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 Mines. The town was incorporated as Stellarton in 1889 and owes its name to a specific type of

torbanite Torbanite, also known as boghead coal or channel coal, is a variety of fine-grained black oil shale. It usually occurs as lenticular masses, often associated with deposits of Permian coals. Torbanite is classified as lacustrine type oil shale ...

which came to be known as "stellarite" because of the "stars of fire" given off by its sparky flame.

History

In the 1790s, coal quickly became a key focus of the local economy. The Foord coal seam (from which the main street of Stellarton derives its name) runs through most of the town and is part of the greater Stellarton Basin/Pictou Coalfield. As part of an area recognized by geologists for its unique oil shales and thick coal seams, the Foord seam is said to be the thickest in the world with estimate of coal seams being as thick as 48 feet. In the 1820s, the mines were taken over by the General Mining Association which intensified production with new technology including the first steam engine in Nova Scotia for pumping and in 1839 Samson, the oldest railway locomotive in Canada which carried coal to waiting ships.“The Saga Of The Samson: Canada's Oldest Locomotive” ''Pictou County Historical Society'' (1968) digitized by Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library
/ref> Samson is now preserved at the

Nova Scotia Museum of Industry The Nova Scotia Museum of Industry is a provincial museum located in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, dedicated to the story of Nova Scotia work and workers. Part of the Nova Scotia Museum system, the museum aims to explain how Nova Scotia was affected by ...

in Stellarton.

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 ...

, Stellarton 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.

Major businesses

The town is still home to coal mining operations, the Stellarton Surface Coal Mine has been operated by Pioneer Coal since 1980. The Canadian grocery chain

Sobeys Sobeys Inc. is the second largest supermarket chain in Canada, with over 1,500 stores operating across Canada under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales o ...

is based out of Stellarton, and its corporate offices and grocery subsidiaries provides a fair percentage of the town's employment. Sobeys subsidiaries based in Stellarton include

Big 8 Beverages Big 8 Beverages is a soft drinks company based in the town of Stellarton, near New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Canada. Established in 1986 and owned by the Sobeys chain of supermarkets, which is also headquartered in Stellarton, the company produces fi ...

, TRA Cash and Carry, Eastern Sign-Print and Regional Distribution Centre. One business that did not work out was the Clairtone factory, the brainchild of entrepreneurs Peter Munk and

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...

, encouraged by local businessman and politician

Frank H. Sobey Frank H. Sobey, OC (May 24 1902 – December 15, 1985) was a Canadian businessman and art collector who was the primary builder of the Sobeys chain of supermarkets. Life and career Born in the farming community of Lyons Brook, Nova Scotia, ...

Attractions

Stellarton is home to the

, part of the Nova Scotia Museum system. Stellarton is noted for its painted fire hydrants, each adorned with a costumed representative of a town inhabitant or profession.

Stellarton Memorial Ice Rink

The Stellarton Memorial Rink is a Rink in Stellarton that was made in 1945 to remember the soldiers that died in World War I and World War II The rink is still standing today but has not been used for several years

Notable people

James Peter Robertson James Peter Robertson (26 October 1883 – 6 November 1917) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. D ...

- recipient of the Victoria Cross *

Leo McKay Jr. Leo McKay Jr. (born June 19, 1964) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer from Stellarton, Nova Scotia. He also is a periodic contributor to ''The Globe and Mail''.Bad heart, good tale Leo McKay Jr.. The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ont.: Sep ...

- novelist *

Blayre Turnbull Blayre Turnbull (born July 15, 1993) is a Canadian ice hockey player for the PWHPA. She made her debut with the Canada women's national ice hockey team at the 2014 4 Nations Cup. Career Turnbull attended Shattuck-St. Mary's, where she was a cl ...

- Olympic gold and silver medalist in Women's Hockey

Navigator

References

External links

Town of Stellarton
{{Subdivisions of Nova Scotia Communities in Pictou County Towns in Nova Scotia Mining communities in Nova Scotia