A touch of the past at Lilac Festival

Macaulay House was blooming with activity during its annual Lilac Festival on the weekend. Phil Norton photo www.countyphotographer.com

The annual Lilac Festival went green this year at the Macaulay Heritage Park, featuring a heritage plant sale and businesses showcasing energy-saving products. The park was filled with home baking, handicrafts, vendors, pottery, collectibles, silent auction, raffles, a barbecue, music, knitting, sewing, antiques, heritage demonstrations, children’s crafts and games and, of course, a lilac bush sale. The historic site features Macaulay House, built in 1830 and restored to the mid 1850s; the historic former Church of St. Mary Magdalene, now the Prince Edward County Museum; the old St. Mary Magdalene Parish Cemetery; the Heritage Gardens and the Carriage House. Reverend William Macaulay was originally sent to this area as a missionary. In 1823 he organized the Parish of Hallowell, donating the land for the church and paying for much of its construction from his own personal wealth. Reverend Macaulay’s contributions to the community were not only spiritual, but civic—donating his property for the construction of both a school and a courthouse; the latter has been in use since 1831. Macaulay was also instrumental in the naming of the town of Picton.