Â鶹APP

Bluefin Bullet by Gerald Beaulieu (14750198705). Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Photo by Leonora (Ellie) Enking from East Preston, United Kingdom –

Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about Charlottetown

Charlottetown was originally a French settlement called Port la Joie. It was renamed in honor of Queen Charlotte, wife of George after the island passed to Britain in 1763.

Charlottetown was the site for the world’s longest softball game. According to Guinness World Records, the game was played for a total of 96 hours!

Charlottetown is the only city where you can eat and win. Downtown Charlottetown is popular for its winter dining festival that features 20 city restaurants serving up some signature dishes.

1. Charlottetown is a very regal name for Queen Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg

Charlottetown Cenotaph. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Photo by Doug Kerr –

Charlottetown is named for Queen Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg, who lived from 1744 to 1818. At the age of 17, she married King George III, the king from the 1990s movie The Madness of King George â€”&²Ô²ú²õ±è;³Òreat George Street is named after him.   

Before Meghan Markle, Queen Charlotte may have been England’s first biracial royal. Some research shows the Queen was descended from a branch of the Portuguese royal family believed to have Moorish ancestry.

Surveyor-General for the British Empire Samuel Holland suggested the name Charlotte Town in 1765 as he surveyed the Island. 

The city was incorporated in April 1855, so even though it is much older, it is celebrating 163 years. 

2. Charlottetown has only ever had one female mayor

Confederation Trail, Mount Edward Road, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. February 17, 2020. Photo by Larry from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada –

Charlottetown has only ever had one female mayor — Dorothy Corrigan, a former nurse, wore the chain of office from 1968 to 1972, after serving as a councilor for eight years. She died at age 96 in 2010. 

Current mayor Clifford Lee is the city’s longest-serving mayor — 15 years. He was elected in 2003 and will relinquish his role after civic elections this coming November. 

3. The last people that were hanged in Charlottetown was in 1941

Esmeralda in Charlottetown. The Chilean training ship Esmeralda in Charlottetown 2017. Photo by Rshand –

The last hangings in Charlottetown were in 1941 — Earl Lund and Fred Phillips were hanged at the Queens County Jail, also called the 1911 jail (built-in, you guessed it, 1911.) 

They were charged with the gruesome murder of Peter J. Trainor, an elderly shopkeeper, said Charlottetown historian Natalie Munn, although both denied it. 

The double hanging took place in an enclosure on the grounds of the jail on Aug. 20, 1941 — there are still residents alive today who remember it. 

4. The oldest graveyard in Charlottetown is the Old Protestant Burying Ground

2021 Holland College Charlottetown. Photo by Erie Bard –

The oldest graveyard in the city on official record is the Old Protestant Burying Ground on University Avenue, which opened in 1784. 

It is rumored there was an older graveyard in the city associated with the military, city officials say, but its whereabouts are unknown. 

5. Charlottetown has several sites that are rumored to be haunted 

The Mack Theatre in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Photo by Doug Kerr –

Like any heritage place, Charlottetown has several sites that are rumored to be haunted.  

The ghost stories include the Kirk of St. James with its phantom bell ringers of 1853, 177 Euston Street built before 1860 and haunted by an unhappy female ghost, and a large home on the Heartz Road built in 1833 called Binstead, haunted by a screaming woman and infant. 

6. The great fire was the most destructive in the Charlottetown’s history

Charlottetown Airport, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Photo by Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada –

The Great Fire of 1866 was the most destructive in the city’s history, razing 100 homes and businesses in the section from Water to Dorchester streets and Pownal to Great George. Only a few brick buildings were spared as the fire raged for eight hours. 

A description from the July 18, 1866 edition of the Herald newspaper reads: “The house, as well as some outbuildings in the rear of it, we’re in a full blaze before any of the fire engines arrived on the spot, and, even when they did arrive, they were paralyzed for the want of water. The utter inefficiency of the fire department was as conspicuous as ever, and augers badly for the safety of the city in the future.

7. Charlottetown’s stone and brick city hall was built in 1888

Charlottetown aerial photo. As we flew over headed for the airport, downtown Charlottetown and the waterfront. Photo by Martin Cathrae from Charlottetown, PE, Canada –

Charlottetown’s stone and brick city hall was built in 1888 on the site of Love’s Tannery and contained the police station, fire station, civic offices, and jail cells. Some people claim that it is haunted, said Munn. 

Before 1888, the city council met in a private home on Pownal Street as well as the Market Hall on Queen Square.

8. The Charlottetown farmers market is on the outskirts of downtown

Charlottetown. Photo by Mike from United States of America –

The current Charlottetown Farmers Market is on the outskirts of downtown on Belvedere Avenue. But for 145 years, the market was right downtown. 

The first market was built in 1813 at the center of Queen Square where Province House is now — it quickly outgrew the building and a new, circular one was built 10 years later. Farmers would simply pull up their loads of hay, oats, vegetables, wood, or slaughtered animals and trade outside on market days, usually Wednesdays and Saturdays. 

The round market was moved to one side in 1842 to make way for the construction of Province House. Soon there was debate about whether the market should be moved to a less urban location but the city decided to keep it on Market Square. 

9. Victoria Park was once just the LG’s yard

Bluenose II in Charlottetown Harbor PEI, Canada. Photo by Erie Bard –

Victoria Park was once entirely the property of P.E.I.’s lieutenant governor. A 40-hectare (100-acre) parcel of land was set aside in 1789 by then-Lt.-Gov. Edmund Fanning is the site for a future home and agricultural land.

In 1834 Government House, also called Fanningbank, was finally built. This guide to the estate’s history was created in 2014 and is a fascinating read if you’re inclined. 

As the city grew, so did the demand for access to green space — the park was established in 1873, giving the city 15 hectares (40 acres) for public use. The park was expanded in 1905 with the addition of 16 more acres of land including the Prince Edward Battery.

The road around the park remained unpaved dirt until 1925. 

10. There are mice in the city

Charlottetown, PEI. February 22, 2018. Photo by Larry from Charlottetown, PEI, Canada –

Strolling through Charlottetown these days, you’ll likely spot several of these bronze mouse statues. 

Based on the character of Eckhart in Island author David Weale’s popular children’s story The True Meaning of Crumbfest, the statues are part of an educational walking tour of Charlottetown presented by the business group Downtown Charlottetown for the last decade.