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Enfield is an unincorporated community in the Canadian province of
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...
, located in both East Hants Municipality and
Halifax Regional Municipality Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
. Enfield is situated along the
Shubenacadie River The Shubenacadie River () is a river in Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a meander length of approximately 72 km from its source at Shubenacadie Grand Lake to its mouth at the community of Maitland on the Cobequid Bay. The lower 30 km of t ...
and its source at Grand Lake, and is directly adjacent to the community of Elmsdale. The area encompassing Enfield, Elmsdale,
Lantz __NOTOC__ Lantz may refer to: People * Lantz (surname), a surname of German and Swedish origin * Lantz (given name) Places Canada *Lantz, Nova Scotia Spain *Lantz, Spain, Navarre United States *Lantz, West Virginia *Lantz Arena in Charlesto ...
, and
Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...
is colloquially referred to as "The Corridor". The namesake of Enfield is the town of
Enfield, Connecticut Enfield is a New England town, town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, first settled by John and Robert Pease of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. ...
, the former residence of an early settler.


History


18th and 19th centuries

The lands including the present day community of Enfield were part of a
land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
of 20,000 acres provided to
Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...
by the Privy Council of Nova Scotia in 1767. Franklin had applied for the land grant in 1765 and by the time he received it had largely lost interest in developing the lands. While he never moved to Nova Scotia himself, he hired a man named Mr. Hall to settle the lands and operate a hotel there named the "Wayside Inn." Franklin would bequeath these lands to his son,
William Franklin William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged extra-marital son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial G ...
, who fought against his father in the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. Benjamin Franklin was quite wealthy at the time of his death, and leaving solely these undeveloped, worthless lands to his son was considered to be a final act of retribution.
"To my son, William Franklin, late Governor of the Jerseys, I give and devise all the lands I hold or have a right to in the Province of Nova Scotia … The part he acted against me in the late war, which is of public notoriety, will account for my leaving him no more of an estate he endeavoured to deprive me of." ''The Last Will and Testament of Benjamin Franklin''
While the lands were left to William Franklin upon his father's death, ownership of the land would have been unclear as the terms of the agreement stipulated that the land must be settled within ten years of ownership. William would never again return to North America, and the exact nature of the settlement in the area at the time is unclear. The first recorded settler in the area is William Hall, who established himself in the area in 1830. By the 1860s, there were five families in the area, which at the time was referred to as "The Crossing." The families included that of Henry Donaldson (farmer), Thomas Donaldson (trader), John Hall (trader), Donald McKenzie (farmer), and James McKenzie (deputy gold commissioner). In 1862 the settlers held a public meeting at Malcolm Pottery House to decide on a name for the growing community. The name "Enfield" was suggested by Thomas B. Donaldson, recalling his time living in
Enfield, Connecticut Enfield is a New England town, town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, first settled by John and Robert Pease of Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. ...
. After selling his general store business in 1867, Thomas Donaldson purchased the Hall farm in Enfield. By 1871 he had firmly established himself in the community and began planning for the construction of a church. The building was completed by 1872, operating originally as a
Methodist church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
and later a
United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestantism, Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinc ...
. Enfield experienced a period of growth during the mid-19th century as a shipping hub for the nearby
gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...
area of
Renfrew Renfrew (; ; ) is a town west of Glasgow in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. It is the historic county town of Renfrewshire. Called the "Cradle of the Royal Stewarts" for its early link with Scotland's former royal house, Renfrew gaine ...
. During this time a system of locks on the
Shubenacadie River The Shubenacadie River () is a river in Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a meander length of approximately 72 km from its source at Shubenacadie Grand Lake to its mouth at the community of Maitland on the Cobequid Bay. The lower 30 km of t ...
was constructed to assist small vessels in navigating from the
Bay of Fundy The Bay of Fundy () is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world. The bay was ...
to nearby Grand Lake as part of the
Shubenacadie Canal The Shubenacadie Canal is a canal in central Nova Scotia, Canada. It links Halifax Harbour with the Bay of Fundy by way of the Shubenacadie River and Shubenacadie Grand Lake. Begun in 1826, it was not completed until 1861 and was closed in 1871 ...
. The Horne family, well known in Enfield today, are descended from German immigrant Jacob Horn. Horn immigrated to America and was piloting a boat from
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
when General James Wolfe stopped in Halifax on the way to
Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The harbour had been used by European mariners since at least the 1590s, when it was known as English Port and Havre à l'An ...
in 1759. After the capture of Louisbourg, Horn was given a land grant on
McNab's Island McNabs Island (formerly Cornwallis Island) is the largest island in Halifax Harbour located in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It played a major role in defending Halifax Harbour and is now a provincial park. The island was se ...
, where he built a home. The location on the island was inconvenient for trading and transporting
cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
, and Horn would later give up this grant and move to Eastern Passage. His grant there was a 220 acre plot originally granted to
Joseph Goreham Joseph Gorham (sometimes recorded as Goreham, 1725–1790) was an American colonial military officer during King George's War and later a United Kingdom, British army commander during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. ...
on 20 July 1752,
escheated Escheat () is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied to ...
on 24 August 1797, and granted to Jacob Horn on 1 November 1798.


