Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island , and the county seat of Queens County . Named after Queen Charlotte , Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in 1855.
82-623: It was the site of the famous Charlottetown Conference in 1864, the first gathering of Canadian and Maritime statesmen to discuss the proposed Maritime Union . This conference led, instead, to the union of British North American colonies in 1867, which was the beginning of the Canadian confederation . Prince Edward Island, however, did not join Confederation until 1873. From this, the city adopted as its motto Cunabula Foederis , "Birthplace of Confederation". The population of Charlottetown
164-840: A federal agency, manages the National Historic Sites program. As of November 2023, there were 1,005 National Historic Sites, 171 of which are administered by Parks Canada; the remainder are administered or owned by other levels of government or private entities. The sites are located across all ten provinces and three territories , with two sites located in France (the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial and Canadian National Vimy Memorial ). There are related federal designations for National Historic Events and National Historic Persons . Sites, Events and Persons are each typically marked by
246-571: A federal plaque of the same style, but the markers do not indicate which designation a subject has been given. For example, the Rideau Canal is a National Historic Site, while the Welland Canal is a National Historic Event. Emerging Canadian nationalist sentiment in the late 19th century and early 20th century led to an increased interest in preserving Canada's historic sites. There were galvanizing precedents in other countries. With
328-537: A fishing port. The shipbuilding industry declined in the latter part of the nineteenth century. On June 14, 1873 the "Government House Farm" at Fanning Bank was designated a municipal park, named Victoria Park in honour of Queen Victoria . In August 1874, the Prince Edward Island Railway opened its main line between Charlottetown and Summerside . The railway, along with the shipping industry, would continue to drive industrial development on
410-581: A meeting of representatives from the Maritime colonies; Nova Scotia , New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island . Britain encouraged a Maritime Union between these colonies, hoping that they would then become less economically and politically dependent on the Crown, and provide for greater economic and military power for the region in light of the American Civil War . However, another colony,
492-506: A more ambitious program with more attention paid to architectural preservation. In 1955, the Historic Sites and Monuments Act was amended to allow the designation of buildings due to their age or design, resulting in a new focus on the designation of Canada's built heritage. The 1950s also marked the beginning of the "big project" era, which reached its apogee in the 1960s, in which the federal government invested significant funds in
574-535: A national monument to the "Fathers of Confederation". The Confederation Centre of the Arts , which opened in 1964, is a gift to the residents of Prince Edward Island, and contains a public library, nationally renowned art gallery, and a mainstage theatre which has played to the Charlottetown Festival every summer since. In the 1960s, new public schools were constructed in the community, and in 1969
656-464: A new provincial community college system named Holland College , in honour of the island's famous surveyor. The PEI Comprehensive Development Plan in the late 1960s greatly contributed to the expansion of the provincial government in Charlottetown for the next decade. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital opened in 1982. In 1983, the national headquarters of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs
738-560: A non-official language as mother tongues. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Charlottetown included: Charlottetown Conference The Charlottetown Conference (A Conference to discuss the Confederation of Canada) was held in Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island, for representatives from colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation . The conference took place between September 1 through 9, 1864. The conference had been planned as
820-718: A noted authority on the War of 1812 and the history of Ontario , was chosen as the Board's first chairman, a post he held for twenty years. The first place designated and plaqued under the new program was the "Cliff Site" in Port Dover, Ontario , where two priests claimed sovereignty over the Lake Erie region for Louis XIV of France in 1670. Due to a lack of resources, the HSMBC limited itself to recommending sites for designation, and
902-733: A park. Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia was also designated in 1917. In 1919, William James Roche , the Minister of the Interior, was concerned over the fate of old fur trade posts in Western Canada, and he was also being lobbied by historical associations across Canada for federal funds to assist with the preservation and commemoration of local landmarks. At the same time, the Department of Militia and Defence
