Place Description
The Dogherty Farm Grove is a stand of mature beech trees that was once part of a much larger grove that led up to the farm of Francis Dogherty. It is located on the northwest corner of the Brackley Point Road and the Charlottetown Arterial Highway. Due to highway construction, the grove is much smaller than it once was. The designation encompasses the beech trees and the land on which the trees stand.
Why is this place important?
The Dogherty Farm Grove is valued as a mature stand of beech trees within the City and for its association with the Dogherty farm that once existed in the area.
According to the Lake Map of 1863, Francis Dogherty had his farm in the Charlottetown Royalty. He is still listed as owner of the land in the 1880 Meacham's Illustrated Historical Atlas of Prince Edward Island. Born in 1831, he was the son of Martin Dogherty and Jane Longworth. Martin Dogherty is listed as a farmer in the Charlottetown Royalty in the Census of 1848.
Francis Dogherty was active in the local militia. He served as a lieutenant in the Royalty Rifles of the Queens County Regiment Volunteer Brigade for a time. By 1873, he was a Captain and commanded the guard of honour when the Provincial Legislature opened that year. In 1882, he was promoted to the rank of Major in the 82nd Queens County Battalion and would later reach the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Like Dogherty, his brother was also involved in the local militia. George Longworth Dogherty, although a cabinetmaker by trade, was a Major and paymaster in the militia. He was charged with the organisation of a Corps Of Engineers in 1878 where he served until his retirement in 1883. According to local directories, he operated a rifle and pistol gallery from King Street in the late 1800s. During his time, the Charlottetown Engineers Corps became one of the premiere corps of engineers in the country. Officers of the Royal Engineers based in Kingston, Ontario, regularly inspected the company and reported glowingly of their skill level. This may explain why they were featured on the front page of the July 31, 1880 edition of the Canadian Illustrated News. One of the first duties they performed was as a guard of honour for the Marquis of Lorne, Governor General of Canada, on his visit to Charlottetown in the summer of 1879. They also performed less ceremonial tasks, such as the construction of buildings, bridges, and fences. By 1901, the corps became part of the local artillery unit, largely because the men were unable to attend instructional courses at Kingston's Royal Military College which would have maintained their required level of proficiency.
Unfortunately, only the beech trees remain of the Dogherty farm that once existed in the area. In recent years, development and a highway have encroached on the grove, however a number of trees are still standing.
Sources: Heritage Office, City of Charlottetown Planning Department, PO Box 98, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7K2
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Special Characteristics
The following character-defining elements contribute to the heritage value of the Dogherty Farm Grove:
- The remaining beech trees standing near the highway and their physical and visual relationship to the highway
