Shelburne, Nova Scotia
Situated just 40 minutes south of White Point Beach Resort and White Point Manor is the town of Shelburne, home to the third best natural harbour in the world. The native Mik’maq traversed the Roseway River and used the surrounding lands for summer encampments long before our shores were visited by Spanish, Portuguese and French fishermen.
A History of Shelburne
In the In the fall of 1783, a second wave of settlers arrived in Shelburne. By 1784, the population of this new community is estimated to have been at least 10,000; the fourth largest in North America, much larger than either Halifax or Montreal.
Although much smaller today, Shelburne remains the capital of the county which bears its name. It was incorporated as a town on April 4, 1907. The population in 1997 was 2245. Many descendants of the original Loyalists still live in the area today. The new town of Shelburne quickly became a fishing and shipbuilding centre. Fishing is still a primary industry today. Some other industries are lumbering, fish processing, and the manufacture of barrels, institutional furniture, granite monuments, and marine supplies.
Black Loyalists, who settled at the same time, were allotted land on the northwest arm of Shelburne Harbour. They founded the largest free Black settlement in North America, called Birchtown, in honour of General Birch.
In 1992, Dock Street was the location for the filming of Mary Silliman’s War, based on a true story depicting Fairfield Connecticut during the American Revolution. In 1994, Dock Street and area was the location of a major film, “A” The Scarlet Letter, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel depicting Puritan New England in the mid 1600s. Demi Moore was star.
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