historic shelburne nova scotia canada
Shelburne lies at the southwest corner of Nova Scotia, at roughly the same latitude as Portland, Maine. The early settlers had small subsistence farms, but most of the inhabitants' income from that time to the present have been derived from the sea. The first Europeans to make a settlement on these shores were the French. After the French were expelled in 1755, there were no settlers for several decades. In the spring of 1783, more than 5,000 settlers arrived on the shores of Shelburne Harbour from New York and the Middle Colonies of the Thirteen Colonies. These settlers were Loyalists (referred to later in Canada as United Empire Loyalists), Americans who had opposed the Revolution and remained loyal to Britain. Opposition to the Revolution, as well as promises of free land, tools, and provisions lured many to British North America at that time. Four hundred families associated to form a town at Port Roseway, which Governor Parr renamed Shelburne later that year, after Lord Shelburne, who was the British prime minister. This group was led by the Port Roseway Associates, who had formed while still in New York and petitioned Governor Parr for the land. 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, making it the fourth largest city in North America. However, the initial prosperity was short-lived as a lack of agricultural land, poor inland transportation links and lack of some necessary skills for settlement, soon curtailed economic growth. The population fell sharply by the 1790s, leaving many abandoned buildings. However, the remaining residents gradually developed the harbour potential as a fishing and shipbuilding centre. Shelburne Barrel Factory, Coopers Inn, and historic properties of Dock Street, much smaller today, Shelburne remains the capital of the county which bears its name. It was incorporated as a town on April 4
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Keywords: anchor, canada, historic, lighthouse, nova, route, rural, scotia, shelburne, shore, south, southshore, town, waterfront
