Hants County, Nova Scotia
| Hants County | |
|---|---|
| — County — | |
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| Coordinates: 45°06′N 63°54′W / 45.1°N 63.9°WCoordinates: 45°06′N 63°54′W / 45.1°N 63.9°W | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Nova Scotia |
| Municipal district (s) | East Hants / West Hants |
| Towns | Hantsport / Windsor |
| Established | June 17, 1781 |
| Electoral Districts Federal |
Kings—Hants |
| Provincial | Hants East / Hants West |
| Area[1] | |
| • Land | 3,049.08 km2 (1,177.26 sq mi) |
| Population (2006)[1][2] | |
| • Total | 41,182 |
| • Density | 13.5/km2 (35/sq mi) |
| • Change 2001-06 |  1.7% |
| • Census Rankings - Municipal districts East Hants West Hants - Towns Hantsport Windsor - Reserves Indian Brook 14 |
21,387 (179 of 5,008) 13,881 (272 of 5,008) 1,191 (1,839 of 5,008) 3,709 (862 of 5,008) 1,014 (2,039 of 5,008) |
| Time zone | AST (UTC-4) |
| • Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-3) |
| Area code(s) | 902 |
| Dwellings | 17,277 |
| Median Income* | $49,630 |
| *Median household income, 2005 (all households) | |
Hants County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia which was the home of Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Alden Nowlan and Noel Doiron. The county of Hants was created June 17, 1781, and consisted of the townships of Windsor, Falmouth and Newport. Originally getting its name from the County of Southamptonshire in England, now known as Hampshire, and abbreviated to Hants, the County was established out of part of what had been Kings County.[3] Subsequently in 1861, Hants County was divided into two Districts called East Hants and West Hants.
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[edit] History
[edit] 18th century - origins
[edit] Mi'kmaq
The Mi'kmaq are the aboriginal people who lived on these lands for centuries. The Mi'kmaq became Catholic and therefore played an active role in the Acadian resistance to protestants taking over the area. They were clearly supporters of Abbe LeLoutre's work in protecting Acadian and Mi'kmaq and ultimately Catholic interests in the region. Within Hants County, they fought in the Battle at St. Croix on the St. Croix River.
There is a long history of missionary work in Hants County, such as the work of Silas Tertius Rand's work on a reserve near Hantsport. There are still a Mi'kmaq communities in Hants County such as Indian Brook 14, Nova Scotia (the home of the famous activist Anna Mae Aquash)and Shubenacadie 13, Nova Scotia. Shubenacadie is the oldest community in Hants County. There is a significant monument in the middle of the reserve to Major Jean Baptiste Cope and the Peace Treaty of 1752 that he signed with the British, which was recently upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada (The Donald Marshall case, 1999).
[edit] Acadians
The first Acadians to settle in present day Hants County settled in Pisiguit (present day Falmouth, Nova Scotia (1785). There was also a significant settlement at present day Windsor, Nova Scotia. The Acadians built a church which was destroyed by the British and Fort Edward (Nova Scotia) built in its place. Over the next twenty years Acadians migrated all along the shore of Hants County to the Shubenacadie River. One of the most prominent Acadians from this area was Noel Doiron who is the namesake of Noel, Nova Scotia. With the founding of both Halifax (1749) and Fort Edward (Nova Scotia) the following year, there was the Acadian Exodus that involved an exodus of most of the Acadians from the Municipality of East Hants (1750) and a very large part of West Hants (Pisiguit) as well. They left British Nova Scotia for French occupied Prince Edward Island.[4] During the Expulsion of the Acadians the rest of the Acadians from the Municipality of West Hants (1755) were deported to New England. The Expulsion of the Acadians from Hants County began at exactly the same time as it happened at Grand Pre, with the Acadian men being imprisoned within the walls of Fort Edward. Fort Edward was one of four British forts in Acadia to imprison Acadians throughout the nine years of the expulsion.
[edit] New England Planters
After the Acadians left the area of present day Hants County, New England Planters began to arrive and settle the area (1760). They formed the townships of Windsor, Falmouth and Newport.
[edit] Ulster Irish
The next wave of immigration to Hants County was the Ulster Scots people who settled all along the shore such as the O'Briens in Noel, Nova Scotia (1771) and the Putnams in Maitland, Nova Scotia.