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#1732766296453984-610: A population density of 876.6/km (2,270.5/sq mi) in 2021. In the 2021 census, children under five account for approximately 3.9% of the resident population of Charlottetown. This compares with 4.4% in Prince Edward Island , and 5.0% for Canada overall. 21.0% of the resident population in Charlottetown are of retirement age compared with 21.2% in Prince Edward Island and 19.0% in Canada. The median age
1066-490: A sign in the centre of the square thus uncovered." In the early years of the program, National Historic Sites were chosen to commemorate battles, important men, the fur trade and political events; the focus was on the "great men and events" credited with establishing the nation. Of the 285 National Historic Sites designated by 1943, 105 represented military history , 52 represented the fur trade and exploration, and 43 represented famous individuals (almost entirely men). There
1148-460: A survey of historic sites in Canada, with the objective of creating new recreational areas rather than preserving historic places. Fort Howe in Saint John, New Brunswick was designated a national historic park in 1914, named the "Fort Howe National Park". The fort was not a site of significant national historic importance, but its designation provided a rationale for the acquisition of land for
1230-403: A union within provinces. The Province of Canada (consisting of present-day Ontario and Quebec) requested one of their own delegates to attend the conference. If not for the inclusion of 8 Canadian delegates from the province of Canada, the constitution would not have been proposed within federal union. The conference concluded on Wednesday September 7, but the representatives agreed to meet again
1312-523: A wider union including the Province of Canada would also be beneficial to them; Prince Edward Island was unsure, however, and very much against confederation. The delegates also believed that union could be achieved within a few years, rather than in an undefined period in the future as they had originally planned. The initial intentions of the conference was for the Maritimes to discuss the possibility of
1394-464: Is 40.8 years of age compared to 44.0 years of age for Prince Edward Island and 41.6 years of age for all of Canada. There are 17,193 total private dwellings in Charlottetown with an occupancy rate of 93.6%. The median value of a private dwelling is $ 200,284 compared to $ 341,556 nationally. The population density is 814.1 per square kilometre. The 2021 census reported that immigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 5,245 persons or 13.9% of
1476-646: Is a key road junction. On April 1, 1995, Charlottetown amalgamated with the Town of Parkdale and the incorporated communities of East Royalty , Hillsborough Park , Sherwood , West Royalty , and Winsloe . At the same time, the amalgamated Charlottetown annexed Queens Royalty . Today, the City of Charlottetown occupies parts of the Lot 33 and Lot 34 townships. The central business district continues to undergo incremental expansion as government and private sector office space
1558-574: Is also home to the Island Storm of the National Basketball League of Canada . Other notable sporting events held by Charlottetown include: In the 2021 Canadian census conducted by Statistics Canada , Charlottetown had a population of 38,809 living in 17,184 of its 18,364 total private dwellings, a change of 7.5% from its 2016 population of 36,094 . With a land area of 44.27 km (17.09 sq mi), it had
1640-476: Is approximately 76.2% white, 21.8% visible minorities and 2.0% Indigenous as of 2021. The largest visible minority groups in Charlottetown are South Asian (6.4%), Chinese (5.0%), Black (2.9%), Arab (2.3%), and Southeast Asian (2.0%). 78.6% of Charlottetown residents spoke English as their first language. Other common mother tongues are Chinese languages (4.3%), Punjabi (2.0%) French (1.8%), Arabic (1.7%), and Vietnamese (1.2%). 1.8% of residents listed both English and
1722-611: Is constructed and new institutional space is built or retrofitted, however retail space in the CBD has suffered as a result of outlying big box retail construction in recent years. On May 31, 2021, the Charlottetown City Council voted to remove a statue of John A. MacDonald , the first Prime Minister of Canada, following a year of vandalism in the wake of the George Floyd Protests . The catalyst for
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#17327662964531804-483: Is dominated by urban development along the waterfront areas, suburban development to the west, north and east, as well as the airport to the north. Commercial development, aside from the central business district, is concentrated along several road corridors: The downtown core is augmented by several feeder streets: Charlottetown comprises the following neighbourhoods which were one-time independent municipalities: The original municipal boundary between Charlottetown and
1886-501: Is estimated to be 40,500 (2022); this forms the centre of a census agglomeration of 83,063 (2021), which is roughly half of the province's population (160,302). The first European settlers in the area were French; personnel from Fortress Louisbourg founded a settlement in 1720 named Port La Joye on the southwestern part of the harbour opposite the present-day city. This settlement was led by Michel Haché-Gallant, who used his sloop to ferry Acadian settlers from Louisbourg. During
