Anne of Green Gables author's Ont. home named historic site

The Ontario home where Lucy Maud Montgomery penned many of the books in her Anne of Green Gables series has been anointed a national historic site.

Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gables while living in her home province of Prince Edward Island. Three years after it was published, she married and moved to Leaskdale Manse in Uxbridge, Ont., where shewrote 11 of the 20 books she published during her lifetime.

Leaskdale Manse, which was built in 1886, was the first of three homes she lived in after marrying and is also where she gave birth to her three children.Montgomerydied in 1942 at 68.

The Township of Uxbridge, northeast of Toronto, bought the property in 1993 and is restoring it to its original glory.

According to her journals, this is what Montgomery thought of her Uxbridge home:

"The manse is quite prettily situated. It is not an ideal house by any means, but it will do, and it is certainly much more comfortable and convenient than my old home. It is built of white brick in the ugly 'L' design so common among country houses."

Bev Oda, federal minister for International Co-operation, commemorated the designation with a plaque on Saturday.

This year marks the centennialof the publication of Anne of Green Gables,the story of the rebellious red-headed orphan from Prince Edward Islandthat has wonmillions ofreaders aroundthe world.

First published in 1908, the book has been translated into 36 languages and spawned two films and at least half a dozen television movies.

The Charlottetown Festival has staged the Anne of Green Gables musical for 44 years now.

Producers are hoping to enter it in the Guinness World Records book for longest-running musical.

The historic designation of Montgomery's house is just one of many events marking the book's 100th anniversary.

Penguin published the prequel Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson and is also releasing a special anniversary edition of the original book, containing a new introduction from two of Montgomery's grandchildren.