Nestled in the picturesque village of Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, the Green Gables Heritage Place is a charming farm that inspired L.M. Montgomery to write the beloved novel Anne of Green Gables. Now a designated National Historic Site within Prince Edward Island National Park, Green Gables Heritage Place offers a unique celebration of literature where reality and fiction seamlessly intertwine. Explore the enchanting grounds that inspired Montgomery's timeless story and experience the magic of stepping into the world of Anne Shirley.
The farmhouse was the home of David Macneill and Margaret Macneill (pictured below), two siblings who were cousins of L.M. Montgomery's grandfather. In 1896, their niece Ada Macneill and her 13-year-old daughter Myrtle returned to Cavendish to help on the farm. L.M. Montgomery lived nearby and became friends with her cousin Myrtle. Montgomery often walked through their property. She called the spruce grove by the farmhouse the Haunted Wood, and she was fond of spending time in a forested pathway that she called Lover’s Lane.
After Anne of Green Gables was published in 1908, readers recognized that this location had inspired the setting for L.M. Montgomery’s novel. Fans of the story began visiting the farmhouse, which became known as “Green Gables.” In 1909, Myrtle Macneill Webb and her husband Ernest Webb bought the farm. In the 1930s, Parks Canada developed the region into a national park with Green Gables as the centerpiece.
On January 27, 1911, L.M. Montgomery wrote in her journals about how she had not drawn any of the characters in her stories from real life although she “used real places and speeches freely.” She continued, writing, “Nevertheless I have woven a good deal of reality into my books. Cavendish is to a large extent Avonlea.”
Montgomery went on to write, “Green Gables was drawn from David Macneill’s house, now Mr. Webb’s—though not so much the house itself as the situation and scenery, and the truth of my description of it is attested by the fact that everybody has recognized it.”
Later in the same entry, L.M. Montgomery wrote about Anne Shirley, saying:
“When I am asked if Anne herself is a “real person” I always answer “no” with an odd reluctance and an uncomfortable feeling of not telling the truth. For she is and always has been, from the moment I first thought of her, so real to me that I feel I am doing violence to something when I deny her an existence anywhere save in Dreamland. Does she not stand at my elbow even now—if I turned my head quickly should I not see her—with her eager, starry eyes and her long braids of red hair and her little pointed chin? To tell that haunting elf that she is not real, because, forsooth, I never met her in the flesh! No, I cannot do it! She is so real that, although I’ve never met her, I feel quite sure I shall do so some day—perhaps in a stroll through Lover’s Lane in the twilight—or in the moonlit Birch Path—I shall lift my eyes and find her, child or maiden, by my side. And I shall not be in the least surprised because I have always known she was somewhere.”
Although Anne Shirley may not have been a real girl, L.M. Montgomery's creation feels close to real in this setting. Anne is somewhere in this space. You can almost feel Anne’s presence when exploring the grounds, strolling down Lover’s Lane, or walking through the Haunted Wood. You think of Anne when you see the geranium plant she named “Bonny” on the kitchen window sill or peek into her cheerful bedroom where her cherished puffed-sleeve dress hangs prominently.
You can tour each room in Green Gables. The rooms were thoughtfully decorated with Victorian pieces and with special touches from the novel. It feels like Anne, Marilla, and Matthew just stepped out and left visitors to explore their home. Each room was corded off, so sometimes I found it difficult to take good photos that captured the spaces, and it felt crowded when other visitors were nearby.
Here are some photos I took during my visit in 2006. This is a view of the horsehair sofa and decor in the parlour.
This is the formal dining room at Green Gables. It has pretty lace curtains and diamond-patterned vine wallpaper.
Here is the kitchen table with the stove in the foreground. Anne, Marilla, and Matthew would have spent much of their time here.
I smiled seeing the geranium on the window sill in the kitchen, thinking of the scene in Anne of Green Gables when Anne asks Marilla about the geranium's name:
In 1934, L.M. Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables was adapted for a second time as a black and white film, this time as a talkie by RKO Pictures. The 79-minute-long film was directed by George Nichols Jr. The screenplay was written by Sam Mintz.
The film starred an actress by the name of Anne Shirley. The actress Anne Shirley's given name was Dawn Paris, and she had previously used the stage name Dawn O'Day as a child actress. After starring as Anne in this film, she changed her
professional name to Anne Shirley, and she continued to use the name Anne Shirley throughout her acting career.
Anne of Green Gables (1934) co-starred Helen Westley and O.P. Heggie as Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, the siblings who adopt Anne. It also featured Sara Haden as Mrs.
Rachel Barry and Gertrude Messinger as Anne's bosom friend Diana Barry. Tom Brown played Gilbert Blythe.
In 1940, Anne Shirley returned to play Anne in a sequel to this film titled Anne of Windy Poplars.
Image credit:
Photograph of photo of Anne Shirley and O. P. Heggie as Anne Shirley and Matthew Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables (1934), RKO Pictures.
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