1968-497: Is located. The Agriculture Canada research station farm is the last remnant of the Queens Royalty common pasture lands and creates a large greenspace in the centre of the city, north of downtown. The development of the township of Queens Royalty, with its 5-hectare (12-acre) estates surveyed during the 18th and 19th centuries along a north–south axis forced early road networks into a grid. 21st-century Charlottetown landscape
2050-613: Is now termed the Charlottetown Conference . Although many of the meetings and negotiations which would lead to Canadian Confederation were held in Province House, various social events spilled over into the surrounding community. Prince Edward Island entered Confederation on July 1, 1873. Aside from being the seat of colonial government, the community came to be noted during the early nineteenth century for shipbuilding and its lumber industry as well as being
2132-731: The Confederation Centre Art Gallery . The Charlottetown Festival itself is headlined by Canada's most popular and longest-running musical, Anne of Green Gables - The Musical , an adaptation of Island author Lucy Maud Montgomery 's novel. Several other small theatres and galleries can be found immediately surrounding the Confederation centre including the Mac (MacKenzie theatre), the Arts Guild, and Pilar Shepard gallery. There are 11 National Historic Sites of Canada located in Charlottetown, including Province House and
2214-706: The Ile Saint-Jean Campaign (this being fully three years after the initial Acadian Expulsion in Nova Scotia ). British forces built Fort Amherst near the site of the abandoned Port La Joye settlement to protect the entrance to the harbour. Charlottetown was selected as the site for the county seat of Queens County in the colonial survey of 1764 by Captain Samuel Holland of the Royal Engineers. A year later, Charlottetown
2296-709: The King George's War , the British had taken over the Island. French officer Ramezay sent 500 men to attack the British troops in the Battle at Port-la-Joye . The French were successful in killing or capturing forty British troops. In August 1758, at the height of the French and Indian War , a British fleet took control of the settlement and the rest of the island, promptly deporting those French settlers that they could find in
2378-493: The North-West Rebellion has gone through at least three phases to date. In the 1920s, plaques erected at these sites trumpeted the expansion of Canada and western civilization across North America. Due to local pressures, changes at the HSMBC and evolving historiography , texts introduced in the 1950s avoided the previous triumphalist version of events, but also avoided any analysis of the causes or consequences of
2460-463: The Province of Canada , comprising present-day Ontario and Quebec , heard news of the planned conference and asked that the agenda be expanded to discuss a union that would also include them. Coincidentally there was a circus in Charlottetown during the conference, and it was much more interesting to the majority of the population. At the very least, the circus made making accommodations for all
2542-568: The St. Lawrence ", and in Niagara, promoting a loyalist doctrine of imperial unity with Britain, while commemorating resistance to "Americanism". Proposals to designate sites related to the immigration of Jews , Blacks and Ukrainians to Canada were rejected, as were attempts to recognize patriots of the Rebellions of 1837 . Such was the view of Canadian history by the Board in the first half of
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2624-504: The 20th century. The HSMBC at the time has been described by historian Yves Yvon Pelletier as a "Victorian gentlemen's club", made up of self-taught historical scholars, whose decisions were made without public consultation and without the benefit of a secretariat to further investigate the recommendations of Board members. The following have served as members of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada: As time passed and
2706-537: The Branch's park improvements were incompatible with the heritage attributes of Fort Anne, the second historic park. On Harkin's recommendation, the government created the Advisory Board for Historic Site Preservation (later called the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada) in 1919 in order to advise the Minister on a new program of National Historic Sites. Brigadier General Ernest Alexander Cruikshank ,
2788-785: The Confederation Centre of the Arts. Charlottetown has numerous parks and playing fields for soccer, baseball, softball, football, rugby, and field hockey. Cricket also has been gaining popularity after building a ground and a cricket pitch at Tea hill park in Stratford. There are also many outdoor tennis courts, recreational trails, and running tracks. Most public schools in the city have gymnasiums available for public use outside of school hours and there are community-owned and operated hockey arenas and swimming pools, as well as several privately operated fitness centres. Amateur varsity team sports are prevalent for males and females in
