Florence (2001 pop.: 1,684) is a community in the

Cape Breton Regional Municipality Cape Breton Regional Municipality (often referred to as simply "CBRM") is the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia's second largest municipality and the economic heart of Cape Breton Island. As of 2021 the municipa ...

, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community is located north of Highway 105 and west of

Sydney Mines Sydney Mines (Mi'kmaq language, Mi'kmawi'simk: ''Klmuejuapskwe'katik;'' Scottish Gaelic: ''Mèinnean Shidni'') is a community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1784, and incorporated as a town i ...

History

The community of Florence was named after Florence M. McDonald, wife of

Daniel Duncan McKenzie Daniel Duncan McKenzie, (January 8, 1859 – June 8, 1927) was a Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician. Life and career Born in Lake Ainslie, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, the son of Duncan and Jessie (McMillan) McKenzie, McKenzie was educate ...

, Member of Parliament for

North Cape Breton and Victoria Cape Breton North and Victoria (also known as North Cape Breton and Victoria and Cape Breton North—Victoria) was a federal electoral district in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from ...

. He became interim Liberal leader upon the death of Sir

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...

in 1919, "ascending higher on the political pyramid than any other Cape Bretoner before or since." Subsequently, he was

Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

's first cabinet and in 1923 was appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. In 1910 it was home to a large co-operative store located on Florence Corner. In 1950 Florence had its first little league team and was home to the Florence Coal Dusters in the 1970s. On June 11, 1951, a credit union opened on Pitt Street pioneered by George Walker, Jerry Rendell, and William O'Toole.

Mining

Florence Colliery was operated by the Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company from 1902 to 1961. The Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company opened No 4 Colliery in 1907 8000 feet west of Florence Colliery and operated it until 1921. The Franklin Mine was opened in 1946 where there was a coal washing plant. In 1911, Florence was home to a boarding house called Acadia House for local coal miners working at the colliery.

Present Day

In 1998 the Tim Horton's on Park road in Florence gained minor media attention as thousands flocked to the coffee shop to see a supposed picture of Jesus on an exterior wall. When a worker replaced some burnt-out bulbs in the outdoor lighting the image disappeared. The somewhat famous "Lick-A-Chick" (a fried chicken restaurant) is located in Florence, and is a popular tourist destination spot.

References

Communities in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mining communities in Nova Scotia Unincorporated communities in Nova Scotia {{CapeBretonNS-geo-stub