20th century

Enfield continued to grow steadily into the 20th century. During this time, Enfield became known as the home of Edmund H. Horne;
prospector Prospector may refer to: Space exploration * Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962 * ''Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft Trains * Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ra ...
, miner, and descendent of Jacob Horn. Horne had spent a number of years traveling the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and Canada before discovering the site of the
Noranda Mines Noranda Mines, Limited, and from 1984 onwards Noranda Inc., was a mining and metallurgy company originally from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada. It was listed on the TSX under the symbol NRD.LV. After eventually acquiring a large interest in rival ...
in
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
. After finding success in Quebec he eventually returned to his hometown of Enfield and established his estate, Monte Vista Farm, on Grand Lake. At his estate Horne raised prize winning cattle and established himself as an integral part of the community. Around 1940, Reverend J.J. Devine, the parish priest of St. Bernard's Church, approached Horne to express the need for a new school in the community. Horne would organize and fund the construction of a four classroom school, with a library and auditorium. The E. H. Horne School opened in 1943 teaching grades primary to eleven, and the auditorium would become a major asset for the community for concerts, meetings, and other events. When the church in Enfield was destroyed by fire in March 1944, services were held in the school while residents waited for a new church venue. When
Hants East Rural High School Hants East Rural High (HERH) is a Canadian high school located in Milford, Nova Scotia. The school was opened in 1957 and is administratively part of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board. One of its feeder schools is Riverside Education ...
opened in nearby
Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...
in 1957, the E. H. Horne School would be reduced to teaching grades primary to six. The E. H. Horne school continued to be used as a school until 2000.


21st century

Situated near the halfway point between Halifax and
Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...
, Enfield was once home to a prominent railway station constructed by the
Nova Scotia Railway The Nova Scotia Railway is a historic Canadian railway. It was composed of two lines, one connecting Richmond (immediately north of Halifax) with Windsor, the other connecting Richmond with Pictou Landing via Truro. The railway was incorpor ...
and later the
Intercolonial Railway The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway (ICR), was a historic Canada, Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways. As the railway was also compl ...
and
Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company () is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN is Canada's largest railway, in terms of both revenue a ...
; it has since been sold, moved and now is a private cottage near Monte Vista. In 2016, Enfield residents Lorraine and Hervé Burri funded the creation of a new park in Enfield beside St. Bernard's Church. Upon its opening in 2017, St. Bernard's Park featured 100 different species of flowers, 25 different species of trees and 20 different species of grasses. A
Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...
and 400 square-foot red spruce
gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...
was also constructed in the park. On April 19, 2020, a
spree killing A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders in a short time, often in multiple locations. There are different opinions about what durations of time a killing spree may take place in. The United States ...
that spanned a wide area of Nova Scotia resulted in a police chase that ended on Highway 2 in Enfield.


