Pictou ( ;
Canadian Gaelic
Canadian Gaelic or Cape Breton Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig Chanada, or ), often known in Canadian English simply as Gaelic, is a collective term for the dialects of Scottish Gaelic spoken in Atlantic Canada.
Scottish Gaels were settled in Nova Scot ...
: ''Baile Phiogto'') is a town in
Pictou County
Pictou County is a county in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 43,657 people in 2021, a decline of 0.2 percent from 2016. Furthermo ...
, in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
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 on the north shore of
Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of
New Glasgow.
Once an active shipping port and the
shire town
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of the county, today Pictou is primarily a local service centre for surrounding rural communities and the primary tourist destination in this region of Nova Scotia.
The name Pictou derives from 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 northe ...
name , meaning "explosive place", a reference to the river of pitch that was found in the area, or perhaps from
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
bubbling up from coal seams below the harbour.
History
Pictou Town had been the location of an annual
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 northe ...
summer coastal community prior to European settlement. Pictou was part of the Epekwitk aq Piktuk
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 northe ...
District, which included present-day
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
and Pictou.
Pictou Town was a receiving point for many
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
immigrants moving to a new home in northern Nova Scotia and
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
The island accounts for 18. ...
following the
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances ( gd, Fuadaichean nan Gàidheal , the "eviction of the Gaels") were the evictions of a significant number of tenants in the Scottish Highlands and Islands, mostly in two phases from 1750 to 1860.
The first phase resulte ...
of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The first wave of immigrants arrived on September 15, 1773, on the
''Hector''. While there were a significant number of Scottish people settled in other parts of Nova Scotia at the time Pictou was settled, the town's tourism slogan is "The Birthplace of
New Scotland", which is based on being the first primarily made up Scottish immigrants and the ship ''Hector'' being recognized as the first immigrant ship to sail directly from Scotland to what is now Canada. Pictou today contains many important examples of stone housing constructed by those early generations of Scottish immigrant, which have clear connections to architectural styles and design in Scotland itself.
When the ''Hector'' arrived, there were already a few families in Pictou that had arrived on the ''Betsy'' six years earlier. The town has an indirect connection to Scottish settlement in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
; the Reverend
Norman McLeod emigrated to Pictou from Scotland some years after the ''Hector'' but eventually re-settled with his parishioners at
St. Ann's on
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada.
The island accounts for 18. ...
. He later encouraged his parishioners to move to
Waipu Waipu may refer to:
New Zealand
*Waipu Lagoons, near New Plymouth
*Waipu, New Zealand, town in Northland
*Waipu River, river in Northland
Taiwan
*Waipu District, Taichung
*Waipu Fishing Port
The Waipu Fishing Port () is a fishing port in Houl ...
where there are still many descendants from Pictou and St. Ann's.
During the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
, in November 1777 at Pictou, American privateers from Machias captured the ship ''Molly'', under the command of Captain
William Lowden
Captain William Lowden (born circa 1740 – died 20 February 1820) was an early shipbuilder and pioneer of Pictou, Nova Scotia. With his sons, he built the first shipyard in Pictou in 1788. For his achievements, he is considered to be the father o ...
. Local resident
Wellwood Waugh Wellwood may refer to:
* Wellwood, Fife, a small village to the north of Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
* Wellwood, Manitoba, an unincorporated community in Canada
* Wellwood Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Pinelawn, New York
*Caroline Wellwood (1870s ...
was implicated in the raid on Pictou and was forced to move to
Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia. He became a prominent inhabitant and Waugh River is named after him.
In 1812
Sir Hector Maclean (the
7th Baronet of Morvern and 23rd Chief of the
Clan Maclean) emigrated to Pictou from
Glensanda and Kingairloch in Scotland with almost the entire population of 500.
[Cambridge University, Manuscripts - MacLean Sinclair 1899: p282](_blank)
/ref>
/ref> Sir Hector is buried in the cemetery at Pictou.[A History of the Clan Maclean from its first settlement at Duard Castle, in the Isle of Mull, to the present period including a genealogical account of some of the principal Families together with their Heraldry, Legends, Superstitions etc".](_blank)
by J. P. MacLean, 1889, p. 263.
During the latter part of the 19th century, Pictou's industrial sector gained strength. The Intercolonial Railway
The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway (ICR), was a historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways. As the railway was also completely ow ...
was built to the town on a spur from the Stellarton
Stellarton is a town located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is adjacent and to the south of the larger town of New Glasgow. In pioneer times the area was called Coal Mines Station, and from 1833 until 1889, it was known as Albion Min ...
