Welcome to K.Blog

Welcome to K.Blog!

I grew up here on PEI and am glad to be back. I have decided to start writing this blog about history and culture as it is one of my passions. My plan is to update every Wednesday. My posts will focus on the history and culture of PEI, and occasionally the Atlantic Region. If you have anything you would like me to write about, let me know. I am always open to suggestions!

A little about me

I was born and raised here in PEI and went to UPEI for my Bachelor of Arts, with a major in history and a minor in religious studies. From there, I went to Wilfrid Laurier University for my Master of Arts in History, then to the University of Toronto for my Master of Museum Studies. It was while I was at UofT I started writing for Musings, a student-run blog. I highly recommend visiting the blog if you are interested in history, culture, or museums.


I enjoyed writing for Musings and have found that I miss it – hence starting my own blog!

Anyway, I am back on PEI, working full-time in the heritage sector and, now, starting my own blog. I hope you enjoy it and if you want a certain topic covered or have any questions, please let me know.

For my first post, I thought I would talk about the importance of local history.

1. All history is local history

Events happen on a major or minor scale, but as soon as you start looking at major events in detail you are looking at local history. For example, the Great Depression, lasting from, depending on the country, 1929 until the start of the Second World War, happened on an international scale. But when you start examining the effects of the depression and look at manufacturing jobs lost, you are looking at local history. If you are looking at its effects on the fishing industry, again you are looking at local history. As soon as you mention a community, person, etc. you are looking at local history!

2. Teaches you about your community

Your community is more than just your geographical location. Are you an online gamer? A runner? A quilter? Some people limit their idea of community to their town or city, but it is so much more!

3. Brings your community together

Local history can bring communities together through a shared history. Some of this history might be positive and some might be negative. If it is negative, it can show you where some of the animosities between your community and another or within a community came from. Once you understand where these issues came from you can see how far your community has come but also how far it still has to go.

4. Genealogy 

Genealogy is incredibly popular right now. Just look at all those DNA kits that can tell you where your family is from (warning: I did one and they missed the Indigenous aspects of my family history. So be careful and do not rely on them to tell you about your family history!)

If your family has not kept a record of your family history, it is never too late to start one. Even if you are unable to fill in some blanks, over time your children, grandchildren, etc. may be able to. If you need a place to start, see if your local museum has a genealogy centre. You can also visit the Library and Archives Canada website to look at the records they have digitized or order some records (there is a cost if you order records).

5. You are surrounded by history

History is all around you and constantly being made. You do not need to travel (many of us cannot afford that anyway) to see history. Visit your local community museum, talk to members of your community, take a walk or a hike. Explore!

 6. It is fun

History and culture can be fun.

Do you play hockey - good luck convincing me that is not a strong part of local and national history
Do you go to any concerts or play an instrument - music is a strong part of culture and history
Do you go to any local festivals - those festivals have a history in your community


So to wrap-up this first blog post, there are many reasons to explore local history and culture and I hope you enjoy reading this blog and find it interesting!  And remember, if you have anything you want me to write about, just let me know!