The Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre has made a great stride in turning Norval into its own little Avonlea.
On Friday (Oct. 4), members of the charitable organization, Mayor Ann Lawlor and local MPP Ted Arnott marked the completion of several repairs at the 402 Draper St. manse where the Anne of Green Gables author lived.
Those fixes were funded through a $149,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, for which the board expressed gratitude.
The ball has been rolling for the creation of a multi-dimensional museum in the manse and a literary centre in the caretaker's cottage. The latter will consist of an addition in the back of the structure, extending its footprint.
“Our future here on this site will be tourism, economic development, working with our partners and hopefully continuing applying for grants from the province and other places,” said Kathy Gastle, chair of the museum and literary centre.
“For small, non-profit charities like we are, we certainly appreciate what your government is doing,” she told Arnott.
Local contractors were used to fix the roof, windows, brickwork and plastering. These repairs are meant to extend the life of the manse, which was built in the 1870s.
The age of the manse presents a bit of a challenge. Some of the building techniques used in the home are no longer commonly found among the tradespeople of Ontario. However, the board still managed to find local contractors who could revitalize the local treasure.
“We purchased the building in 2017 knowing that it was a heritage building and there are going to be significant challenges,” said board secretary Laura Rees.
The group, she explained, was careful to ensure “that any of the heritage aspects and elements within the interior of the building are preserved according to the period in which the house was built.”
“We had a master heritage plasterer who came in and meticulously repaired the plaster,” Reese continued.
Lucy Maud Montgomery’s husband, Ewan Macdonald, was a preacher at the nearby Norval Presbyterian Church. The couple lived at the accompanying manse between 1926 and 1935. Maud, as her friends called her, wrote six books there including A Tangled Web, Emily’s Quest and Pat of Silver Bush, among others.
“Heritage is something that is very near and dear to my heart essentially because it grounds us, it connects us to where we were and it leads where we’re going,” Mayor Lawlor said. “This site has certainly anchored the hamlet and claimed it as a place in perpetuity.”
For more information on the Lucy Maud Montgomery Museum and Literary Centre, visit lmmontgomerynorval.com.