2870-520: The Hillsborough River. Adjacent communities to the original downtown included Brighton, Spring Park, Sherwood and Parkdale. The areas to the west, north and east of downtown have been developed in recent decades with several residential and commercial/retail developments, although the outer regions of the city are still predominantly farmland, as is an area in the centre of the city where an Agriculture Canada experimental crop research station
2952-596: The Land, Governing Canada, Developing Economies, Building Social and Community Life, and Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life. To be commemorated, a site must meet at least one of the following criteria: Designation as a National Historic Site provides no legal protection for the historic elements of a site. However, historic sites may be designated at more than one level (national, provincial and municipal), and designations at other levels may carry with them some legal protections. Most National Historic Sites are marked by
3034-668: The North (Yorke) and the Hillsborough (East) Rivers to the west and east. Charlottetown has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ) moderated partially by Prince Edward Island's location in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence . Winters are somewhat milder than many inland cities at a similar latitude: the January average is −7.3 °C (18.9 °F), and lows reach −20 °C (−4 °F) or below on an average 5.8 days per season. However,
3116-451: The attack, the colonial seal was stolen and several prisoners, including Phillips Callbeck and Thomas Wright, were taken to Cambridge, Massachusetts and later released. In 1793, land had been set aside by Governor Fanning on the western limits of the community for use by the "Administrator of Government" (the governor), and as such it became known informally as "Fanning's Bank" or just "Fanning Bank". On November 29, 1798, St. John's Island
3198-412: The city became home to the amalgamated University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), located on the campus of the former St. Dunstan's University. Together with the federal Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food 's Charlottetown Experimental Farm (also known as Ravenwood Farm ), these properties comprise a large green space surrounded by the city. The Prince of Wales College downtown campus became part of
3280-401: The city were amalgamated to form the towns of Stratford and Cornwall respectively. A green belt is in place around the northern fringe of the municipal boundary, although it is poorly enforced by the provincial government, leading to suburban sprawl . The city's streetscape with a centrally planned downtown core containing many Victorian-era houses and buildings is an attraction, as well as
3362-724: The city's two senior high schools, Colonel Gray and Charlottetown Rural, as well as the University of Prince Edward Island 's varsity teams (the UPEI Panthers ) through the institution's affiliation with Canadian Interuniversity Sport . Holland College also has varsity teams, the Holland Hurricanes . There is one junior hockey team in the community: the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League 's Charlottetown Islanders . The city
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3444-548: The class of larger National Historic Sites operated by Parks Canada and deemed to be of "extraordinary value to Canadian history", was phased out. Changes were not limited to new designations, as the interpretation of many existing National Historic Sites did not remain static and evolved over time. For example, the commemoration of National Historic Sites on the Prairies related to the Red River Rebellion and
3526-456: The coastal position means that winter precipitation, more often as snow, is frequent and at times heavy: the seasonal snow average is 284.8 cm (112 in). Spring warming is gradual due to the ocean waters still being cold. Summers are mild, again due to the same maritime moderation: the July high is 23.6 °C (74.5 °F). Precipitation averages 1,135.7 mm (45 in) per year, with
3608-551: The colony's Governor . Today, it serves as the official residence for the Lieutenant Governor . Between 1843 and 1847, a new legislative building was constructed in the community. Named the Colonial Building originally, following Confederation with Canada it gradually became known as " Province House ". The completion of this structure with Isaac Smith as builder/ architect was an important milestone in
3690-456: The common area of the township of Queens Royalty was the northern edge of the original five hundred lots along present-day Euston Street. This boundary was extended north to Allen Street and Kirkwood Drive during the early twentieth century, taking in part of the rural community of Brighton west of the downtown. The village of Spring Park was amalgamated into the city in 1959, extending the city's boundary north to Hermitage Creek, which also formed
3772-459: The delegates difficult, since there had not been a circus in Prince Edward Island in over 20 years. There was no one working at the public wharf at the foot of Great George Street when the Canadian delegates arrived on the steamship SS Victoria , so Prince Edward Island representative William Henry Pope had to handle receptions by himself, including rowing out to greet the new arrivals. Owing to
