Londonderry is an

unincorporated Unincorporated may refer to: * Unincorporated area, land not governed by a local municipality * Unincorporated entity, a type of organization * Unincorporated territories of the United States, territories under U.S. jurisdiction, to which Congress ...

community located in Colchester County,

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 ...

, Canada, formerly called Acadia Mines. A bustling

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

and

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

making town of some 5,000 in the late 19th century, the population today stands at around 200.

History

Londonderry saw the pouring of some of the first steel made in Canada, and the first Canadian installation of the

Bessemer process The Bessemer process was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass production of steel from molten pig iron before the development of the open hearth furnace. The key principle is steelmaking, removal of impurities from the iron by ox ...

for making steel. Mining began in 1849 and eventually three mines - East Mines, Old Mountain Mine, and West Mines - were operated. Over 2 million tons of ore were produced. The iron ore seams that encouraged development, originally thought to be enormous, proved to be small, shallow, and very expensive to mine. That, coupled with poor management decisions and failed experiments with rotary type ovens as well as low world steel prices, spelled the demise of the iron and steel industry in Londonderry. The fatal blow to the community came with a destructive fire in 1920 which destroyed a large portion of the town. The mine operations were foreclosed in 1924 and the town never recovered thereafter. The once vast ruins of the former steel mill were torn down and sold as scrap during the scrap metal drives of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

General information

The CN main line runs through Londonderry Station, about two kilometers east of the village of Londonderry. Lakeshores at Sutherland's Lake and Folly Lake, only a 10 to 15 minute drive away, are sought-after cottage destinations for residents of nearby

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

, Amherst,

Moncton Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

, and Halifax. Many residents of Londonderry are employed in the nearby

Debert Debert () (2006 pop: 1,471) is an unincorporated farming community in Nova Scotia, Canada. Located in the central-western part of Colchester County, it is approximately west of Truro. The community has two churches ( United Baptist Church and ...

Industrial Park and at the

Ski Wentworth Ski Wentworth is a Canadian alpine ski hill in Nova Scotia's Cobequid Hills. Ski Wentworth is located in the hamlet of Wentworth in the Wentworth Valley, 48 km northwest of Truro and 67 km east of Amherst on Trunk 4. It is the larg ...

ski resort, nestled in the

Cobequid Mountains The Cobequid Mountains, also sometimes referred to as the Cobequid Hills, is a Canadian mountain range located in Nova Scotia in the mainland portion of the province. Geologic history Geologically, the Cobequid Mountains are considered part of th ...

, about 20 minutes north of Londonderry along Trunk 4. Londonderry currently has two churches: the Londonderry Station Community Church (also known as the Thirsty Church Project), and St. Ambrose Catholic Church. The Acadia Mines United Church was closed in 2010.

Settlement

The Township of Londonderry, including the Port of Londonderry (now Great Village), was first settled by two groups of Scots Irish emigrants. The first group came from the town of

Londonderry, New Hampshire Londonderry is a town in western Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. It sits between Manchester and Derry, the largest and fourth-largest communities in the state. The population was 25,826 at the 2020 census. Londonderry is known f ...

in 1761 whilst a larger contingent who had arrived in Halifax in October 1761 on the ship '' Hopewell'' out of Londonderry in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, settled a few years later once land grants were secured. Both arrangements made by former British army Captain Alexander McNutt, who was formerly stationed at nearby

Fort Cumberland A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

and was originally from Ireland.

Early settlers

Those who settled Londonderry Township included the following individuals: * Barnhill, John; of

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

; resident of Londonderry/ Onslow * Clark, John; of Tamlaught Finleggan,

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

* Cochran, Daniel; of Derrykeychen, Antrim * Crawford, Joseph; of

Rathmelton Ramelton (; ), also Rathmelton, is a town and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. , its population was 1,266. History Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km south of Milford, on th ...

, Donegal * Henderson, William; of Rathmullan, Donegal * Mahon, John; of

Rosses The Rosses (officially known by its Irish language name, ''Na Rosa''; in the genitive case ''Na Rosann'') is a geographical and social region in the west of County Donegal, Ireland, with a population of over 7,000 centred on the town of Dungloe, ...

, Donegal; resident of Londonderry * McClean, Anthony; of near

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

, Donegal; resident of Londonderry * McNutt, Benjamin Bar; of Killmacrene, Mauagh, Donegal * McNutt, John; of Tullyachnish, Derry * McNutt, William; of Mavagh, Donegal; resident of Onslow * Moore, William; of

Fahan Fahan (; ) is a district of Inishowen in the north of County Donegal, Ireland, located 5 km (3 miles) south of Buncrana. In Irish, Fahan is named after its patron saint, Saint Mura, first abbot of Fahan, an early Christian monastery. His ...

, Donegal * Morrison, John;of Ry Tollaghebegly Donegal; resident of Londonderry * Patton, Mark; of Fosghan Vael, Derry; resident of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

* Ross, Andrew; of Belreshain, Antrim * Smith, Robert; of Cahery, Drummacose, Derry * Spencer, Robert; of Clanda Horky, Donegal; resident of Londonderry

Notable residents

* Laurie Davidson Cox (1883–1968), leading American landscape architect. *

Frank Parker Day Frank Parker Day (9 May 1881 – 30 July 1950) was a Canadian athlete, academic and author. Since Day's father was a Methodist minister who moved to a new congregation every three years, Day spent his youth living throughout Nova Scotia, living ...

, writer, taught school there * Robert McElhinney (ca 1747–1831), Irish-born political figure who represented Londonderry Township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly *

Archibald McLelan Archibald Woodbury McLelan (20 December 1824 – 26 June 1890) was a Canadian shipbuilder and politician, the sixth Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. McLelan was born in Londonderry, Nova Scotia, the son of member of the Nova Scotia ...

(1824–1890), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia *

James Meissner Major James Armand Meissner (July 20, 1896 – January 16, 1936) was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories and awarded two Distinguished Service Crosses. Early life and service Meissner grew up in Brooklyn, New York and ...

(1896–1936), World War I flying, recipient of two Distinguished Service Crosses. * Thomas Fletcher Morrison (1808–1886), sailor, farmer and political figure in Nova Scotia *

Doris Petrie Doris Petrie (24 July 1918 – 21 August 2000) was a Canadian film and television actress, best known for her roles in the William Fruet films ''Wedding in White'' (1972) and ''Funeral Home'' (1980); and also the television series '' High Hopes'', ...

(1918–2000), Canadian film and television actress

Parks

*Londonderry Play Place *Londonderry Provincial Park *Wentworth Provincial Park

References

External links

Destination: Nova Scotia with a road map of the Londonderry area

{{Authority control Communities in Colchester County Mining communities in Nova Scotia