home taken by L. M. Montgomery you can see them here and read about her life in Leaskdale here.  It is especially interesting to see the interior of the house as that is where Maud lived and worked.  The photos are copyright so I couldn't put them on my blog, but you really should follow the link to see the details.  In Maud's photos the dining room had white painted beadboard covering the lower part of the walls with dark Edwardian furniture (which I have to say looks a lot like the furniture I have in my dining room, especially the china cabinet) and the study had wood panelling on the walls and glass-fronted bookshelves - the perfect setting to write such amazing books.

I'll have to go back to Leaskdale and visit the house when the interior is furnished.  I love historic homes and this one would be especially fun to tour being that it is the home that Lucy Maud Montgomery lived in.