SOME NOVA SCOTIA TRIVIA

                                                     Fun Tid Bits

A journey through the Canadian Maritimes is rich in cultural diversity, charm, and absolutely gorgeous natural beauty. The historic and picturesque province has many historic villages, a rugged coastline with winding roads, and dense forests. Nova Scotia with its northeastern chunk of land known as Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island (PEI) make up Canada’s Maritime provinces. Samuel de Champlain discovered Nova Scotia in 1604. Nova Scotia is Latin for New Scotland. The native people were Mi’kmaq, but commonly called Micmac today, and the two terms are interchangeable.

Yarmouth, a city of 7800, is located on the southern coast of the island where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Bay of Fundy. The city was established in 1761 because of its proximity to New England ports. The Acadian coast runs 70 miles up the west coast from Yarmouth to Digby.

 

St. Mary’s Church is thought to have the tallest wooden church spire in North America. Built in 1903-05, the gray shingled church cost $54,000 to build. Forty ton of rock at the base of the 185-foot tall steeple helps to stabilize it from swaying when strong winds blow in over St. Mary’s Bay. The original steeple was 212 feet high but a 1914 fire destroyed the top 27 or so feet., and that part of the steeple was never replaced.

No one really knows where the altar was intended to go because nearly a century ago some well intentioned soul, simply took it off the dock, went through customs while a customs agent looked the other way, and delivered the altar to the church.

The organ in the church was originally ordered for the university, but when it arrived it was too big for the intended space, so St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s simply switched organs. The church paid the university one dollar for the 990 pipe organ.

Bagpipes and kilts are a common sight in the Maritimes. Each island has its own tartan.

Peggy’s Cove, a quaint fishing village west and a wee bit south of Halifax, with a population of about 60, was established in 1811 when Nova Scotia issued a land grant of 800 acres to six families. Imagine the havoc brought to this picturesque little village when hundreds of media people descended on it after the crash of Swiss Air flight 101 in 1998.

The 1868 wooden lighthouse with a beacon marked the entrance to St. Margaret’s Bay. The present 50 foot high concrete octagon lighthouse replaced the wooden one in 1914. The lighthouse was automated in 1958. During the summer months the local post office occupies space in the base of the lighthouse.

The only restaurant in town did an excellent job getting people in and out. Every picture I've seen about the Maritimes has had a picture of Peggy’s Cove---it is well photographed!

You may want to read post on 10/10: The Order Gd Cheer