Londonderry is an

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

community located in

Colchester County Colchester County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. With a population of 51,476 the county is the fourth largest in Nova Scotia. Colchester County is located in north central Nova Scotia. The majority of the county is gov ...

, Nova Scotia, Canada, formerly called Acadia Mines. A bustling iron ore mining and steel making town of some 5,000 in the late 19th century, the population today stands at around 200.

History

Londonderry saw the pouring of some of the first steel made in Canada, and the first Canadian installation of the

Bessemer process The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace. The key principle is removal of impurities from the iron by oxidation wit ...

for making steel. Mining began in 1849 and eventually three mines - East Mines, Old Mountain Mine, and West Mines - were operated. Over 2 million tons of ore were produced. The iron ore seams that encouraged development, originally thought to be enormous, proved to be small, shallow, and very expensive to mine. That, coupled with poor management decisions and failed experiments with rotary type ovens as well as low world steel prices, spelled the demise of the iron and steel industry in Londonderry. The fatal blow to the community came with a destructive fire in 1920 which destroyed a large portion of the town. The mine operations were foreclosed in 1924 and the town never recovered thereafter. The once vast ruins of the former steel mill were torn down and sold as scrap during the scrap metal drives of World War II.

General information

The CN main line runs through Londonderry Station, about two kilometers east of the village of Londonderry. Lakeshores at Sutherland's Lake and Folly Lake, only a 10 to 15 minute drive away, are sought-after cottage destinations for residents of nearby Truro,

Amherst Amherst may refer to: People * Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name * Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst'' * Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...

, Moncton, and Halifax. Many residents of Londonderry are employed in the nearby

Debert Debert () (2006 pop: 1,471) is an unincorporated farming community in Nova Scotia, Canada. Located in the central-western part of Colchester County, it is approximately west of Truro. The community has two churches ( United Baptist Church and ...

Industrial Park and at the

Ski Wentworth Ski Wentworth is a Canadian alpine ski hill in Nova Scotia's Cobequid Hills. Ski Wentworth is located in the hamlet of Wentworth in the Wentworth Valley, 48 km northwest of Truro and 67 km east of Amherst on Trunk 4. It is the larg ...

ski resort, nestled in the

Cobequid Mountains The Cobequid Mountains, also sometimes referred to as the Cobequid Hills, is a Canadian mountain range located in Nova Scotia in the mainland portion of the province. Geologic history Geologically, the Cobequid Mountains are considered part of ...

, about 20 minutes north of Londonderry along Trunk 4. Londonderry currently has two churches: the Londonderry Station Community Church (also known as the Thirsty Church Project), and St. Ambrose Catholic Church. The Acadia Mines United Church was closed in 2010.

Settlement

The Township of Londonderry, including the Port of Londonderry (now

Great Village Great Village is a rural community of approximately 500 people located along Trunk 2 and the north shore of Cobequid Bay in Colchester County, Nova Scotia. It is considered locally to incorporate the areas of Highland Village to the west and S ...

), was first settled by two groups of Scots Irish emigrants. The first group came from the town of

Londonderry, New Hampshire Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. It sits between Manchester and Derry, the largest and fourth-largest communities in the state. The population was 25,826 at the 2020 census. Londonderry is known f ...

in 1761 whilst a larger contingent who had arrived in Halifax in October 1761 on the ship '' Hopewell'' out of Londonderry in Ireland, settled a few years later once land grants were secured. Both arrangements made by former British army Captain Alexander McNutt, who was formerly stationed at nearby

Fort Cumberland A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...

and was originally from Ireland.

Early settlers

Those who settled Londonderry Township included the following individuals: * Barnhill, John; of Lake,

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

; resident of Londonderry/ Onslow * Clark, John; of Tamlaught Finleggan,

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

* Cochran, Daniel; of Derrykeychen, Antrim * Crawford, Joseph; of Rathmelton, Donegal * Henderson, William; of

Rathmullan Rathmullan () is a seaside village and townland on the Fanad Peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated on the western shore of Lough Swilly, north-east of Ramelton and east of Milford. Rathmullan has historical significance as the ...

, Donegal * Mahon, John; of Rosses, Donegal; resident of Londonderry * McClean, Anthony; of near Letterkenny, Donegal; resident of Londonderry * McNutt, Benjamin Bar; of Killmacrene, Mauagh, Donegal * McNutt, John; of Tullyachnish, Derry * McNutt, William; of Mavagh, Donegal; resident of Onslow * Moore, William; of

Fahan Fahan (; ) is a district of Inishowen in the north of County Donegal, Ireland, located 5 km (3 miles) south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, Saint Mura, first abbot of Fahan, an early Christian monastery. His ...

, Donegal * Morrison, John;of Ry Tollaghebegly Donegal; resident of Londonderry * Patton, Mark; of Fosghan Vael, Derry; resident of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 1974 ...

* Ross, Andrew; of Belreshain, Antrim * Smith, Robert; of Cahery, Drummacose, Derry * Spencer, Robert; of Clanda Horky, Donegal; resident of Londonderry

Notable residents

* Laurie Davidson Cox (1883–1968), leading American landscape architect. *

Frank Parker Day Frank Parker Day (9 May 1881 – 30 July 1950) was a Canadian athlete, academic and author. Since Day's father was a Methodist minister who moved to a new congregation every three years, Day spent his youth living throughout Nova Scotia, living ...

, writer, taught school there * Robert McElhinney (ca 1747–1831), Irish-born political figure who represented Londonderry Township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly *

Archibald McLelan Archibald Woodbury McLelan (20 December 1824 – 26 June 1890) was a Canadian shipbuilder and politician, the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. McLelan was born in Londonderry, Nova Scotia, the son of member of the Nova Scotia H ...

(1824–1890), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia *

James Meissner Major James Armand Meissner (July 20, 1896 – January 16, 1936) was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories and awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses. Early life and service Meissner grew up in Brooklyn, New York and ...

(1896–1936), World War I flying, recipient of two Distinguished Service Crosses. * Thomas Fletcher Morrison (1808–1886), sailor, farmer and political figure in Nova Scotia *

Doris Petrie Doris Petrie (24 July 1918 – 21 August 2000) was a Canadian film and television actress, best known for her roles in the William Fruet films '' Wedding in White'' (1972) and ''Funeral Home'' (1980); and also the television series '' High Hopes'' ...

(1918–2000), Canadian film and television actress

Parks

*Londonderry Play Place *Londonderry Provincial Park *Wentworth Provincial Park

References

External links

Destination: Nova Scotia with a road map of the Londonderry area

{{Authority control Communities in Colchester County Mining communities in Nova Scotia