3854-495: The designations accordingly. Saoyú-ʔehdacho in the Northwest Territories was designated in 1997, becoming the first National Historic Site both designated and acquired on the basis of consultation with Aboriginal peoples, and the largest National Historic Site in land area (approximately the size of Prince Edward Island ). It was at this time that the use of the term "National Historic Park", then still used for
3936-418: The events. Commencing in the 1970s, a changing approach to heritage conservation at Parks Canada , coupled with growing regionalism and a more assertive Aboriginal rights movement, led to the next generation of interpretative documents, one that included a focus on the societies which Canada's 19th-century expansion had displaced. National Historic Sites are organized according to five broad themes: Peopling
4018-461: The federal level. Although the HSMBC took little interest in these efforts, limiting itself to a commemorative role, the Parks Branch made wide use of government relief funds to hire workers to assist with the restoration of old forts. In 1943, the interim chairman of the HSMBC, Frederic William Howay , urged his fellow Board members to consider a broader range of designations, and to correct
4100-505: The focus of the program was on commemoration rather than on preservation. Benjamin Sulte , a member of the HSMBC, wrote to Harkin in 1919 about the significant ruins at the Forges du Saint-Maurice , demonstrating his preference for the installation of a plaque over restoration: "All that can be done in our days is to clear away the heap of stones, in order to reach the foundation walls and plant
4182-526: The geographic and thematic imbalance in the designations. In particular, Howay encouraged the HSMBC to pay more attention to economic, social and cultural history, and he urged a moratorium on additional designations related to the War of 1812. In 1951, the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences highlighted the imbalances of the National Historic Sites program, urging
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#17327662964534264-475: The greatest amounts falling in late fall and winter. The highest temperature ever recorded in Charlottetown was 36.7 °C (98 °F) on 19 August 1935. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −32.8 °C (−27 °F) on 29 January 1877. Downtown Charlottetown includes the city's historic five hundred lots, as surveyed by Captain Samuel Holland , as well as the waterfront facing the harbour and
4346-433: The history of the capital and it is still in use today as the provincial legislature as well as a National Historic Site , and is currently the second-oldest legislative seat in Canada. On April 17, 1855, Charlottetown was incorporated as a city, holding its first council meeting on August 11 of that year. The community had 6,500 residents at the time of incorporation. Between September 1–8, 1864, Charlottetown hosted what
4428-417: The home of the colony's Lieutenant Governor. The conference had begun on Thursday September 1 with a banquet for the delegates. Parties and banquets were held each night after the day's discussions had ended, except for Sunday September 4, when they did not meet. The representatives from the Province of Canada dominated the conference, overshadowing the concerns of the Maritimes, and laying out foundations for
4510-700: The nearby rural community of Sherwood was upgraded as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and operated for the duration of World War II as RCAF Station Charlottetown , in conjunction with RCAF Station Mount Pleasant and RCAF Station Summerside . After the war the airfield was designated Charlottetown Airport . Charlottetown's shipyards were used extensively during World War II, being used for refits and upgrades to numerous Royal Canadian Navy warships. Further post-war development continued to expand residential properties in adjacent outlying areas, particularly in
4592-491: The neighbouring farming communities of Sherwood, West Royalty, and East Royalty. In 1959, the suburban village of Spring Park was amalgamated into the city, extending the city's northern boundary from Kirkwood Drive to Hermitage Creek and included the campus of St. Dunstan's University. To commemorate the centennial of the Charlottetown Conference , the ten provincial governments and the Government of Canada contributed to
4674-503: The new designations, with the "Battle of..."-type commemorations being overtaken by sites associated with federal politics. The largest group of designations (43 percent) pertained to historic buildings. By the 1990s, three groups were identified as being underrepresented among National Historic Sites: Aboriginal peoples , women, and ethnic groups other than the French and the English . Efforts were subsequently made to further diversify
4756-557: The next month in both Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City (see Quebec Conference ). A ball was also held on September 8, after which the delegates returned home. In addition to political meetings, the delegates participated in social activities like special lunches, small boating trips, and a ball, which gave delegates the opportunity to bond. The delegates from the respective provinces met again on September 10 and 12, 1864 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where further discussions arose regarding
