The SS Queen Victoria and the Battle for the Bell
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Now onto the topic this week, a brief overlook of the SS Queen Victoria and the Battle for the Bell!
Many of us know the story of the Charlottetown Conference - how the Province of Canada (Ontario and Quebec) crashed the party, with liquor, and the rest is history. Obviously, that is the very brief version.
What many of us do not hear about is the ship that carried the delegates from the Province of Canada, the SS Queen Victoria.
In 1864, the delegates of the Province of Canada arrived in Charlottetown on September 1, uninvited. At the time, their arrival was not a big deal. The Slaymaker and Nichols' Olympic Circus was in town and most people were focused on that and the inns and hotels were mostly filled with circus-goers. As a result, most of the Canadian delegates had to stay aboard the SS Queen Victoria.
For your interest, here is one of the advertisements for the circus. Quite the line-up!
William Henry Pope rowed out to meet the Canadian delegates in this now iconic painting.
The delegates did get off the boat and were officially received in Charlottetown. The agenda for the conference was expanded to include the Canadian delegates and their proposal of the Maritime colonies joining Canada. On September 3, the Canadian delegates hosted a champagne filled luncheon aboard the ship where the Canadian and Maritime delegates hammered out the details of how to unite all the colonies into Canada.
But we are not here to talk about the conference. We are here to discuss the SS Queen Victoria.
About two years after going to Charlottetown, the Queen Victoria was coming back from Cuba with its hull full of fruit, tobacco, cigars, and rum when the ship encountered a hurricane off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. After two days, the Queen Victoria was taking on water quicker than the crew could handle.
The crew was rescued by the Maine based vessel, the Ponvert. The captain of the Queen Victoria, Quebec City's Paul Pouilot, gifted the ship's bronze bell to the Ponvert's captain, Rufus Allen. The bell was rescued before the ship slipped under the waves. Allen later donated the bell to the Gouldsboro District School Board (located in Maine). The small town of Gouldsboro, Allen's hometown, sees the bell as a symbol of the bravery of the men who rescued the crew of the Queen Victoria.
So when the Canadian Museum of History contacted Gouldsboro to see if they could borrow the bell for an upcoming exhibit there was resistance. Canadians had wanted to repatriate the bell for years, it is sometimes referred to as Canada's Liberty Bell! For example, in 1967, some researchers tried to repatriate the bell for Canada's centenary.
Residents of Gouldsboro feared the Canadians, either the government or the museum, would confiscate the bell if they sent it to the Museum of History for this exhibit.
Part of this fear came from local stories about previous attempts Canada made to get the bell...
One story told of a Canadian army helicopter landing in the town and RCMP members trying to strong arm the residents into giving up the bell... personally, I feel like that would have gotten a lot of press... especially as, according to Roger Bowen, a member of the Gouldsboro's Board of Selectmen (Town Council), it was "only because of the bravery of the Prospect Harbour Women's Club were they (the RCMP) repelled and sent packing." When researching this claim, I could not find any evidence this actually happened, just that some locals claimed it happened.
Thankfully, the Museum of History was lucky enough to get village council member Bowen to convince residents that they should loan the bell to Canada to help with the celebrations. But he did convince the residents of this easily!
Beatrice Buckley, the former president of the local historical society and one of its sitting board members, was against the idea. According to Buckley, as soon as the connection of the bell to Confederation was realized, Canada had been making demands for the bell's return. She feared if it crossed the border it would never come back. She also claimed Bowen wanted fame and glory.
Thankfully, for the Canadian Museum of History, Bowen won and the bronze bell of the SS Queen Victoria was loaned to the museum for their exhibit.
The bell still resides in Gouldsboro, Maine. For years, Islanders have argued the bell should be in PEI as it is such an important part of our history. Whereas, the residents of Gouldsboro believe the bell honours the actions of Rufus Allen who saved the SS Queen Victoria crew. But, recognizing the importance of the bell to PEI, Gouldsboro residents had a replica of the bell created and gifted it to Charlottetown.
Interestingly, despite the importance of the SS Queen Victoria, no attempts to reach the ship have been made.