Geography

Enfield lies in the
Shubenacadie Valley The Shubenacadie Valley is a Canadian rural region in central Nova Scotia. The picturesque Shubenacadie River flows through the valley, which is framed by low hills from its source at Shubenacadie Grand Lake in north-central Halifax County, the ...
, on the northwestern and eastern side of Grand Lake, situated along the
meanders A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank or river cliff) and deposits sediments on an inn ...
of the
Shubenacadie River The Shubenacadie River () is a river in Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a meander length of approximately 72 km from its source at Shubenacadie Grand Lake to its mouth at the community of Maitland on the Cobequid Bay. The lower 30 km of t ...
. The community is situated north of
Halifax Stanfield International Airport Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime p ...
on the border of
Hants County Hants County is a 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 ...
and Halifax County. Enfield exists in both the East Hants Municipality and
Halifax Regional Municipality Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
.


Climate

Enfield has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
with some marine influence, as typical of Nova Scotia. The nearest station is at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport located around south of the Enfield core.


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; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...
, the area of Enfield—Lantz had a population of 6,583 living in 2,724 of its 2,806 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 6,807. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


Economy

Enfield is a
bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...
with a small but diverse local economy. Employment in the area is concentrated in health care and social assistance (12%), retail trade (12%), public administration (12%), and construction (9%). The East Hants Chamber of Commerce is based in Enfield and services the surrounding business community. A major economic driver for the area is the nearby
Halifax Stanfield International Airport Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime p ...
.
Air Canada Jazz An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...
and Maritime Air Charter have their headquarters adjacent to the airport. Now-defunct
CanJet CanJet was a Canadian low-cost airline headquartered in Enfield, Nova Scotia, Enfield, Nova Scotia and based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. In addition to initially flying scheduled passenger service, CanJet operated charter flights ...
and
Air Nova Air Nova was a Canadian regional airline based in Enfield, Nova Scotia, Canada that became part of Air Canada Regional in 2001. In 2002, the airlines Air BC, Air Ontario, Air Nova and Canadian Regional Airlines were merged to form a new ai ...
were also based in the vicinity of the airport.


Sports

The Enfield Rugby Football Club (Established 2007) won the NSRFU Summer Division II Championship against the Halifax Tars 26-12 after completing an undefeated 8-0 season. They were also the Truro 7's Indoor Rugby Men's Div 'A' Champions for 2009.


Notable residents

*
Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English musician and founder of the Rolling Stones. Initially a slide guitarist, he went on to sing backing vocals and played a wide variety of instruments on Rolling Stones r ...
(born 1994), professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player *
Cam Lefresne Cameron Lefresne (born 30 June 1994) is a male international Canadian lawn bowler. Bowls career World Championships In 2020, he was selected for the sport's blue riband event, the 2020 World Outdoor Bowls Championship in Australia but the ev ...
(born 1994), professional
lawn bowler Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...
*
Luke Boyd Luke Boyd (born 22 April 1987 in Sydney) is an Indigenous Australian professional boxer who competes as a featherweight. As an amateur, Boyd represented Australia at the 2008 Olympics, reaching the round of 32 of the bantamweight bracket. Ama ...
(born 1977), rapper and record producer * Edmond Henry Horne (1865–1953), businessman and prospector *
Jack Hawkins John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mili ...
(born 1932), former politician * Joseph Phillip Kennedy (born 1945), former Chief Justice of the
Nova Scotia Supreme Court The Nova Scotia Supreme Court is a superior court in the province of Nova Scotia. The Supreme Court consists of 25 judicial seats including the position of Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice. At any given time there may be one or more addi ...
*
Nathan MacKinnon Nathan Raymond MacKinnon (born September 1, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). MacKinnon was selected first overall by the Avalanche in the ...
(born 1995), professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
player * Ryan Mader (born 1982), professional
wrestler Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves diffe ...
*
Sidney Crosby Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre and Captain (ice hockey), captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubb ...
(born 1987), professional ice hockey player


References


External links


Enfield Heritage Centre Association WebsiteThe Laker, Enfield newspaper
{{Authority control Communities in Hants County, Nova Scotia Communities in Halifax, Nova Scotia Designated places in Nova Scotia Unincorporated communities in Nova Scotia