[edit] American Loyalists
During the American Revolution, Fort Edward (Nova Scotia) played a pivotal role defending Halifax from a possible land attack and serving as the headquarters in Atlantic Canada for 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants). After the American Revolution, the Rawdon Township and Douglas Township were created for American Loyalists (1884). The Douglas Township (Kennetcook, Nova Scotia and area) was settled by the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants). The Rawdon Township was settled by loyalists from South Carolina whose lives had been saved in the Siege of Ninety-Six by Lord Rawdon and the 84th Regiment of Foot.
[edit] 19th century - shipbuilding and confederation
[edit] Plaster War
Windsor developed its gypsum deposits, usually selling it to American markets at Passamaquoddy Bay. Often this trade was illegal; in 1820, an effort to stop this smuggling trade resulted in the "Plaster War," in which local smugglers resoundingly defeated the efforts of New Brunswick officials to bring the trade under their control.[5]
[edit] Shipbuilding
Productive timber lands and tidal building sites made Hants County an important shipbuilding centre in the 19th century. Loyalist merchant Abraham Cunard was and early shipbuilder in the country, followed by much larger yards in the late 19th century, including the William Dawson Lawrence shipyard in Maitland which built the William D. Lawrence, the largest wooden ship ever built in Canada.
[edit] The Great Hants Campaign (1869)
The Honourable Joseph Howe was the first member of parliament for Hants County (1867).[6] He campaigned in the county with an agenda to punish those politicians who have forced Nova Scotia without a mandate or referendum from the people. Over the next two years in office, deciding not to mobilize to join America or become a colony independent of Britain, Howe determined that Nova Scotia's best option was to remain in Canada and to fight for "better terms. While most Nova Scotian remained supportive of the Anti-Confederation Campaign during this time period, Howe ran in Hants County bi-election of 1869 to get a mandate from the people to see if they wanted him to continue to support Nova Scotia's entry into Canada. What ensued was one of the most expensive political campaigns in Nova Scotia's history.[7] The whole country watched to see if Howe would be returned to Ottawa to lead Nova Scotia into Confederation on the best terms possible. Howe toured the whole county and eventually won, which eventually led to all of Nova Scotia accepting Canada.[8]
[edit] 20th century
Hants County produced two Olympians, both of whom came from along the Noel shore (See Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon). Along with the great literary figure in Nova Scotia's history, Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Hants produced Alden Nowlan, George Elliot Clarke and others.
[edit] Natural resources: wood, fish, gypsum, oil and gold
The wood in the county was both used to build the many wooden ships, but it was also used an export on the wooden ships.
The county is noted for very large deposits of gypsum, which was shipped from Walton, Nova Scotia. George Elliot Clarke's poem, "West Hants County", tells of the difficult condition of black workers in the gypsum mines.
Gold was mined at Renfrew, Nova Scotia, near Nine Mile River, Nova Scotia, The village was the home of one of the largest gold mines in the province. There were other gold mines in the community of Rawdon Gold Mines, Nova Scotia. There is currently oil exploration in Kennetcook, Nova Scotia.
[edit] Communities
For a list of communities in Hants County, see List of communities.
[edit] Demographics
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Population trend[9]
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Mother tongue language (2006)[1]
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Ethnic Groups (2006)[1]
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0.7%[edit] Access routes
Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:[10]
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hants County, Nova Scotia |
- ^ a b c d 2006 Statistics Canada Community Profile: Hants County, Nova Scotia
- ^ Statistics Canada Population and dwelling counts, for Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses - 100% data
- ^ The words of the minutes of the Council of Nova Scotia for June 17, 1781 make it clear that the distance from Horton (the County town of Kings County) and the inconvenience of crossing the Avon River to transact county business were factors which led to a separate county being formed. Four and a half years later its boundaries were more precisely defined and set forth by the Governor and Council in 1785. The boundary lines of Hants were duly surveyed and confirmed by the Lieutenant Governor 1828.
- ^ Stephen Patterson. Colonial Wars and Aboriginal Peoples: 1744-1763. p. 141
- ^ Smith, Joshua (2007). Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists, and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1780-1820. Gainesville, FL: UPF. pp. passim. ISBN 0-8130-2986-4.
- ^ Joseph Howe: The Briton Becomes Canadian, 1848-1873 By J. Murray Beck
- ^ Joseph Howe: The Briton Becomes Canadian, 1848-1873 By J. Murray Beck
- ^ Joseph Schull. "The Night They Killed Joe Howe" Ottawa Citizen - Jun 30, 1956
- ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
- ^ Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas ISBN 978-1-55368-618-7 Pages 67-68, 80-81
[edit] External links
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Kings County | Minas Basin | |
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| Lunenburg County |  |
Colchester County | ||
 Hants County  |
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| Halifax Regional Municipality |
