Description

In the winter of 1964, Dorothy Cullen, a professional librarian living in Charlottetown, noted in her diary: “I am starting to look up PEI history material for Centennial essay on ‘Rural Life in 1864.’ There are a good many items available but a lot of them are awfully dusty. It is hard to get details on everyday life, and that is what decided me to write these notes on life in 1964. Perhaps they will provide information for future use. I actually started this Feb 22 and am filling in back pages.” Writing with an eye to posterity, and drawing on a personal diary for the dates leading up to 22 February, Cullen systematically chronicled her activities and reflections on events over the entire year in which Canadians celebrated the centennial of the Charlottetown Conference, which started the Confederation ball rolling.