Festival celebrates forgotten Charlottetown neighbourhood

A festival set to be bring recognition to a historically diverse community in Charlottetown's west end that Jim Hornby  says has been lacking for many years will be held Saturday.

The Festival for the Bog will honour the city neighbourhood founded by former slaves brought to the Island in the 1780s.

"I feel in 2017 it's time to start looking at some of the areas of our society that have been overlooked."

Hornby said the story of the bog has been ignored until now with help from the Black Cultural Society of Prince Edward Island and assistance from the city.

Cast offs

Slaves cast off by their former owners began living on vacant and undesired land in the city.

"They had to fend for themselves and they were used to working hard and they did that and they ended up with the worst jobs but they survived and it became over time a mixed race community."

Nothing of the community remains but Hornby has a map that shows where it was located.

A walking tour will kick off the festival at 1 p.m. at Rochford Street and continue to Connaught Square where there will be speakers and music. 

Hornby said he welcomes descendants of the people who lived in the bog to take part in the festival. 

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