Hants County

Trecothick Creek

On a small hill overlooking the stream the Acadians built the second parish church of l’Assomption in village Landry. The graveyard was located nearby. The church and graveyard are long ago forgotten. The name of the stream during the Acadian period is unknown, but its rather unique current name is a reminder of a bygone era when the province was a small British colony, opening up to immigration.

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World War I Project – November 2017

The West Hants Historical Society salutes our local soldiers who died one hundred years ago in L917 during World War 1. We will always remember your sacrifice. Note: You can view their military records online by searching for the Regimental Number (Reg No) at the Library and Archives Canada web site as follows:
http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/search.aspx

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The Saxby Gale of October 4

“…the inhabitants of the part of this town known as “Poverty Point”, near Smith’s Island [the area off Exit 6 in Windsor, past the old Visitor Centre], were woke from their slumbers at about 11 o’clock in the night by the rush of water which broke over the dykes in the immediate vicinity. Ten minutes after the dykes gave way the whole body of water found its level, covering in the low-lands for miles and miles around. About twenty houses are situated here; these were flooded nearly eight feet, which presented an appearance the morning after more like that of a street in Venice than a terra firma.

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1869_New_England_hurricane_track

A History of Hants

The county of Hants was established June 17, 1781, on territory taken from Kings County and consisted of the townships of Windsor, Falmouth and Newport. The name Hants is an old abbreviation for the English county of Hampshire, from the Old English name Hantescire. The Mi’kmaq were the first people of Hants County, having arrived several thousand years ago. They were semi-nomadic and hunted, fished and gathered to make their living.  They made their encampments along the rivers at the “head of the tide” where the fishing was easy.

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History of the Name of the Herbert River

Because the surname “Hebert” looks so much like “Herbert”, it is frequently misspelled, and when I first saw reference to the Herbert River in Hants County, Nova Scotia, what came to mind was the Bear River at Digby, Nova Scotia. It appears as “Hebert R” (probably for early explorer Louis Hebert) on Lescarbot’s 1609 map. By 1720, “Hebert R” had become “Beare R”.

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Hebert River map image

A Brief History of Fort Edward

Courtesy of Rev. David Curry. This is a modified version of an article that first appeared in the Hants Journal in 2008.

Strategically placed, overlooking the confluence of the St. Croix and Avon Rivers, the Blockhouse has played an interesting role in the many and varied fortunes of our Maritime and National history since its erection in 1750. Complementing and cementing the English colonial settlement of Halifax in 1749, Fort Edward belongs to those defining moments of the French/English contest for North America.

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Fort Edward, Windsor, NS
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