4838-476: The province by CN Rail in December 1989 led to the railway and industrial lands at the east end of the waterfront being transformed into parks and cultural attractions. In the late 1990s and 2000s, the retail landscape changed with the opening of big box stores on the site of former traditional shopping centres and in new developments in the northern suburbs, particularly the neighbourhood of West Royalty, which
4920-410: The provincial legislature at Province House , which hosted the Charlottetown Conference , as well as Founders Hall, a recently redeveloped railway maintenance building which now houses an interactive trip through history tracing the development of Canada as a nation. The Confederation Centre of the Arts provides live theatre, including the Charlottetown Festival during the summer months, as well as
5002-631: The removal came following the discovery of a mass grave at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. Charlottetown is situated on its namesake harbour , which is formed by the confluence of three rivers in the central part of the island's south shore. The harbour opens onto the Northumberland Strait . The city is roughly V-shaped (pointed to the south) and constrained by
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#17327662964535084-570: The restoration and reconstruction of high-profile National Historic Sites such as the Halifax Citadel , the Fortress of Louisbourg , the fortifications of Quebec City and the historic core of Dawson City . The 1970s marked the start of a new shift in the nature of the designations. Of the 473 National Historic Sites designated between 1971 and 1993, the formerly dominant category of political-military events represented only 12 percent of
5166-552: The same time, the federal government was looking for ways to extend the National Park system to Eastern Canada . The more populated east did not have the same large expanses of undeveloped Crown land that had become parks in the west , so the Dominion Parks Branch (the predecessor to Parks Canada) looked to historic features to act as focal points for new national parks. In 1914, the Parks Branch undertook
5248-406: The southern boundary of the village of West Royalty. Development filled in most vacant land in the Brighton and Spring Park neighbourhoods by the 1980s. Municipal amalgamation in 1996 saw the outlying independent municipalities of Parkdale (town), Sherwood, East Royalty, West Royalty and Winsloe (villages) merged into a larger city of Charlottetown at the same time as rural communities east and west of
5330-423: The support of notables such as Victor Hugo and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , the Commission des monuments historique was created in France in 1837; it published its first list of designated sites , containing 934 entries, in 1840. In the United Kingdom , the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty was created in 1894 to protect that country's historic and natural heritage. While there
5412-478: The system grew, the scope of the program and the nature of the designations evolved. By the 1930s, the focus of the heritage movement in Canada had shifted from commemoration to preservation and development. The change was most marked in Ontario, where the Niagara Parks Commission was restoring Fort George and the Department of Highways was restoring Fort Henry . It took the Great Depression to create opportunities for significant heritage preservation projects at
5494-458: The total population of Charlottetown. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were China (1,030 persons or 19.6%), India (530 persons or 10.1%), Vietnam (410 persons or 7.8%), Syria (345 persons or 6.6%), Philippines (310 persons or 5.9%), United States of America (280 persons or 5.3%), United Kingdom (245 persons or 4.7%), Lebanon (115 persons or 2.2%), Iran (110 persons or 2.1%), and Jamaica (95 persons or 1.8%). Charlottetown
5576-498: The unexpectedly large number of visitors in the city, a sizeable proportion of the Canadian delegates remained aboard the Queen Victoria while others found accommodations at the Franklin. Meanwhile, circus-goers and the Maritime delegates had taken up the accommodations in town. Unfortunately, there is no formal record of what was said during the Charlottetown meetings. What we know has been gathered from private sources, such as letters written home by delegates. We do know that there
5658-449: The union and idea of the constitution. Following meetings in Halifax, representatives met in Quebec city, on October 10 to 27, 1864. The Quebec Conference fostered a draft constitution for the proposed federal union. Canada was founded on July 1, 1867 through negotiation at the aforementioned conferences above. To the south, during the Civil War , the United States Army grew dramatically in size. Some historians believe that Confederation
5740-406: The union that benefited them the most. Four of the first five days were spent outlining the Canadian position, and the Maritime representatives did not discuss their own plans until September 6 and 7. One Canadian delegate, George Brown , spent two days discussing the details of the proposed constitution, which would keep Canada within the British Empire . Most of the Maritimes were convinced that