Sources
Anthony, Brian. "SS Queen Victoria, Lost Ship of Confederation." Historica Canada. July 17, 2017. From http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ss-queen-victoria-lost-ship-of-confederation/
Bosanac, Alexandra. "'Canada's version of the Liberty Bell' returns home after 150 years." Herald News. June 30, 2014. From http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/1219346-canadas-version-of-the-liberty-bell-returns-home-after-150-years
Bulger, David M. "Road to Charlottetown: Responsible Government." The Guardian, Letters to the Editor. September 30, 2017. From http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/opinion/letter-to-the-editor/the-road-to-charlottetown-responsible-government-111574/
Butler, Don. " Canada's 'Liberty Bell' repatriated - briefly - from Maine town for exhibition at Museum of History." Ottawa Citizen. November 24, 2014. From http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-arts/canadas-liberty-bell-repatriated-briefly-from-maine-town-for-exhibition-at-museum-of-history
Eidinger, Andrea. "Inconvenient Pasts: The Charlottetown Conference of 1864." Unwritten Histories. January 24, 2017. http://www.unwrittenhistories.com/inconvenient-pasts-the-charlottetown-conference-of-1864/
"Ringing endorsement for historic Confederation bell." CBC News: Prince Edward Island. August 29, 2006. From http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/ringing-endorsement-for-historic-confederation-bell-1.591605
"The Bells of the SS Queen Victoria." Town of Gouldsboro, Maine. http://www.gouldsborotown.com/bells.html
Trotter, Bill. "'Canada's Liberty Bell' creating fissures between Gouldsboro residents". Bangor Daily News. June 8, 2014. From http://bangordailynews.com/2014/06/08/news/hancock/canadas-liberty-bell-creating-fissures-between-gouldsboro-residents/
Now onto the topic this week, a brief overlook of the SS Queen Victoria and the Battle for the Bell!
Many of us know the story of the Charlottetown Conference - how the Province of Canada (Ontario and Quebec) crashed the party, with liquor, and the rest is history. Obviously, that is the very brief version.
What many of us do not hear about is the ship that carried the delegates from the Province of Canada, the SS Queen Victoria.
In 1864, the delegates of the Province of Canada arrived in Charlottetown on September 1, uninvited. At the time, their arrival was not a big deal. The Slaymaker and Nichols' Olympic Circus was in town and most people were focused on that and the inns and hotels were mostly filled with circus-goers. As a result, most of the Canadian delegates had to stay aboard the SS Queen Victoria.
For your interest, here is one of the advertisements for the circus. Quite the line-up!
 |
| "Slayermaker & Nichols' Olympic Circus". The Guardian, September 1864. Image found on Unwritten Histories. |
William Henry Pope rowed out to meet the Canadian delegates in this now iconic painting.
 |
| Painting of William Henry Pope rowing out to meet the Canadian delegates. Image found on The Guardian website. |
The delegates did get off the boat and were officially received in Charlottetown. The agenda for the conference was expanded to include the Canadian delegates and their proposal of the Maritime colonies joining Canada. On September 3, the Canadian delegates hosted a champagne filled luncheon aboard the ship where the Canadian and Maritime delegates hammered out the details of how to unite all the colonies into Canada.
But we are not here to talk about the conference. We are here to discuss the SS Queen Victoria.
About two years after going to Charlottetown, the Queen Victoria was coming back from Cuba with its hull full of fruit, tobacco, cigars, and rum when the ship encountered a hurricane off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. After two days, the Queen Victoria was taking on water quicker than the crew could handle.
The crew was rescued by the Maine based vessel, the Ponvert. The captain of the Queen Victoria, Quebec City's Paul Pouilot, gifted the ship's bronze bell to the Ponvert's captain, Rufus Allen. The bell was rescued before the ship slipped under the waves. Allen later donated the bell to the Gouldsboro District School Board (located in Maine). The small town of Gouldsboro, Allen's hometown, sees the bell as a symbol of the bravery of the men who rescued the crew of the Queen Victoria.
 |
| For those of you who do not know where Gouldsboro, Maine is located! |
So when the Canadian Museum of History contacted Gouldsboro to see if they could borrow the bell for an upcoming exhibit there was resistance. Canadians had wanted to repatriate the bell for years, it is sometimes referred to as Canada's Liberty Bell! For example, in 1967, some researchers tried to repatriate the bell for Canada's centenary.
