Dalvay-by-the-Sea

Last updated

Dalvay-by-the-Sea Hotel is a National Historic Site located on the north shore of Prince Edward Island. DalvayByTheSea.jpg
Dalvay-by-the-Sea Hotel is a National Historic Site located on the north shore of Prince Edward Island.

Dalvay-by-the-Sea is a National Historic Site of Canada [1] located on the north shore of Prince Edward Island at the eastern end of Prince Edward Island National Park. The most significant feature of Dalvay is the Queen Anne Revival style hotel, originally constructed as a home for an American industrialist.

Contents

The hotel is a popular attraction for visitors to Prince Edward Island and has been featured in the Anne of Green Gables movies. The venue also served as the fictional White Sands Hotel in the Canadian Road to Avonlea television series. [2]

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visited Dalvay-by-the-Sea during their 2011 royal tour of Canada. William took part in training exercises with the Canadian Forces, executing a "water bird" emergency landing procedure over Dalvay Lake in a Sea King helicopter. [3] Later in the day, the royal couple competed against each other in a dragon boat race on Dalvay Lake. [3]

Alexander Macdonald house

In 1895, a wealthy Scots-born American industrialist, Alexander Macdonald, discovered the area while on vacation on Prince Edward Island. He and his wife became so enamored of the area that Macdonald purchased 120 acres (0.49 km2) of land and commissioned a house to be built here. The house was completed in 1896. Macdonald named it Dalvay-by-the-Sea after his boyhood home in Scotland.

Construction costs were approximately $50,000. The lower half of the house was constructed of Island sandstone in its natural form. The huge fireplaces were also made of sandstone. The furnishings were purchased from all over the world during family travels in England, France, Italy, and Egypt. Some pieces were also purchased in Charlottetown. Water and power were supplied by a series of windmills.

The MacDonalds kept a number of servants, including grooms to look after the many horses and carriages owned by the family. It cost about $10,000 a year to operate. The family entertained frequently over the summer, and at the end of every summer hosted a lavish dance for the locals.

The MacDonalds enjoyed the house for over a decade, but by 1909 he was not in good health. At the end of that summer, he stood for the last time at Long Pond gazing at his house before quietly saying, "Good-bye Dalvay". He died in Long Beach, California in 1910.

After his death, the property was left to MacDonald's granddaughters. Since they were underage at the time, it was managed by their father, Edmund Stallo. Due to bad investments, the $15 million Alexander fortune dwindled to nothing and the estate had to be sold. The property itself was tended by William Hughes since the death of Alexander. When he contacted the family to ask what should be done with the place, they told him he could have it for the back taxes. Hughes bought the house and furnishings for $486.57. He had no interest in keeping it, so sold it to William O'Leary of Montreal. The O'Leary's removed most of the furniture and eventually it was sold to Captain Edward Dicks. Dicks renovated the house, intending to turn it into a hotel. However, he ran out of money. In time, George DeBlois acquired the property.

In 1938, DeBlois sold the house and land to the Government of Canada. Since then, the house has been operated as a hotel by operators under a leased concession from Parks Canada. There are 26 guest rooms, furnished in period antiques.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Prince Edward Island</span> University in Prince Edward Island, Canada

The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora MacDonald</span> Scottish Jacobite rebel and heroine

Flora MacDonald was a member of Clan Macdonald of Sleat, best known for helping Charles Edward Stuart evade government troops after the Battle of Culloden in April 1746. Her family generally backed the government during the 1745 Rising and MacDonald later claimed to have assisted Charles out of sympathy for his situation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1873 in Canada</span> Canada-related events during the year of 1873

Events from the year 1873 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Archibald Macdonald</span> Canadian politician

Andrew Archibald Macdonald, served as the fourth Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island from 1 August 1884 to 2 September 1889, and was one of the fathers of Canadian Confederation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord of the Isles</span> Title of Scottish nobility

