Summerville is a small community in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province 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 in The Municipality of the District of West Hants in

Hants County Hants County is an historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants. History Formation The county of Hants ...

. As of 2015, the population of Summerville was estimated to be 248.

History

The identities of the Acadians who settled this community prior to the

Expulsion of the Acadians The Expulsion of the Acadians, also known as the Great Upheaval, the Great Expulsion, the Great Deportation, and the Deportation of the Acadians (french: Le Grand Dérangement or ), was the forced removal, by the British, of the Acadian pe ...

are unknown. After 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 ...

, Summerville,

was first settled by

American Loyalists Loyalists were colonists in the Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War, often referred to as Tories, Royalists or King's Men at the time. They were opposed by the Patriots, who support ...

Captain

John Robert Grant Captain John Robert Grant (1729–1790, aged 61) fought in the American Revolution and then became an American Loyalist and the first British settler of Summerville, Nova Scotia. Family Captain Grant was born in Strathspey, Scotland, along wi ...

. A large wharf was built at Summerville in the late 19th century to export

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

. It was also used to repair ships and later became a vessel graveyard for old sailing ships converted to gypsum

barges Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by Pusher (boat) ...

. Trace of the hulls of several of these large sailing vessels may still be seen at low tide, including the hull of the Barque ''Hamburg'', the largest barque ever built in Canada.

Notable people

William Hall (VC) William Nelson Edward HallHall's middle name is sometimes given as "Edward" but Parks Canada historian David States located his baptismal certificate which records his middle name as "Nelson", sometimes misspelled as Nielson. States, David W. " ...

– Summerville born winner of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

during the

Indian rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

. Hall was the first black person as well as the first Nova Scotian to receive the award.

Climate

Restaurant

A small restaurant and inn is operated in Summerville, originally called "The Avon Emporium" and "Shipright Inn", respectively. In February 2014 "the emporium" as many locals called it was bought by the owners of "The Flying Apron", relocating from Tantallon, NS.

Shuffleboard Team

Since 2007, Summerville has been the home of the Summerville Daryns who practice and play in the area.

References

Endnotes Sources
T. Watson Smith. Loyalist History: John Grant. ''Acadiensis'' 1903. pp. 6–18
* Edith Mosher. ''Land of a Loyalist The Story of John Grant'. (1988, Lancelot Press)
Bergen Family History – History of John Grant and wife Sarah Bergen

External links

Summerville on Destination Nova Scotia

Summerville, Nova Scotia
Communities in Hants County, Nova Scotia General Service Areas in Nova Scotia {{HantsNS-geo-stub