-22- 
     
    
   
   
    
     with a bouquet of flowers by Jamce McKenna, the youngest girl at- 
     
     tending the school at the time. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The United Church also followed the trend for consolidation. 
     
     In l967. the churches at Orwell, Pownal, Orwell Head, Cherry 
     
    
   
   
    
     Valley, and Millview, were closed and a new church. St. Andrew's,. 
     
    
   
   
    
     built at Vernon for the combined congregations. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The closing of Orwell United Church had an exciting 
     
    
   
   
    
     side effect. Ruth(MacLeod) Van Iderstine. seeing the contents of 
     
     the church sold. took action to prevent the church itself being 
     
     torn down as many others were. She first presented the idea to 
     
     the Orwell N.I., then to the Church committee and to the P.E.I. 
     
     Government, that the church be bought and saved as an historic 
     
     monument. At the same time she persuaded the government to pur— 
     
     chase the old school. and property at the crossroads that had been 
     
     Clarke's store. A Board, comprised of people in the community 
     
     interested in preservation, was formed and Orwell Corner was es- 
     
     tablished. When the P.E.I. Ebritage Foundation, founded in 1970 
     
     with a similar aim, took over operation of the Corner in 1973 they 
     
     described it in their Newsletter of March 1973. "A community cor- 
     
     poration is in charge of the operations. The officers are: 
     
     Earnest Taylor, Chairman, Ruth MacLeod. Secretary. Harold Martin, 
     
     Mrs. L83 MacDonald, Jeanette Cantelo, Charles MacDonald, and 
     
     Eugene McKenna." This site now contains a blacksmith shop and a 
     
     [farmyard containing farm equipment. As well, in 1977 a new hall 
     
     was constructed on the site of the old. It is used by the comm- 
     
    
   
   
    
     unity for W.I. Christmas concerts and other events as well as by