Recent Days

After the war, when the young men returned from abroad, they found that many aspects of their lives had changed. The whole farming industry was in a time of upheaval. Mechanization was becoming more and more commonplace. Farmers weren't working on their own nearly as much, and groups such as the Federation of Agriculture and the Potato Marketing Board were being born.

Although the farms were gradually using more and more machinery, cars weren't very popular in rural P.E.I. in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Horses and buggies were still the main mode of transportation for many people for short trips; to travel to Summerside or Charlottetown, many took the daily train.

Although Maritime Electric extended service to P.E.I. in 1908, rural Islanders were still without power far later than this. Pomroy Murray operated a plant in Breadalbane and many residents obtained electricity from him.

The Island was hit with a polio epidemic in the late 1940's and Breadalbane was not untouched by this unfortunate disease.

The Crapaud Exhibition was first held in 1957, and over the years a large number of Breadalbane residents have participated in this event.

Between the end of the war and the early sixties, there were many developments in the town of Breadalbane. New roads were built in the area, and changes were made to the mail service, improving it. In these days, farms were becoming increasingly mechanized, but a lot of tasks were still performed by hand. For example, children would start school in August so they would be able to take a three week break in the fall to help bring in the harvest. A new school had been built in 1959; it remained open until the end of the 1971-72 school year. The 1970's were a time of great change in the educational system. Students, who had attended Central Queens High School, were forced to travel by bus to Charlottetown Rural, which was at this time very over-crowded. When Bluefield High School opened in 1978, the situation improved.

The late 1960's will be remembered by many as the times when the government really became involved in people's lives. Income taxes were established, people were given social insurance numbers, and unemployment insurance was beginning to be paid. The government also began subsidizing farmers and established quota systems.

1966 was a big year in Breadalbane: telephone lines were extended to the district. Only in 1977, however, was the dial system implemented.

1966 would be no comparison, however, for the great excitement of Centennial year, 1967. Breadalbane celebrated the Centennial with displays, songs, skits, speeches, birthday cake, parades, and races which were held at the school. The school itself received prizes that year for winning a provincial science competition and for its spectacular Centennial scrapbook. Karen MacDonald was Miss Breadalbane in this special year. Many high school students traveled to Montreal that year to see the Expo. A special Centennial train visited Rustico and many Breadalbane residents had the opportunity to go and see this.

The seventies were a time of upheaval and this, too, was felt in Breadalbane. The economy went into a recession, and many farms went out of business. Taxes began to rise and the cost of living was steadily increasing. Interest rates were high too.

Early Days  |  Development (Previous)   |  Recent Days (Top)