Mount Stewart, Prince Edward Island

Mount Stewart is a municipality that holds community status in Prince Edward Island, Canada.[1] It is located in the northeastern part of Queens County, at the head of the once-navigable portion of the Hillsborough River at the point where the river begins to narrow significantly. Mount Stewart had a population of 209 at the time of the 2016 Census.[2]

Location of Mount Stewart in Prince Edward Island

The community played an important role in the province's early transportation history, being the site of a bridge over the river along the route between the capital at Charlottetown and the shire town of Kings County at Georgetown.

Railway junction

In the early 1870s, the Prince Edward Island Railway ran its mainline between both communities through Mount Stewart. If any one wanted to travell to Georgetown or Souris from Charlottetown, they would have to come through or make a stop at Mount Stewart. Mount Stewart also came to be referred to as Mount Stewart Junction after the PEIR built a line northeast to Morell and Souris. During the 1930s, the community became the centre of all railway service accessing eastern PEI after the Hillsborough River Bridge carrying the railway line to Murray Harbour between Charlottetown and Southport was condemned. The CNR constructed what was known as the "Short Line" between Mount Stewart and Lake Verde, permitting rail traffic to continue to serve the southeastern part of the province. People would also use the railways to transport vegetables, potatoes, lumber, and other resources. The last train that came here was from Charlottetown in 1989, it was also when the railway stopped running.

Trails

Spikes were pulled out of the railway and they turned them into trails. In 1992 they started pulling the spikes and I took them around ten days or more, to get from cardigan to Mount Stewart. Now that the spikes are pulled out we have wonderful tracks that go all around P.E.I. If it hadn't been for hard work earlier on then we wouldn't have that beautiful scenery and tourist spot that we have now.[3]

Education

There is one school that is operating in Mt. Stewart currently. It was built May 7, 1976. It is located 120 Main Street, Mount Stewart, PE. There are approximately 160 students as of April 2013. The grades are Kindergarten up to Grade Eight. In 2009 two schools joined Mount Stewart Consolidated, such as St. Teresa's and Tracadie Cross. After students finish grade eight they go to Morell Regional High School for grades 9-12. The school that was operating before the current school is now being used for storage.

Sports

Baseball in Mount Stewart and surrounding areas was and still is very popular. The teams have won the Atlantic championships over many years. They also had a team in the KCBL (Kings County Baseball League). Some of the local boys went to the Florida Rookie League. This league was for males in university who show dedication to playing pro ball.

When World War II began in 1939, about 50 members of the community left to serve in the war. In some cases this included 4 members of a family. During the war many items were rationed, including items such as sugar, tea, molasses, and gas. People were only permitted to drive 35 miles from the community. Also during the war there were air drills, and blackout drills twice a month.[4]

References
  1. "Municipal Councils and Contact Information" (PDF). Government of Prince Edward Island. January 27, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  2. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Mount Stewart, Community [Census subdivision], Prince Edward Island". Statistics Canada. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  3. A. Coffin, Personal interview, June 6, 2013
  4. A. Coffin, Personal interview, June 6, 2013

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