Geographical Names of Prince Edward Island
Summerside
Originally 'Green Shores Bedeque', for the first settler, Daniel Green, aQuaker Loyalist from Pennsylvania. A wayside inn owned by his youngestson, Joseph, was to inspire a new name for the community. Colonel HenryCompton once travelled to Green Shores on a bitterly cold day. Onapproaching his destination, he found himself sheltered from the cruelblast, and as the sun emerged from the clouds he said: "it's like asummer side here". Green was so captivated with Compton's remark that heplaced the name on a sign over the front door. Eventually thepostmaster, Patrick Power, suggested to local authorities that'Summerside' replace 'Green's Shore'. It was found to be appealing andnot duplicated elsewhere, and so has remained.
Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996): Place Names of AtlanticCanada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 482-483.
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Montague
Name bestowed in 1765 by Samuel Holland for George Brudenell (1712-1790),Earl of Cardigan, who was later created Duke of Montaqu, or Montagu. Thelatter spelling, with a 'g', has always been followed on the PrinceEdward Island.
Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996): Place Names of AtlanticCanada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 465-466.
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Kensington
At the junction of Highways 2, 20, 101, and 109. First called BarrettsCross; the site of 'Mrs Barrett's Tavern at the crossroads'. Known as'Kensington' since 1886, after the royal borough in London, England.
Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996): Place Names of AtlanticCanada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, p. 459.
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Souris
Early references to the name include havre à la Souris (Bellin1744) and Cap à la Soury (de la Roque 1752). There is noscholarly agreement as to the precise origin of this name. It is knownthat, in the eighteenth century, the area was periodically infested withmice. This fact has given rise to the 'Mouse River' theory as anexplanation for the name. However, Alan Rayburn suggests that it maywell be a corruption of 'Havre à l'Echourie', 'barred harbour', adescriptive for the entrance to the Souris River. It is from this namethat Havre à la Souris, and eventually Souris, may well have evolved.
Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996): Place Names of AtlanticCanada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, p. 480.
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