Guest Posts | West Hants Historical Society

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 oâ€™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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Oct 31 2017

Alden Nowlan – The Forgotten Poet of Stanley, NS

Guest Posts, Hants County History, News

The following article was a WHHS Heritage Banquet address by Rev. David Curry in 2003. It has been converted from a pdf file to be shared here. Alden Nowlan: The Forgotten Poet of Stanley I would like to thank the West Hants Historical Society for the privilege of speaking this evening and to commend the

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Oct 23 2017

Call for Stories of Women involved in Halifax Explosion relief efforts

Guest Posts, News

Does your family have a story? A Nova Scotian performance ensemble is seeking out information about of local women who helped in the relief efforts of the Halifax Explosion. Xara Choral Theatre Ensemble will be touring a show called The Hours Turn to Nothing to Annapolis Royal at Kings Theatre on June 10, which tells the story of nurses and midwives who came to the aid of pregnant women and many others who were hurt in the 1917 disaster. Historical documentation has revealed that women were specifically requested toÂ support the relief effort, in part because many pregnant women within range of the blast were jolted into labour.

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Jun 26 2017

History of the Name of the Herbert River

Guest Posts, Hants County History, News

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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Jun 10 2016

Loyal Hill & Captain John Grant, UNITED EMPIRE LOYALIST

Guest Posts, Hants County History, News

Overlooking the Avon River and Minas Basin in Hants County at Summerville, Nova Scotia is one of the most interesting locations where United Empire Loyalists settled after the American Revolution. It is called Loyal Hill and is the lands settled by Captain John Grant who served in the 42 Regiment of Foot (Black Watch) and later commanded British soldiers when they recaptured New York in April 1776. For his military service as a Loyalist he received a grant of 3,000 acres, the largest grant to an individual in Hants County.(1)

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Dec 11 2015