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234 Shakespeare Dr |
Prince Edward Island Tourism Region : Charlottetown
Description From Owner:
- The new town of Stratford was formed in 1995, amalgamating the communities of Battery Point, Bunbury, Cross Roads, Keppoch, Kinlock and Southport.
- A plebiscite was held to determine the new name and from Belhaven, Stratford and Waterview, the latter emerged the winner.
- A citizens petition forced a run-off between Stratford and Waterview and Stratford was chosen. The name, locally, derived from a school district established in 1858.
- Dr. Robert 'Bobby' Cotton (His gifts to the Island keep on giving):
- Many Islanders may not even have heard his name, but all are still beneficiaries of his amazing philanthropy.
- Dr. Robert Lawson Cotton (1881-1968) was one of PEI's early tourism entrepreneurs in the 1920s when he built a summer resort at Holland Cove which attracted holidayers from as far away as Montreal.
- He used to personally greet arriving guests at the Charlottetown train station and drive them out to Holland Cove. His dream was that all Islanders could enjoy the Island's beauty and to that end donated huge parcels of land to the province along with th
- Today those land parcels are Strathgartney, Brudenell and Selkirk Provincial Parks, giving Cotton the nickname 'Father of the Provincial Parks.' Dr. Cotton saw active service in the First World War with the 105th Infantry Battalion PEI Highlanders and wa
- At the end of the Second World War, Dr. Cotton built modest affordable housing in the Charlottetown area that young families could rent and eventually own through a rent-to-own policy.
- He noticed the Island's forests were deteriorating and in 1946 funded the Cotton Memorial Trust Fund for Rural Beautification. With his $100,000 a nursery was built to supply Islanders with trees, shrubs and flowers for their farms and homes at cost.
- The Nursery closed in 1996 and two years later the Town of Stratford obtained the 7-hectare (17.4 acre) property from the province and created the Robert L. Cotton Memorial Park.
- In 1967 Mr. Cotton and Prime Minister Lester Pearson both received Honorary Doctorate of Laws degrees from Prince of Wales College, now the University of Prince Edward Island.
- With permission from 'Prince Edward Island Place Names' David E. Scott 2011
Address of this page: http://pei.ruralroutes.com/StratfordPEI