- Oxford Junction "Short Line". Shipbuilding increased through the 19th century, particularly with the increase in coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when dea ...
being shipped from Pictou Landing, Abercrombie and the East River of Pictou. A number of shipyards have been continuously established in the town since this period. A notable shipbuilding accomplishment was the speedy construction of 24 Park ship
Park ships were merchant steamships constructed for Canada’s Merchant Navy during the Second World War. Park ships and Fort ships (built in Canada for operation by the British) were the Canadian equivalent of the American Liberty ships. All th ...
freighters by the newly created Pictou Shipyard
The Pictou Shipyard is a Canadian shipbuilding site located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, and made famous by its use as an emergency shipbuilding facility in World War II, during which it constructed twenty-four 4,700-ton Scandinavian class freigh ...
in World War II. After the war the shipyard continued operation building many fishing trawlers and ferries. The port's cargo activity increased after the nearby Scott Maritimes pulp mill opened in Abercrombie in 1965. CN Rail abandoned its service to the town in the late 1980s but other transportation - including Highway 106 (the Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...
) - opened in the 1970s to provide alternatives.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Pictou had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Education
Pictou Academy is the town's high school and was founded in 1803 by Dr. Thomas McCulloch, who was travelling to his new clergy posting on Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
. He was convinced to stay the winter and ended up remaining in Pictou for much longer. Disappointed by the lack of education among Pictonians, Dr. McCulloch decided to start a "college". There was considerable argument between Dr. Thomas McCulloch and Nova Scotia's provincial government for funding however it finally became a reality in 1816 when the Pictou Academy was incorporated. The province of Nova Scotia would not let it be named a "college," as such, but it was a school of higher education (senior matriculation) which was open to people of every race and denomination.
Between 1816 and the present, Pictou Academy has been in four separate buildings. The school was moved from its original building to a new site, while the second and third buildings both burned down. There were Academy graduates from every year since it was incorporated, excluding the years between several of its different buildings.
At the start of the school year of 2003–2004, all high schools in Pictou County were closed, and their students began to go to the two new "superschools", Northumberland Regional High School, and North Nova Education Centre
North Nova Education Centre (NNEC) is a Canadian high school in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. It serves roughly 1200 students from the eastern side of Pictou County. It is administratively part of the "Celtic Region" of the Chignecto-Central Region ...
, for their education. The only exception to this is Pictou Academy, which continues to operate.
The town operates a small library and C@P site.
Attractions
The primary tourist attraction in Pictou Town is the waterfront along Pictou Town Harbour. During the 1990s-2000s, industrial land on the Pictou Town waterfront was redeveloped with the centrepiece being construction of the replica tall ship ''Hector''. Now completed, the ship is docked each summer at the Hector Heritage Quay, an interpretive centre that includes three floors of exhibits, as well as access to the floating replica. From 2020 to 2023, the ship is being refurbished and set to be open to visitors again on the 250th anniversary of the landing of the original Ship Hector. Next door to the Hector Heritage Quay is the Northumberland Fisheries Museum, Lobster Hatchery, and Lighthouse Museum.
In early July, the Lobster Carnival takes place. The Lobster Carnival is a yearly event celebrating the end of the fishing season and has been a town festival since 1934. The carnival includes a midway, concerts, a pageant, a car show, fireworks, and lobster dinners.
The waterfront redevelopment also features a marina and small boardwalk that connects to the Trans-Canada Trail. The historic Intercolonial Railway
The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway (ICR), was a historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways. As the railway was also completely ow ...
station on the waterfront has been restored.
Grohmann Knives Ltd, the only knife manufacturing factory in Canada, are the sole producers of the historic D.H. Russell Belt Knives and Grohmann Kitchen Knives for over 50 years. Free factory tours of the plant are offered to the public.
The McCulloch House Museum
The McCulloch House Museum in Pictou, Nova Scotia is a site of the Nova Scotia Museum. It boasts interpretive materials designed to tell the story of Thomas McCulloch and his roles in education and politics in Pictou in the early 19th century. As ...
on the edge of downtown offers a research centre and a nineteenth-century house museum. The house, once belonging to Rev. Dr. Thomas McCulloch
Dr. Thomas McCulloch (1776 – September 9, 1843) was a Scottish-born, Presbyterian minister, author, educator, and education reformer. He was the founder and principal of Pictou Academy (pronounced ''pick-toe'') and the first principal of D ...
