Georgetown, Prince Edward Island
Georgetown is a town, located at the mouth of the Brudenell River at Cardigan
Bay, in Kings County, Prince Edward Island.
Renowned worldwide for its importance within the east coast shipping
industry, Georgetown offers visitors a unique opportunity to view the
first harbour to be built on the Eastern Seaboard. Home to one of the
deepest harbours in North America, Georgetown was once a major
ship-building centre and home to A.A. MacDonald, one of the Fathers of
Confederation.
When Prince Edward Island was subdivided into lots, surveyor Samuel Holland
proposed a county town or "Royalty" be set up on Cardigan Point, which forms a
small peninsula extending into Cardigan Bay. Kings Royalty was established and a
street pattern for the settlement named "Georgetown" was surveyed in 1768, but
little development occurred until the 1830s.
Through the late 19th century, Georgetown was an important shipbuilding centre
and port. In the early 1870s the Prince Edward Island Railway was built, linking
the Georgetown to Charlottetown and Summerside by way of Mount Stewart Junction.
Georgetown, having the Island's only deepwater port, and largely ice-free until
late in the winter (this being before the Canso Causeway altered sea ice
patterns in the Northumberland Strait), saw dedicated steamship service to the
mainland port of Pictou, Nova Scotia with its vital railway connections to the
rest of Canada.
In the 20th century, Georgetown's industrial base diversified to include the
Island's only shipyard, East Isle Shipyard, as well as the Island's largest saw
mill. A major seasonal employer is a a seafood plant, operated by Seafood 2000
and originally constructed by National Sea Products Limited.
Georgetown is adjacent to Brudenell River Provincial Park
which hosts a campground and tourist accommodations. Two of the province's top
golf courses are located at the Brudenell River Resort at the same location.
Georgetown, being the Shiretown for Kings County, hosts the county's only
provincial court house. The Georgetown Playhouse serves as the communities major
summertime attraction and offers an array of theatrical works amidst the
charming atmosphere of one of P.E.I's finest rural theatres.
Within easy access of numerous beaches and neighboring communities, Georgetown is an
ideal location for visitors to the Island.