Shaw's Hotel National Historic Site of Canada

Shaw’s Hotel was designated a national historic site of Canada because:

• it provides a rare, early illustration of a significant period in the history of tourism in Canada, characterized by the expansion of recreational pursuits through the opening up of wilderness or isolated areas to tourists; and,
• as a continuously operating hotel, it provides in its physical fabric a clear and readable encapsulation of the evolution of tourism facilities in Prince Edward Island.

Shaw’s Hotel originated when the Shaw family built a new farmhouse on their Brackley Beach property in 1860 and decided to take paying guests. Since that time the farmhouse has been expanded to create today’s main lodge through the addition of a four-bay mansard-roofed extension (late 19th century), its extension by two bays (early 20th century) and the addition of a dining room on its south side (1960s). Twenty-five guest cottages were also built on the resort over the years (1896-2000). The hotel was once linked to the Shaw’s large farm which ceased operation in the 1970s, although 2 of the large barns (1943 and 1944) survive as storage facilities. The fields continue to be worked by farmers who rent them.

The heritage value of Shaw’s Hotel resides in its location on the north shore of Prince Edward Island, its agricultural roots, and its identity as a modest family resort that has evolved over almost 150 years. Value lies in the recreational and agricultural ambience of the cultural landscape, its varied informal composition and evolution, and its peaceful rural setting.