5822-706: The waterfront for several decades to come. The province's first health care facility, the Charlottetown Hospital , was opened by the Diocese of Charlottetown in 1879, which was followed by the publicly operated Prince Edward Island Hospital in 1884. Religion played a central role in the development of Charlottetown's institutions with non-denominational (i.e. Protestant) and Roman Catholic public schools (Catholic Queen Square, Notre Dame, and St Joseph's vs. Protestant West Kent and Prince Street), hospitals (Prince Edward Island Hospital vs. Charlottetown Hospital), and post-secondary institutions ( Prince of Wales College vs. St. Dunstan's University ) being instituted. St. Dunstan's
5904-512: The waterfront redevelopment project in recent decades which has seen walking trails and parks developed on former industrial lands. A new cruise ship terminal was opened by the port authority in September 2007 which, proponents hope, will make the city a more attractive destination for the growing number of vessels operating in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Popular attractions within the city include
5986-624: Was a pre-emptive action to reduce the chances that territories to the north and west of Canada would be annexed by the United States. 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 of national historic significance. Parks Canada ,
6068-584: Was agreement on the need for a detailed discussion of a potential union. It is known that the Maritime delegates put aside their idea of Maritime Union, while the Canadians could see solutions to their own problems in a larger union. The majority of the conference took place at the colony's legislative building, Province House , although some social functions such as dinners and banquets were held at other venues including Government House and Inkerman House,
6150-578: Was also a strong bias in favour of commemorating sites in Ontario over other parts of the country. At one point, some members of the HSMBC concluded that there were no sites at all in Prince Edward Island worthy of designation. The then prominence of sites in Ontario related to the War of 1812 and the United Empire Loyalists has been attributed to the influence of Cruikshank, resulting in a "veritable palisade of historical markers along
6232-426: Was anxious to transfer old forts, and the associated expenses, to the Parks Branch. Roche asked James B. Harkin , the first Commissioner of Dominion Parks, to develop a departmental heritage policy. Harkin believed that the Parks Branch did not have the necessary expertise to manage historic resources; he was troubled by the relatively weak historic value of Fort Howe, the country's first historic park, and feared that
6314-610: Was instrumental in stopping the demolition of the fortifications of Quebec City , and he was the first public official to call for the creation of a park on the lands next to Niagara Falls . The 1908 tricentennial of the founding of Quebec City , and the establishment that same year of the National Battlefields Commission to preserve the Plains of Abraham , acted as a catalyst for federal efforts to designate and preserve historic sites across Canada. At
6396-540: Was made the colonial capital of St. John's Island. Further surveys conducted between 1768 and 1771 established the street grid and public squares which can be seen in the city's historic district. The town was named in honour of Queen Charlotte . On November 17, 1775, during the American Revolution , the colony's new capital was ransacked by Massachusetts -based privateers in the Raid on Charlottetown . During
6478-598: Was moved to Charlottetown as part of a nationwide federal government decentralization programme. In 1986, UPEI expanded further with the opening of the Atlantic Veterinary College . Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, there was increased commercial office and retail development. A waterfront hotel and convention centre was completed in 1982 and helped to encourage diversification and renewal in the area, leading to several residential complexes and downtown shopping facilities. The abandonment of rail service in
6560-714: Was no National Park Service in the United States until 1916, battlefields of the Civil War were designated and managed by the War Department : Chickamauga and Chattanooga (created 1890), Antietam (1890), Shiloh (1894), Gettysburg (1895), Vicksburg (1899), and Chalmette (1907). Domestically, Lord Dufferin , the Governor General from 1872 to 1878, initiated some of the earliest, high-profile efforts to preserve Canada's historic sites. He
6642-792: Was originally developed as a seminary for training priests, and the Maritime Christian College was founded in 1960 to train preachers for the Christian churches and churches of Christ in Prince Edward Island and the Maritime Provinces . As with most communities in North America, the automobile shaped Charlottetown's development in the latter half of the twentieth century, when outlying farms in rural areas of Brighton, Spring Park, and Parkdale saw increased housing developments. The Charlottetown airfield in
6724-477: Was renamed to Prince Edward Island in honour of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn , who was the Commander-in-Chief, North America . In 1805, the local British garrison constructed a harbour defence called "Fort Edward" to the west of the capital's waterfront and the "Prince Edward Battery" manned this facility. In 1835, " Government House " was constructed at Fanning Bank as a residence for
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