OBD CHARLOTTE TOWN

' If one had visited Charlottetown in the early part of the 19th century he would probably have come by water, either in a sailing packet from the mainland, or in one of the larger sailing vessels that plied between here

and the Old Country.’ By the latter came many of our earliest settlers; Their first view of Charlotte Town was a shore front broken by only One short wharf or jetty at the foot

of Queen Street; ’Near the head of the old landing place were a number'of buildings fairly close tOgether. Passengers dis- embarked, and cargo waS'Ianded'frOm the larger vessels by lighters; vessels of light draught came in to the wharf to discharge. ' ' " ”" ' '

" " " Taking up the deScription of the old houses of that time, it is perhaps best to Start With the Pest'Office. This was a dilapidated building, one story in height, and net much wider, On the north side of Water Street; it was

the second house, west, from the corner of Prince. In mr. Chappell's time the corner was tenanted by the widow Smith and later occupied by Sidney Grey. Mr. Chappell, on the 26th July, 1780, passed his first night in the structure, which he had built. The first postmaster of Charlotte Town was Benjamin Chappell. He was a personal friend of John Weep ley,and a firm Methodist. The old Post Office was used until 1854 or thereabouts.

East of the old Post Office there were but one or two little buildings before the river was reached; at high tide the water overflowed the land very nearly up as far as the Post Office.

' The land on the south side of Water Street, oppo-

site to the old Post Office was vacant until between 1855- 40, when Andrew Duncan built upon that site his shipyard, and launched therefrom the first vessel, called the Robert Hutchinson. Duncan's shipyard occupied the space later oc- cupied by MbMillan's cOal depot and Full's mill, and Duncan built a home on south corner of Prince & water Street - later "The Lennox Hotel".

‘ On the corner where the Railway round-house later stood, was the reSidence of Major Beet, which was built at an early day by Donald McKay, merchant, who was lost by ship-