Provincial History
Memberships to the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation are available to purchase year round and are valid for one year from date of purchase.
What is included with my membership?
A Regular ($40 plus HST), Senior/Student ($35 plus HST),...
Staff at the Public Archives regularly create exhibits on a variety of themes in Island history. You can view the current exhibit at the Public Archives or, in many cases, view the exhibit online.
What exhibits are available online?
Some of the...
On September 1, 1864, the meeting that led to Canadian Confederation convened in Prince Edward Island. PEI, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick had originally set the date to discuss the possibility of Maritime Union. When the Province of Canada (what is...
In 1762, Samuel Holland arrived to do a survey of PEI. He divided the Island into 67 townships or lots, which were then awarded to British petitioners in a lottery. These petitioners were supposed to settle their lots with 100 Protestant, non-British...
The first residents of Prince Edward Island arrived about 10,000 years ago when the area was still connected to the mainland. These Paleo-Indian hunters and foragers travelled throughout the region seasonally searching for food. About 5,000 years ago,...
Prince Edward Island was discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534, but was not settled permanently until the 1700s.
The first settlements were around the Charlottetown Harbour (Port La Joie), up the Hillsborough River and in St. Peters. Settlers were...
The Acadian Forest
Prince Edward Island is part of Canada's Acadian Forest region. This forest region (orange) covers all of PEI and Nova Scotia and most of New Brunswick. Ecologically, it is very similar to the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Forest Region...
1534 - Island is discovered by Jacques Cartier. He describes it "The finest land 'tis possible to see. Full of fine meadows and trees." Later named Isle St. Jean, it is claimed by France, which generally ignores it for the next two centuries.
1720 -...
Here in the Historic Premiers Gallery, you can explore the history of Prince Edward Island premiers. There is a photo and brief biography available for each premier who has served the province
View the full Historic Premiers Gallery album in Flickr...
L.M. Montgomery achieved international fame with the publication of her novel Anne of Green Gables, which is set in Prince Edward Island. When it was released in 1908, most readers were not even aware that Prince Edward Island was a real place. The book’...
The Public Archives 2014 Almanac and Miscellany Celebrating 1864: A Look at Prince Edward Island in the Year of the Charlottetown Conference was designed to celebrate Prince Edward Island and the historic Charlottetown Conference in 1864. Every month...
Our Island communities have fascinating stories to tell of life in Canada's smallest province. The following guide offers some general tips as well as suggestions for sources at the Public Archives and the wider community that may be of interest to your...
The Public Archives has plenty of material that can be used in school projects and classroom teaching. Some of these resources are highlighted below.
Online exhibits
The online exhibits provide a great introduction to a variety of topics in Island...
Archival material can be searched online through our databases: the PARO Collections Database and Memory PEI.
What is the PARO Collections Database?
The PARO Collections Database can be searched for item-level access to vital statistics records,...