Indian Harbour is a small

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

community of the

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 ...

in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

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 ...

on the

Chebucto Peninsula The Chebucto Peninsula is a peninsula located in central Nova Scotia, Canada, entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality on the Atlantic coast. It is bordered by St. Margarets Bay in the west, the open Atlantic Ocean to the south, and ...

. It is located between the communities of Peggy's Cove and

Hackett's Cove Hackett's Cove is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Halifax Regional Municipality on the Chebucto Peninsula The Chebucto Peninsula is a peninsula located in central Nova Scotia, Canada, entirely within the Hali ...

History

Indian Harbour was founded in the early 18th century. The first recorded person to live in Indian Harbour was John Ormsby in 1784. The first and the oldest house in Indian Harbour is still standing today at the age of over 250 years. Indian Harbour is located next to the popular tourist destination Peggy's Cove and its famous lighthouse. There is also a lighthouse in Indian Harbour, located at the end of Paddy's Head Peninsula. The lighthouse was built in 1901 and staffed until 1945, when power was introduced to the area. Indian Harbour's roads were dirt and had to be up kept by the locals until 1955 when Route 333 was widened and paved. In recent years one of Canada's biggest air disasters took place over the Atlantic Ocean near St. Margarets Bay. On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed just off the coast; all 229 people on board died. Today in the memory of all 229 crew and passengers there is a memorial in the community just before entering the Peggy's Cove area. Nova Scotian singer

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...

use to own a beach in Indian Harbour, on the Paddy's Head Peninsula, she allowed the public to use the beach, but the property was sold in 1999.

Schools

Indian Harbour has had three schools in its history. The first school was built in 1878 and is said to have burnt down; it was located on the Government Wharf Road, 50 yards from the Baptist church. In 1891 the second school was built where East St. Margaret's Elementary currently stands. This school served the communities of

, Indian Harbour and Peggy's Cove. On November 18, 1958, East St Margaret's Elementary School opened its doors. The school served grades primary to twelve; in 1966 the grades were reduced to primary to eight; when Tantallon Junior High opened in 1972, the grades were reduced to primary to six. Today East St. Margaret's is still serving Indian Harbour. The school has room for 198 students.

Swissair Flight 111

On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed into St. Margaret's Bay with the loss of all 229 aboard. One of two memorials to the victims of the disaster is located at The Whalesback, in Indian Harbour. The other is located at

Bayswater, Nova Scotia Bayswater is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Chester Municipal District on the Aspotogan Peninsula in Lunenburg County on the Lighthouse Route (Nova Scotia Route 329). The community is home to Bayswater Beac ...

, on the

Aspotogan Peninsula The Aspotogan Peninsula () is a peninsula in the eastern part of Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, separating St. Margarets Bay in the east from Mahone Bay in the west. The peninsula was originally settled by second generation French immigrants on ...

on the western shore of the bay. The two monuments and the actual crash site are at the vertices of a roughly equilateral triangle across the bay. The monument at Whalesback reads in English and French: "In memory of the 229 men, women and children aboard Swissair Flight 111 who perished off these shores September 2nd, 1998. They have been joined to the sea, and the sky. May they rest in peace." The three notches represent the numerals 111. The sight line from the three grooves in the stone points to the crash site, while the markings on the facing stone point to the memorial at Bayswater. The memorial wall at Bayswater contains the names of the 229 passengers and crew of Flight 111. The facing stone points to the crash site.

Transit

Currently there are no buses running from Halifax to Indian Harbour; the closest bus route is in Tantallon where the " MetroX" and Metro Transit run busses from Tantallon to Halifax.

Television

Indian Harbour gets all of the local television from Halifax. The following television stations air in St. Margarets Bay: * CBC Nova Scotia (

CBHT-DT CBHT-DT (channel 3) is a CBC Television station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The station's studios are located on Chebucto Road in Halifax, and its transmitter is located on Washmill Lake Drive (near Bently Drive) on the city's west side. C ...

) * CTV Maritimes (

CJCH-DT CJCH-DT (channel 5) is a television station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, part of the CTV Television Network. Owned and operated by network parent Bell Media, the station maintains studios on Robie and Russell Streets in Halifax, and its tran ...

) * Global Maritimes ( CHIF-DT)

Local business

Local businesses include Rhubarb Restaurant, Make and Break Cafe, YardArm Restaurant, the King Neptune Campground, the Oceanstone Inn and Cottages, and the Clifty Cove Motel."Clifty Cove Motel," accessed July 10, 2011
http://cliftycovemotel.com/
Indian Harbour only has one store, the Whale's Back; locals call it "the store". The Whale's Back serves people from West Dover to Glen Haven and tourists in the summer; it has the same owners as the Sou' Wester Restaurant & Giftshop in Peggy's Cove.

References

{{Communities of St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia Communities in Halifax, Nova Scotia Unincorporated communities in Nova Scotia