Lord of the Isles or King of the Isles (Scottish Gaelic: Triath nan Eilean or Rìgh Innse Gall) is a title of Scottish nobility with historical roots that go back beyond the Kingdom of Scotland. It began with Somerled in the 12th century and thereafter the title was held by a series of his descendants, the Norse-Gaelic rulers of the Isle of Man and Argyll and the islands of Scotland in the Middle Ages. They wielded sea-power with fleets of galleys (birlinns). Although they were, at times, nominal vassals of the kings of Norway, Ireland, or Scotland, the island chiefs remained functionally independent for many centuries. Their territory included much of Argyll, the Isles of Arran, Bute, Islay, the Isle of Man, Hebrides, Knoydart, Ardnamurchan, and the Kintyre peninsula. At their height they were the greatest landowners and most powerful lords after the kings of England and Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morar</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Morar is a small village on the west coast of Scotland, 3 miles (5 km) south of Mallaig. The name Morar is also applied to the northern part of the peninsula containing the village, though North Morar is more usual. The coastline of the area forms part of the Morar, Moidart and Ardnamurchan National Scenic Area, one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection by restricting certain forms of development.

John Macdonald or MacDonald may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lot 62, Prince Edward Island</span> Township in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Lot 62 is a township in Queens County, Prince Edward Island, part of St. John's Parish. Lot 62 was awarded to Richard Spry, Esquire in the 1767 Land Lottery, and came to be settled through the efforts of Thomas Douglas, The 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1803. Richard Spry, Esquire, was then Commodore, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet at Gibraltar 1766–1769. Becoming the proprietor, he would be familiar with then the Island of St. John, having first come out to North America in 1754, with the English naval blockade of Ile Royal and the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1756, and then serving off Quebec and in the St. Lawrence into 1759. In 1762, he returned as Commander-in-Chief, North America, quartered in Halifax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown</span> Catholic ecclesiastical territory

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Canada. It is a suffragan diocese comprising the entire province of Prince Edward Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan Macdonald of Clanranald</span> Highland Scottish clan

Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, also known as Clan Ranald, is a Highland Scottish clan and a branch of Clan Donald, one of the largest Scottish clans. The founder of the Macdonalds of Clanranald is Reginald, 4th great-grandson of Somerled. The Macdonalds of Clanranald descend from Reginald's elder son Allan and the MacDonells of Glengarry descend from his younger son Donald. The clan chief of the MacDonalds of Clanranald is traditionally designated as The Captain of Clanranald and today both the chief and clan are recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the heraldic judge in Scotland.

Tracadie is a Canadian rural community in Queens County, Prince Edward Island. It is located southwest of Mount Stewart. The name Tracadie, which is of Mi'kmaq origin, means "ideal camping location" and is pronounced tǔlakǎdǐk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Alexander Macdonald (Prince Edward Island politician)</span> Canadian politician

John Alexander Macdonald, was a Canadian politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Christopher Macdonald</span>

Sir William Christopher Macdonald was a Canadian tobacco manufacturer and major education philanthropist in Canada. Though born in Prince Edward island, he is considered a Scots-Quebecer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Donald Macdonald</span>

Bernard Donald Macdonald was the second bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlottetown, succeeding Bishop Bernard Angus MacEachern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Alexander MacKinnon</span> Canadian politician

Donald Alexander MacKinnon was a Canadian teacher, lawyer, politician, author, and the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island from 1904 to 1910.

John Alexander MacDonald was a farmer and political figure in Prince Edward Island. He represented 3rd Prince in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1870 to 1900 as a Conservative member.

John Augustine Macdonald was a Progressive Conservative party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Cardigan, Prince Edward Island becoming a potato grower, general merchant, produce dealer by career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John MacDonald of Glenaladale</span>

John MacDonald of Glenaladale was a Scottish-born soldier, land owner and colonizer. He played an important role in bringing Scottish settlers to Prince Edward Island, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kensington Railway Station</span> Railway station in Prince Edward Island, Canada

The Kensington Railway Station is a National Historic Site of Canada, located in the town of Kensington, Prince Edward Island. The train station was the third built at the site, and one of two "boulder stations" built by Charles Benjamin Chappell in 1904, so named for the fieldstone composing its exterior walls.

References

  1. ↑ Dalvay-by-the-Sea . Canadian Register of Historic Places . Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Introducing the "Real" White Sands Hotel - Dalvay by the Sea".
  3. 1 2 "Prince William and Kate bid farewell to P.E.I." CBC News. 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-09-01.

46°24′53″N63°04′24″W / 46.414856°N 63.073336°W / 46.414856; -63.073336

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.