, is part of the Nova Scotia Museum network and their museum pass program.
The war cenotaph was sculpted by the renowned George Hill.
Water taxis and boat tours of the harbour are available, which also connect to the town of New Glasgow.
Pictou Town is 5 kilometres south of the port of Caribou
Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subspe ...
where Northumberland Ferries Limited operates a seasonal vehicle-pedestrian ferry service to Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
; there is also a pedestrian-only ferry that operates seasonally to Pictou Island
Pictou Island is a Canadian island located in the Northumberland Strait approximately north of Nova Scotia and south of Prince Edward Island. The island has a length of 9.5 km, a width of 2.5 km and a total area of approximately 12.8&nb ...
. Several beaches are located near Pictou Town, most notably Caribou Provincial Park and Waterside Beach Provincial Park.
Notable people
* Peter Crerar, civil engineer, came to Pictou Town from Scotland in 1817. Designed and built the Albion Mines Railway, the first standard gauge railroad in North America.
* Sir John William Dawson
Sir John William Dawson (1820–1899) was a Canadian geologist and university administrator.
Life and work
John William Dawson was born on 13 October 1820 in Pictou, Nova Scotia, where he attended and graduated from Pictou Academy. Of Scott ...
, born in Pictou Town in 1820. He resided in Pictou Town until 1840, when he travelled to Scotland to complete his education in geology and natural history at the University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
. He returned to Nova Scotia in 1842 and served as superintendent of education from 1850 to 1853. In 1855, he moved to Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, to become the principal of McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
, a position he held with distinction until 1893.
* Henry Hatton
Henry Hatton ( – 31 July 1853) was an Irish-born merchant, ship builder and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Pictou township from 1836 to 1843 in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as a Conservative.
He was born in Gorey, ...
, merchant, shipbuilder, and political figure
* William Lowden
Captain William Lowden (born circa 1740 – died 20 February 1820) was an early shipbuilder and pioneer of Pictou, Nova Scotia. With his sons, he built the first shipyard in Pictou in 1788. For his achievements, he is considered to be the father o ...
, the first shipbuilder in Pictou Town
* Carmen MacDonald
Carmen MacDonald (born December 4, 1992) is a Canadian retired ice hockey goaltender who most recently played for the St. Lawrence Saints in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Career
MacDonald participated with the 2010 and 2011 Ne ...
, an ice hockey goaltender for the St. Lawrence Saints
The St. Lawrence Saints are composed of 33 teams representing St. Lawrence University in intercollegiate athletics, including men and women's alpine skiing, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, nordic skiing, riding, rowing, so ...
, a university team from New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
. She won a gold medal as part of Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team at the 2010 IIHF World Women’s Under-18 Championship in Chicago.
* Christie MacDonald
Christie MacDonald (February 28, 1875 – July 25, 1962) was a Canadian-born American musical comedy actress and opera singer. She was perhaps best remembered as the Princess of Bozena in the 1910 operetta ''Spring Maid''. The 1913 musical ' ...
, American stage actress & singer (1875–1962)
* Joey MacDonald
Joseph Leonard MacDonald (born February 7, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs, ...
, a former NHL goaltender
* James Drummond MacGregor
Rev. James Drummond MacGregor ( gd, an t-Urr. Seumas MacGriogar) (December 1759 – 3 March 1830) was an author of Christian poetry in both Scottish and Canadian Gaelic, an abolitionist and Presbyterian minister in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Life and ...
, first published abolitionist in Canada
* Arthur Stanley Mackenzie
Arthur Stanley Mackenzie (September 20, 1865 – October 2, 1938) was a Canadian physicist and university president. He was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia and educated at Dalhousie University, Halifax, and Johns Hopkins University.
He was instr ...
, president of Dalhousie University
Vessels
Three naval vessels have been named for Pictou, two Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
schooners during the War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
(see: ), and HMCS ''Pictou'', a ''Flower''-class corvette that served in the Atlantic during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
See also
* List of municipalities in Nova Scotia
* Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital
The Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital is a restorative care, veterans and various outpatient and community-based services hospital in Pictou, Nova Scotia. It opened on June 1, 1966. It serves approximately 48,000 people in Pictou County, Nova Sco ...
References
External links
Official website of the Town of Pictou
{{Authority control
Communities in Pictou County
Towns in Nova Scotia
Populated coastal places in Canada
Populated places established in 1773
1773 establishments in the British Empire