Article content“When I see P.E.I. now, I’m very emotionally attached to the landscape … It’s not matched anywhere else. If you can capture (emotion) in art, music, poetry, writing, quilts, to name a few, then you can capture the sense of this place,” said Bernard.Article contentHistory is a narration woven with human emotions, experiences, and facts, as Bernard summarized.Article contentArticle content Waves Over Rocks, painted by Edith England, a dear friend of author L.M. Montgomery, was unveiled on a summer Sunday afternoon at the Bideford Parsonage Museum to a group of onlookers. Desiree Anstey/Journal PioneerArticle contentArticle contentLasting connectionArticle contentTrowsdale explained the connection between Montgomery and England during the event and how their work has enduring cultural importance.Article content“Edith and her fiancé, Edward Bayfield Williams, met Maud at the Ellerslie train station when she first arrived … Maud visited Edith’s home on many occasions.”Article contentThe two became “bosom buddies” while Montgomery boarded at the parsonage from Aug. 3, 1894, until May 11, 1895, where Montgomery taught at a nearby school and wrote journals from her bedroom overlooking a bay, often referencing England. That home is now the Bideford Parsonage Museum.Article contentArticle contentA plaque in the museum with a quote from Montgomery’s journal reads, “I always enjoy myself there. I almost envy Edith E. her lovely home. It seems to me she has everything heart can wish for. And yet, after all, I would not change places with her.”Article contentEngland married Williams on June 12, 1901 and moved out west with her new husband. A fateful day on the water on Aug. 9, 1916 led to her death.Article content“While they were out there in 1916, they were at a hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, and a group of friends, including Edith, went out on boats for a leisurely ride. A sudden squall came up on Lac la Biche, and a boat became swamped, leading to a tragic accident,” said Trowsdale.Article content“They didn’t find her body until the next day.”Article contentHer body was returned to her childhood home to rest at the Bideford United Church Cemetery.Article contentArticle content The Bideford Parsonage Museum in Prince County, P.E.I., draws many through its doors for a glimpse into the shipbuilding industry and the role of the clergy in the community, as well as a time in the life of famous P.E.I. author, Lucy Maud Montgomery. Desiree Anstey/Journal PioneerArticle contentArticle contentHeritage preservedArticle contentThe painting by England, one full of movement with foam crested waves and clouds coating out a bright blue sky, is now a permanent fixture in the preserved bedroom of Montgomery, with a view of the more peaceful pastoral landscape and bay.Article contentThe restored Bideford Parsonage Museum, representing a rural homestead from days gone by, draws many through its doors to glimpse the life of the author of Anne of Green Gables, while also learning about the shipbuilding industry in the area and the role of the clergy in the community.Article contentArticle content Edith England Desiree Anstey/Journal PioneerArticle contentArticle contentNow England’s legacy is rightfully woven into this rich fabric, said Dean.Article content“We’re very fortunate that this wonderful painting has survived and that we’re able to have this at the museum.”Article contentArticle content
P.E.I. museum unveils restored 19th-century rare oil painting connected to L.M. Montgomery
