Pin Quest Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown’s motto “Cunabula Foederis” or “Birthplace of Confederation” references the Charlottetown Conference which was the first meeting that resulted in the union of British North American colonies into the Canadian Confederation. Most of the discussions took place at Province House which was built in 1843 and is still used as the seat of the Prince Edward Island legislature. Province House is currently undergoing a significant conservation project and is closed to the public, however a replica of the Confederation Chamber where the Charlottetown Conference took place is available at the nearby Confederation Centre of the Arts.

An alternative pin for Charlottetown.

An alternative pin for Charlottetown.

Cornwall was named by English settlers after the community of the same name in their home country. However, before taking this name, it was known as Pye’s Corner after an Irish family who had settled in the area where husband John Pye worked as a shoemaker.

In 1884, Miscouche hosted the Second Acadian National Convention which resulted in the adoption of many cultural symbols still used today including the Acadian flag. This cultural preservation continues through the work of the Acadian Museum of Prince Edward Island located in Miscouche. The museum works to preserve and promote the history and culture of the Acadian people in the province through the maintenance of permanent exhibits, temporary, and online exhibits.

Murray Harbour is home to the Cape Bear Lighthouse which was built in 1881 as part of a marine safety initiative across PEI. In 1905, the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Station was built to further improve safety by allowing communication with ships at sea. The lighthouse keeper at Cape Bear was using this telegraph station on the night of April 14, 1912 and was the first to receive a distress signal from a sinking ship called R.M.S Titanic. 

North Rustico is named after one of its early settlers named René Rassicot, but according to the town website, is known locally by it’s nickname “The Crick”. The community includes part of Prince Edward Island National Park which showcases the province’s diverse ecosystem including saltwater mash, Acadian forest, and parabolic dunes. 

An alternative pin for North Rustico.

After the celebrations held for Canada’s Centennial in 1967, residents of O’Leary formed a committee to continue annual celebrations for years to come. This would result in the creation of the Potato Blossom Festival to be held in July when the potato crops would be in full bloom. The original celebrations included track and field races, a talent show, pet show, parades, and the Miss P.E.I. Potato Blossom Queen contest. In 2023, the festival’s board of directors made the difficult announcement that the event would have to be cancelled due to lack of volunteers. However, within two weeks of the announcement, over 50 residents of the community stepped forward to save the festival for this year and many more to come.

Stratford’s position along the Hillsborough River has led to it having a long history of importance to the area. It was originally used by the Mi’kmaq as a summer camping area. Later, Acadian settlers would arrive, establishing farming, shipbuilding and brick making in the area. Five settlements would eventually arise in the area: Bunbury, Cross Roads, Keppoch-Kinlock, Southport, and Battery Point. In 1995, these communities merged into the current Town of Stratford and are represented on it’s crest by five gold maple leaves.

Summerside is home to the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada. Founded in 1980, volunteers began teaching piping, drumming and dancing part-time. It has since grown to have a full-time faculty with over 150 students each year. The College’s Celtic Performing Arts Centre hosts performances year round, but also serves as the centrepiece of the annual Celtic Festival which runs the whole summer. 

An alternative pin for Summerside.

The Town of Tignish was founded in 1799 by a small group of francophone Acadian families. Within two years of starting the community, they had built a small log church for worship despite having no priest. As the community grew over the next 25 years with an influx of Irish immigrants, the church building doubled in size and by 1857, the building was entirely replaced with a large brick structure. St. Simon and St. Jude Church is the building that appears on the lapel pin and is one of the oldest and most defining structures in the town.

These municipalities confirmed that they do not have pins:

• Alexandra

• Annandale-Little Pond-Howe Bay

• Borden-Carleton

• Brackley

• Breadalbane

• Clyde River

• Crapaud

• Greenmount-Montrose

• Hampshire

• Hazelbrook

• Kingston

• Kinkora

• Linkletter

• Lot 11 and Area

• Malpeque Bay

• Miltonvale Park

• Miminegash

• Morell

• Murray River

• North Shore

• Northport

• St. Nicholas

• St. Peters Bay

• Tyne Valley

• Union Road

• Warren Grove

• West River

• York

Still looking for pins from the following municipalities:

• Abram Village

• Alberton

• Bedeque and Area

• Belfast

• Central Kings

• Central Prince

• Darlington

• Eastern Kings

• Hunter River

• Kensington

• Mount Stewart

• North Wiltshire

• Sherbrooke

• Souris

• Souris West

• St. Felix

• St. Louis

• Three Rivers

• Tignish Shore

• Victoria

• Wellington