New Sarepta is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

central Alberta Central Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. Central Alberta is the most densely populated rural area in the province. Agriculture and energy are important to the area's economy. Geography Central Alberta is bordered ...

, Canada, within

Leduc County Leduc County is a municipal district in Alberta, Canada that is immediately south of the City of Edmonton. It spans east to west and north to south, and has a population of 14,416. The municipal district is home to prairie parkland and several ...

. It is located approximately east of the City of Leduc along Highway 21. New Sarepta dissolved from

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

status to become a hamlet on September 1, 2010. It originally incorporated as a village on January 1, 1960.

History

Name

The ancient

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n city of Sarepta was located on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

coast of today's

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, approximately at the site of the modern village of Sarafand, between

Sidon Sidon ( ; he, צִידוֹן, ''Ṣīḏōn'') known locally as Sayda or Saida ( ar, صيدا ''Ṣaydā''), is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital, on the Mediterranean coast. ...

and Tyre. Sarepta was also mentioned, as Zarephath, in the Old Testament (I Kings 17:9), as the home of

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

during a drought and famine. In the 18th century (1765-1773),

Moravian Brethren , image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , caption = Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei.Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States , main_classification = Proto-Prot ...

from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

established the village of Sarepta, Volgograd, Russia. About a century after its founding, the larger German Lutheran Church in Russia began efforts to take Sarepta under its wing. Many of the Moravian Brethren objected, moving elsewhere in Russia, then choosing to emigrate to the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

, including Canada. Some of these settlers, part of the

Germans from Russia The German minority population in Russia, Ukraine, and the Soviet Union stemmed from several sources and arrived in several waves. Since the second half of the 19th century, as a consequence of the Russification policies and compulsory military ...

diaspora, established a new village in Canada's North-West Territories. From various suggestions, approximately 60 people in the new community signed a document favouring the name Sarepta, honouring their previous village. The government of the North-West Territories designated the name Sarepta to this settlement on October 2, 1904. When the new province of Alberta was split from the North-West Territories in 1905, the government added "New" to distinguish it from the existing place name in Ontario. The Moravian Brethren also felt that it honored and distinguished their newer community from the earlier biblical and Russian villages.

Timeline

*1906 New Sarepta School District #1548 was established. *1912 Long Prairie Store located in New Sarepta area. *1915 Railroad service extended through New Sarepta. *1916 First post office opened. *1920

Moravian Church , image = AgnusDeiWindow.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , caption = Church emblem featuring the Agnus Dei.Stained glass at the Rights Chapel of Trinity Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States , main_classification = Proto-Prot ...

was established in area led by Rev. William Scheel. *1921 Grain elevator built. *1927 New Sarepta village school was organized. *1928 First hotel opened. *1944 Curling rink was built. *1949 Oil boom in Alberta. *1960 New Sarepta incorporated as a village. *1962 New Sarepta Rural Fire was incorporated. *1972 Agriculture building was built. *1984 Tire & Girdle Store was built. *2010 Government of Alberta dissolved the village into a hamlet within Leduc County on September 1, 2010.

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, New Sarepta had a population of 495 living in 194 of its 203 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 522. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, New Sarepta had a population of 522 living in 195 of its 219 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 491. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Religious assemblies

*St. John's Lutheran Church *The House of Prayer (formerly New Sarepta Country Church) *Zion Evangelical Missionary Church

Education

New Sarepta has one elementary school and one high school, both operated by Black Gold Regional Schools.

Recreation

Winter *New Sarepta Minor Hockey Association *New Sarepta Skating Club o Club 2006–present*Girl Guides *senior floor curling Summer *baseball *slowpitch *softball *running track *basketball courts *playgrounds *Bent Stik Golf Course *New Sarepta Minor Soccer Association

References

{{Authority control 2010 disestablishments in Alberta Designated places in Alberta Former villages in Alberta Hamlets in Alberta Populated places disestablished in 2010 History of the America (North) Province of the Moravian Church Leduc County