New Germany, Nova Scotia
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New Germany is a village in Lunenburg County,
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 ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. Located along the LaHave River and New Germany Lake, it is a main service centre connecting Bridgewater and Middleton via highway Trunk 10. New Germany is situated 25 kilometres north of Bridgewater and 64 kilometres south of Middleton Annapolis Valley. It has a population of 447 as of the 2021 census.


History

The original inhabitants of the New Germany area were the
Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...
people. Several Mi'kmaq families, including the Jeremy and Soulnow families, lived in the area for generations prior to the arrival of the European settlers. The first European settler to arrive was John Feindel around the year 1803, soon followed by Varner, Penney, and Woodworth families all descendants of the Foreign Protestants who arrived in Lunenburg in the 18th century. The first settlement was along the New Germany Lake on the north side. The first recorded church service was in a barn owned by John Feindel in 1828. The early pioneers in New Germany learned many skills from the Mi'kmaq inhabitants such as hunting, fishing, and tea-making. The European settlers sought to create farms around the area's arable soil, which resulted in several Mi'kmaq families being displaced from their land. In 1829, a petition was written to the governor by Joseph Soulnow, a Mi'kmaw man, asking for his inherited land to be returned to him. Throughout the years, New Germany has been the site of varied economic activity. The first major industrial project was in 1811 when area founder John Feindel built a small
sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
at Morgan's Falls. Near 1898 Edward Zwicker Senior built a new sawmill and fish box factory and later sold electric power to the community under the name Barss Corner Electric Light Company. There was also a water wheel driven Pulp Mill at Morgan Falls on east end of the village which operated until 1958. During the mid-20th century, the town was particularly vibrant and home to numerous grocery stores, clothing stores, a hotel, and the York Movie Theatre. During World War Two the village showed its hatred of the Nazi regime by burning an effigy of Hitler on Tower Hill. Many men of the area worked either directly or indirectly for the Bowater Sawmill outside Bridgewater or the larger Bowater Pulp and Paper Mill near Liverpool. With the construction of the new
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
Tire Factory in Bridgewater near 1971, New Germany continued to grow with many new families moving to the area. Until 1981, New Germany was also accessible by the Halifax and Southwestern Railway, though the now-abandoned railroad tracks are popular with
all-terrain vehicle An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike or quad (if it has four wheels), as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, has a seat ...
enthusiasts and as a walking path.


Present day

Local employment hinges on natural resources such as
farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
, blueberries,
maple syrup Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Ma ...
,
forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...
and Christmas trees, which are shipped over North America. Many workers are employed in the nearby town of Bridgewater, with the
Michelin Michelin ( , ), in full ("General Company of the Michelin Enterprises P.L.S."), is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes '' région'' of France. It is the second largest t ...
tire plant in the industrial park employing numerous people from the area. Current conditions in the forestry industry have led to many small operators leaving the business and journeying to
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, sales of houses and land in New Germany rose with people looking for homes along lakes and rivers. New Germany is surrounded by lakes, rivers, tributaries, and brooks, making the area more desirable for outdoorsmen. New Germany was connected with Fibre Optic Internet in 2020 and has great coverage from Starlink Satellite Internet. The community holds a regular Farmers Market on Friday afternoon from June to October and a Community Cafe on Thursday mornings to encourage fellowship. New Germany Lake is a registered landing strip for
floatplanes A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land ...
. New Germany is home to a community-built medical centre, New Germany Elementary School, New Germany Rural High School, bank, convenience store, Post Office, several churches, shops and restaurants. It has a fairly large volunteer fire department, which covers an extensive district, as well as an
RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
outpost which is housed in the same building as the fire department. In 2021, a new bridge is being built across the Lahave river so the South Shore Annapolis Valley Trail can connect to the former Caledonia rail line expanding recreational activities for walkers, cyclists, and ATV users.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population 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 ...
, New Germany had a population of 447 living in 213 of its 230 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 458. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


Education

New Germany Rural High School was built in 1964 and has since been modernized once. It serves students ranging from grades seven to twelve. New Germany Elementary School was built in 1954 as the High School, but it was converted to the Elementary School when the new High School was built. Both Schools are on School Street and contain very large outdoor playing fields. New Germany High School's mascot is Bernie the Saint Bernard Dog, school moto is
Carpe Diem () is a Latin aphorism, usually translated "seize the day", taken from book 1 of the Roman poet Horace's work '' Odes'' (23 BC). Translation is the second-person singular present active imperative of '' carpō'' "pick or pluck" used by Ho ...
. Currently, plans are in the works to merge the schools into one large school that ranges from primary to grade twelve.


References


External links


New Germany & Area

New Germany and Area
{{coord, 44.550, N, 64.717, W, display=title, type:city_region:CA_source:GNS-enwiki Communities in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia Designated places in Nova Scotia Unincorporated communities in Nova Scotia