Billtown is a community in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, located in

Kings County Kings County or King's County may refer to: Places Canada *Kings County, New Brunswick *Kings County, Nova Scotia *Kings County, Prince Edward Island ** King's County (electoral district), abolished in 1892 Ireland * County Offaly, formerly call ...

History

Ebenezer Bill, a

New England Planter The New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor (and subsequently governor) of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Bay of Fundy Campaign (1 ...

, was granted 1000 acres of land on July 21, 1761. According to the grant, a 78-acre plot in the centre of the property was intended to include a commercial area, a town hall, a school, and a church property. From 1829 to 1961 there were schools in Billtown. A community of properties which extended along the road that serviced the area developed. By the early 1900s this included a temperance hall, multiple general stores, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

, and two schools. On December 1, 1914, the 14.8 mile North Mountain Branch railroad was completed and the Billtown Train Station was opened. This station would continue to be used until 1961. Apple warehouses were built near the station. In the early 1920s telephone was introduced. In 1934 Electricity was brought to the community. As was typical of planter communities in the area, residences and homesteads to farms were built along the roads servicing the area and this type of community remains to today.

Church

The Cornwallis Church of Billtown's edifice was erected in 1822, was dedicated on August 10, 1823, and held its last service on April 6, 1872. A larger building had been erected for increasing membership and hosted its first service on April 14, 1872. In 1903 this church was torn down and construction began on a third building. On October 25, 1903, the Billtown Baptist Church was dedicated and is still used today. Billtown United Baptist Church

Industries

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, especially fruit crops such as

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

and

dairy farming Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed (either on the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be called a dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or ...

are a prominent industry in Billtown.

Community events

The Billtown Baptist Church hosts an annual Strawberry Supper.

Famous residents

* Senator Caleb Rand Bill * Political Figure William C. Bill

Education

Education in the area is serviced by Aldershot Elementary in Kentville, serving grades primary through five, then high school at

Northeast Kings Education Centre Northeast Kings Education Centre (NKEC or Northeast Kings), is a high school that opened in September 2001. It is located on Bains Road in Canning, Nova Scotia. The school replaced the high schools of Kings County Academy in Kentville and Cornw ...

in Canning.

References

{{Reflist
Billtown on Destination Nova Scotia
Communities in Kings County, Nova Scotia General Service Areas in Nova Scotia