Residents of Gouldsboro feared the Canadians, either the government or the museum, would confiscate the bell if they sent it to the Museum of History for this exhibit.
Part of this fear came from local stories about previous attempts Canada made to get the bell...
One story told of a Canadian army helicopter landing in the town and RCMP members trying to strong arm the residents into giving up the bell... personally, I feel like that would have gotten a lot of press... especially as, according to Roger Bowen, a member of the Gouldsboro's Board of Selectmen (Town Council), it was "only because of the bravery of the Prospect Harbour Women's Club were they (the RCMP) repelled and sent packing." When researching this claim, I could not find any evidence this actually happened, just that some locals claimed it happened.
 |
| Our police are not perfect, but. . . really? Image from Giphy.com |
Another story told how the Canadian government sent in agents disguised as insurance agents to appraise or steal the bell... Again, I could not find any evidence of this.
Thankfully, the Museum of History was lucky enough to get village council member Bowen to convince residents that they should loan the bell to Canada to help with the celebrations. But he did convince the residents of this easily!
Beatrice Buckley, the former president of the local historical society and one of its sitting board members, was against the idea. According to Buckley, as soon as the connection of the bell to Confederation was realized, Canada had been making demands for the bell's return. She feared if it crossed the border it would never come back. She also claimed Bowen wanted fame and glory.
Thankfully, for the Canadian Museum of History, Bowen won and the bronze bell of the SS Queen Victoria was loaned to the museum for their exhibit.
The bell still resides in Gouldsboro, Maine. For years, Islanders have argued the bell should be in PEI as it is such an important part of our history. Whereas, the residents of Gouldsboro believe the bell honours the actions of Rufus Allen who saved the SS Queen Victoria crew. But, recognizing the importance of the bell to PEI, Gouldsboro residents had a replica of the bell created and gifted it to Charlottetown.
 |
| The replica and the original. The replica (left) is in Charlottetown. The original is in Gouldsboro, Maine. Both are beautiful. Image from Town of Gouldsboro, Maine. |
Interestingly, despite the importance of the SS Queen Victoria, no attempts to reach the ship have been made.
Sources
Anthony, Brian. "SS Queen Victoria, Lost Ship of Confederation." Historica Canada. July 17, 2017. From http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ss-queen-victoria-lost-ship-of-confederation/
Bosanac, Alexandra. "'Canada's version of the Liberty Bell' returns home after 150 years." Herald News. June 30, 2014. From http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/1219346-canadas-version-of-the-liberty-bell-returns-home-after-150-years
Bulger, David M. "Road to Charlottetown: Responsible Government." The Guardian, Letters to the Editor. September 30, 2017. From http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/opinion/letter-to-the-editor/the-road-to-charlottetown-responsible-government-111574/
Butler, Don. " Canada's 'Liberty Bell' repatriated - briefly - from Maine town for exhibition at Museum of History." Ottawa Citizen. November 24, 2014. From http://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/local-arts/canadas-liberty-bell-repatriated-briefly-from-maine-town-for-exhibition-at-museum-of-history
Eidinger, Andrea. "Inconvenient Pasts: The Charlottetown Conference of 1864." Unwritten Histories. January 24, 2017. http://www.unwrittenhistories.com/inconvenient-pasts-the-charlottetown-conference-of-1864/
"Ringing endorsement for historic Confederation bell." CBC News: Prince Edward Island. August 29, 2006. From http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/ringing-endorsement-for-historic-confederation-bell-1.591605
Trotter, Bill. "'Canada's Liberty Bell' creating fissures between Gouldsboro residents". Bangor Daily News. June 8, 2014. From http://bangordailynews.com/2014/06/08/news/hancock/canadas-liberty-bell-creating-fissures-between-gouldsboro-residents/
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