Parrsboro



Parrsboro (2006 population: 1,401) is a Canadian town located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.

The town is known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions and the Fundy Geological Museum.

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Contents
[hide] *1 History
 * 2 Climate
 * 3 Town features
 * 4 Economy
 * 5 Demographics
 * 6 Parrsboro's sister cities
 * 7 External links
 * 8 References
 * }

[edit] History
Prior to the arrival of European settlers, Parrsboro was a portage point for Mikmaq travellers along the Minas Basin and Cumberland County river systems. The native inhabitants called the region "Awokum," meaning a 'short-cut' or 'passing-over point.'[1]

The first European settlers were the Acadians in 1670 at the western mouth of the Parrsboro Harbour, near Partridge Island.[2] After they were expelled in 1755, they were replaced by settlers from New England.[3] The centre of settlement gradually shifted from Partridge Island to the head of the harbour as the harbour and surrounding mills grew. The settlement, at first named Mill Village, was renamed Parrsboro in honour of Nova Scotia Governor John Parr in 1784, and the town was incorporated on July 15, 1889.[4]

Parrsboro thrived in the mid 19th century as the hub of a string of shipbuilding communities from Economy to Advocate collectively known as the "Parrsboro Shore". The town became a port of registry in 1850 for over 115 locally built schooners as well as giant square riggers, culminating in the largest, the ship Glooscap in 1891. In its peak years of the 1890s, over 1646 ships arrived and departed annually.[5]

The Springhill and Parrsboro Railway began service to the town from the coal mining town of Springhill on July 1, 1877; Parrsboro became a coal shipping port for the Springhill mines, primarily serving Saint John, New Brunswick. Railway service to Parrsboro was abandoned on June 14, 1958, following several years of declining shipments, several months before the 1958 mining disaster.[6]

Throughout the late 19th century and first four decades of the twentieth century, Parrsboro saw daily ferry service across the Minas Basin to the Annapolis Valley ports of Kingsport and Wolfville. The 13th and final vessel in this service, operated by the Dominion Atlantic Railway, was the MV Kipawo, which is now permanently beached at Parrsboro and incorporated into the Ship's Company Theatre performance centre.[7]

A Handley Page V/1500 named Atlantic made a forced landing in Parrsboro July 5, 1919. When the starboard engine failed the pilot, Major Brackley saw the lights of the town during the night and landed. After three months, the aircraft was repaired and departed for Greenport, New York, Parrsboro's sister town.[8] The local Air Cadet Squadron, 689 Handley Page, is named after this event.

On April 10, 1984, Parrsboro resident Eldon George located the world's smallest dinosaur footprints at Wasson Bluff, a cliff to the east of Parrsboro Harbour. The prints are now on display at the Parrsboro Rock and Mineral Shop and Museum, owned by George.[9]

[edit] Climate
As with much of rural Nova Scotia, the primary industry in Parrsboro is tourism. The town is known for its seasonal theatre productions, fossil and rockhounding attractions, museums and high tides. The coastline around Parrsboro is abundant with cliffs that contain fossils of prehistoric animals and plants. Many of these collectibles are visible in local museums.

Of the three museums in Parrsboro, two are dedicated to geological history. The Fundy Geological Museum, located along the eastern shore of Parrsboro Harbour,[11] and the Parrsboro Rock and Mineral Shop and Museum, along the western shore,[12] display many unearthed discoveries and provide information on the history of the region's landscape.

The third museum is the Ottawa House. It was built 1775 but contains evidence of Acadian construction as well as several additions. Located along the western coast of Parrsboro Harbour, near Partridge Island, it occupies the original town site and is near the legendary landing site of Henry Sinclair, 1397, and the factual site of Samuel de Champlain, 1607. It was the summer home of Father of Confederation Sir Charles Tupper, 1860s, and was named in honour of the Confederation of Canada. A major focus is Parrsboro's shipbuilding history and the museum has many artifacts that date to the Age of Sail.[13]

Other town features include local churches, a library, a primary and secondary school, and a radio station, Parrsboro Community Radio on 99.1 FM.

Although Parrsboro has a flourishing tourism industry and several small businesses, the town - common to many maritime communities is economically struggling. The decline of wooden shipbuilding dealt a severe blow to the local economy, along with neighbouring communities such as Port Greville and Shulie. The town also suffered from the depletion of local forests and the closing of the Springhill coal mines which ended coal shipments. A further blow was the relocation of the Trans-Canada Highway, which once ran through the centre of town but was relocated in the 1960s to the Wentworth Valley.

However a number of businesses have remained consistent and sustainable. In addition to a number of small fishing operators and mills in the area, the town is also the base of several large blueberry operations and is home to Parrsboro Metal Fabricators, a firm which has found a successfully niche in producing home heating oil tanks for the region. Small businesses in or near Parrsboro include a supermarket, a Tim Hortons, a Home Hardware, an Irving Oil gas station, a convenience store, an art gallery called The Destination Gallery [www.thedestinationgallery.com] ,a nine hole golf course, a skating arena, bottle depot and a tavern. There are many accommodations in Parrsboro due to the large tourist attraction.[14]

In 2006, a British Columbia based board game manufacturer Headz Gamez announced that it was relocating 1,500 manufacturing jobs from its facilities in China to Parrsboro. Promises of manufacturing facilities, employee housing and recreation facilities were made. The project, however, was canceled later that year after the CEO sold off his personal company stock and resigned his position. The company declared bankruptcy in early 2007.[15]