Moser River is a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are de ...

community on the Eastern Shore 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 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, in the

Halifax Regional Municipality Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. Th ...

. The community lies along the Marine Drive on Trunk 7, east of Sheet Harbour and southwest of

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional cou ...

. The community is located along the shores of Necum Teuch Harbour, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, and is at the mouth of Moser River. The area was called ''Noogoomkeak'' in the

mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the no ...

language, translating to "soft sand place". The community is named for Henry Moser, who was the son of Jacob Moser, who settled the area in the early 1800s. The first school in the community was built in 1905, and another school, Moser River Consolidated School, was built in 1957. The school closed in 2015, due to its very low student population.

Marine Drive Academy Marine Drive Academy (MDA) is a P-12 school in Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada. The school is located in the Halifax Regional Municipality and is a part of the Halifax Regional Centre for Education. It is located adjacent to its predecessor, ...

in Sheet Harbour serves the community and its surroundings at all grade levels. There is a small seaside park in the community near the former school, as well as a post office and convenience store.

Geography

Moser River is a small rural community located along the Eastern Shore of

, in the eastern area of the

. The community is located on the shores of Necum Teuch Harbour, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. The harbour extends southeast-ward from the community, extending into Necum Teuch Bay, and in turn the Atlantic Ocean. The community is located noticeably more inland compared to other communities in its vicinity, due to the shape of the harbour. There are several small islands in the harbour, concentrated primarily into two groups. One group of three are near the opening of the harbour into Necum Teuch Bay, and another cluster are more northward. The community is also located at the

mouth In animal anatomy, the mouth, also known as the oral cavity, or in Latin cavum oris, is the opening through which many animals take in food and issue vocal sounds. It is also the cavity lying at the upper end of the alimentary canal, bounded on ...

of Moser River. It flows into the harbour and its headwaters are at Moser Lake, which straddles the border between the Halifax Regional Municipality and

Guysborough County Guysborough County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. History Taking its name from the Township of Guysborough, which was named in honour of Sir Guy Carleton, Guysborough County was created when Sydney County (Antigonish Cou ...

. The lake is at an elevation of about and is located about northwest-ward of the community. On its course southeast-ward from Moser Lake, the river flows through several ponds and lakes. The river also traverses the western reaches of the Boggy Lake Wilderness Area.

History

Moser River was established in 1783 as a way station and a lumber town. The bulk of Moser River's economy was built on fishing, forestry and tourism. Moser River is named for the Moser family who settled here, more specifically, Henry Moser originally of Lunenburg. Henry Moser immigrated to Canada from Germany in 1751 and settled at the present-day location of Moser River with his wife Johanna by 1809. Moser received land grants in the area around 1810. A

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

church was built in the late 1880s, and a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

church was opened in Moser River on January 4, 1874. The first school in the community was established in the community in May 1905, and Moser River Consolidated School (later referred to as Eastern Consolidated School) was opened in 1957. Eastern Consolidated School was closed in 2015 due to low enrolment. The community now falls under the catchment area of Duncan MacMillan High School, in Sheet Harbour.

References

Citations Bibliography * * {{cite book, last=Vernon, first=Steve, title=Where the Ghosts are, year=2018, publisher=Nimbus Publishing, isbn=978-1-7710869-9-8, ref=Where the Ghosts Are 28: The Moser River Mauler

External links

Bay of Islands

Explore HRM

Communities in Halifax, Nova Scotia General Service Areas in Nova Scotia