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The Bell of the SS Queen Victoria
The history of the bell started when Captain Rufus Allen of Prospect Harbor and his crew of the wooden brig, Ponvert, rescued the captain and crew of the Canadian steamer, SS Queen Victoria, off Cape Hatteras in 1866. The only other pieces that were rescued, besides 42 out of 43 crewmen, were a silver tea service and the bell. In recognition of his heroic deed, Captain Allen was presented the bell from the SS Queen Victoria. When Captain Allen retired in 1875 he presented the bell to the school in Prospect Harbor and when the new school was built in 1953 the bell was given to the Women's Club until it was deeded to the town in 2001. While the bell was being housed at the Women's Club, several unofficial attempts were made to regain possession of the bell by some Canadian interests, all attempts were unsuccessful. Shortly after the town came into possession of the bell it was suggested by Ben Walter that a replica be made to give to Canada in recognition of their heritage and the role played by the SS Queen Victoria in the Confederation of the Canadian Provinces. It was on the SS Queen Victoria that representatives from Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick sailed up the St. Lawrence River from Quebec and then down to PEI where the Charlottetown Conference was held onboard the steamer on September 8, 1864. That is where the delegates to form the Confederation of Canada reached their goal. The replica of the bell was approved by the Selectmen in 2004 and was made by Dick Fisher of U.S. Bells in Prospect Harbor. It took Mr. Fisher 18 months to finish the superb replica. That replica was given to Mayor Lee of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island in a ceremony held at that Prospect Harbor Women's Club on August 26, 2006. In June 2007 Mayor Lee and the city of Charlottetown held a bell ceremony where the bell was erected at their waterfront park. If you would like any information on Charlotte Town PEI you can visit their website at http://www.city.charlottetown.pe.ca  |
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