Dalvay-by-the-Sea is the Canadian National Historic Site located on the northern coast of Prince Edward Island at the eastern end of Prince Edward Island National Park. The most important feature of Dalvay is the Queen Anne Revival style hotel, originally built as a home for American industrialists.
The hotel is a popular attraction for visitors to Prince Edward Island and has been featured in the film Anne of Green Gables. It also serves as a fictional White Sands Hotel on the Canadian Road to Avonlea television series.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visited Dalvay-by-the-Sea during their Canada royal tour in 2011. William took part in training exercises with Canadian Forces, implemented an emergency landing procedure "bird waters" over Dalvay Lake in a Sea King helicopter. Later that day, the royal couple competed in a dragon boat race on Dalvay Lake.
Video Dalvay-by-the-Sea
Alexander Macdonald's House
In 1895, a wealthy Scottish-born American industrialist, Alexander Macdonald, discovered the area while on vacation in Prince Edward Island. He and his wife became so captivated by the area that Macdonald bought 120 acres (0.49 km 2 ) land and commissioned a house to be built here. The house was completed in 1896. Macdonald named it Dalvay-by-the-Sea after his childhood in Scotland.
Construction costs about $ 50,000. The lower half of the house is built from sandstone Island in its natural form. Large fireplace is also made of sandstone. Furnishings were purchased from around the world during family trips in England, France, Italy, and Egypt. Several pieces are also purchased in Charlottetown. Water and electricity are supplied by a series of windmills.
MacDonalds kept a number of servants, including groom candidates to take care of the many horses and carriages owned by the family. It costs about $ 10,000 a year to operate. Families are often entertained during the summer, and at the end of each summer a fancy dance is performed for the locals.
MacDonalds enjoyed the house for more than a decade, but in 1909 he was not in good health. At the end of that summer, he stood for the last time at Long Pond looking at his house before saying, "Goodbye Dalvay". He died in Long Beach, California in 1910.
After his death, the property was handed over to MacDonald's grandchildren. Because they were underage at the time, it was run by their father, Edmund Stallo. Due to bad investment, Alexander's $ 15 million wealth shrank to nothing and the land had to be sold. The property itself is maintained by William Hughes since Alexander's death. When he contacted the family to ask what to do with the place, they told him that he could have it to pay taxes. Hughes bought homes and furniture for $ 486.57. He was not interested in saving it, so sold it to William O'Leary from Montreal. O'Leary removes most of the furniture and is eventually 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 bought the property.
In 1938, DeBlois sold the house and the land to the Government of Canada. Since then, this house has been operated as a hotel by an operator under a rented concession from Parks Canada. There are 26 guest rooms, furnished with antique furniture. There is a private bathroom in every room.
A large expansion was built in 1995. Eight 3 bedroom cottages are built on site, full service laundry is added, and the dining room is enlarged. The hotel operates from June to October.
Maps Dalvay-by-the-Sea
References
External links
- Official website
- Canadian Parks - Canada's Prince Edward Island National Park (with a section on Dalvay-by-the-Sea National Historic Site)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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