Focus on families

The Bedeque Area Historical Museum is featuring a new exhibition entitled “The Loyalist Settlement around Bedeque Bay”.

The exhibition will be officially opened today at 10:30 a.m. at the museum, which is in the William Callbeck Centre, Central Bedeque. It will be open throughout the summer, Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays 1–5 p.m.

The exhibit tells the story of the settlement of United Empire Loyalist families around Bedeque Bay in 1784, led by William Schurman and Thomas Hooper.

The families who arrived with Schurman and Hooper (or followed shortly after) include the names Anderson, Darby, Green, Lefurgey, Linkletter, MacFarlane, Murray, Silliker, Small, Strang, Waugh and Wright. The exhibit includes maps showing where families settled and offers insights as to why they settled in the area.

Part of the exhibit tells the story of the “Valley Farm”, which has been in the Schurman family since 1839, when it was purchased by Isaac Schurman David and Elaine Schurman and their grandson, Cam, hold up a poster telling the story of the Valley Farm, which has been in the Schurman family since 1839.

(a son of William the Loyalist) for his son, Solomon.

The house, which is still lived in, had been built in the 1820s by the previous owner, William

Taylor, who operated a mill on the Dunk River. Solomon was the first Schurman to occupy the house, along with his wife, Maria Davison, of Charlottetown.

The present owners of the farm, now called Dunk River Farms, are brothers Paul and Kevin Schurman, great-greatgrandsons of Solomon.

There will be a display of objects from the house and photographs telling the story of the farm, provided by David and Elaine Schurman, Paul and Kevin’s parents.

There will also be a series of upcoming talks on the Loyalist settlement of the area, the first of which is July 9, 7 p.m., at the museum, when Doug Sobey, environmental historian, will present “Bedeque Harbour Loyalists: Where They Settled and Why.”

He will give new insights into the reasons why the Loyalists settled around Bedeque Bay and will consider what is known of their background in the Thirteen Colonies.

Last summer’s popular exhibit marking the 100th anniversary of the start of the Borden Ferry service will also continue, as will a poster display that was created last year showing the role of the Mi’kmaq in the history of the Island. In addition, the museum will continue to display objects from the late Howard Clark’s Red Barn Museum and the exhibit telling the story of Callbeck’s Store.