The Lucy Maud Montgomery Trail: Through Uxbridge, Leaskdale, and Zephyr

This self-guided will take you along the countryside of Uxbridge, Leaskdale, and Zephyr, following locations related to one of the most beloved Canadian authors, Lucy Maud Montgomery. While driving between the stops, you are welcome to listen to a podcast about Montgomery’s life and work and learn more about her life in the area.

Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) was almost two years old when her mother passed away, and she arrived at Prince Eduard Island to live with her grandparents. From a young age, she wrote poetry and short stories and started to publish her work in the local newspapers at 16 years of age. After graduating high school, Montgomery obtained a teaching degree and taught at local schools on Prince Eduard Island. She also studied literature at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1908 she published her first novel, Anne of Green Gables. At its center is the story of a young orphan girl, Anne Shirley, who gets adopted by elderly siblings and comes to live on Prince Eduard Island. The book was a hit, translated to over 36 languages, and adapted into movies, TV series, films, radio, stage, and web productions, bringing Montgomery worldwide fame.

In 1911, she married Ewen Macdonald, a Presbyterian minister, and left Prince Eduard Island following his position at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Leaskdale, Ontario (nowadays is Leaskdale Historic Church). They lived at the Leaskdale Manse, where she wrote 11 books and had three sons; her second son was stillborn and buried in Foster Cemetery. In 1926, they moved to a new congregation in Norval, Ontario, and nine years later to Toronto. She passed away in 1942 and was buried in the Cavendish Cemetery on Prince Edward Island.

During her lifetime, she became one of the most popular authors in the world and published 20 novels, 500 poems, 530 short stories, and 30 essays.

This itinerary follows 15 locations in Uxbridge, Leaskdale, and Zephyr, and includes stops at two museums that commemorate Montgomery. One is at Montgomery’s home, Leaskdale Manse, and the second is at the Leaskdale Historic Church, where a bronze statue of her resides in the garden. Also included are the Thomas Foster Memorial and the Foster Cemetery, where Montgomery’s stillborn son, Hugh Macdonald, was buried, the Uxbridge Train Station, and the Uxbridge Historical Centre.

Another heritage trail exists in Prince Eduard Island, following places where Montgomery grew up and got the inspiration to set most of her novels.