Spencer's Island is a
rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...
community in
Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
Cumberland County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Cumberland was named in 1755 in honour of the Duke of Cumberland to replace Beausejour. The historic county was founded in 1759 when the English system of administration was ...
, located at the western end of Greville Bay on 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 ...
. The community is named after a small island of the same name located offshore from nearby Cape Spencer. According to local oral history, the island, cape and community trace their name to a man named Spencer who is buried on the island. However the name more likely comes from
Lord Spencer, a British statesman at the time the community was settled.
Spencer's Island was used seasonally by 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 ...
who called it Wochuk, meaning small kettle island. The first recorded settlement was by the Spicer families in 1778. Spencer's Island became an important shipbuilding centre during the latter days of the
Age of Sail
The Age of Sail is a period in European history that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid-15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the int ...
. The first large vessel from its shipyards was the ''Amazon'' built in 1861 and later to become famous as the ''
Mary Celeste
''Mary Celeste'' (; often erroneously referred to as ''Marie Celeste'') was a Canadian-built, American-registered merchant brigantine that was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean off the Azores on December 4, 1872. The Canadi ...
''. Many larger vessels followed including the full-rigged ship ''
Glooscap
Glooscap (variant forms and spellings ''Gluskabe'', ''Glooskap'', ''Gluskabi'', ''Kluscap'', ''Kloskomba'', or ''Gluskab'') is a legendary figure of the Wabanaki peoples, native peoples located in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Atlantic Ca ...
'' in 1891, the largest ship built in Cumberland County and the last square rigger built along the
Parrsboro Shore. The former shipyard area is now part of the Old Shipyard Beach Campground.
The community is located at 45º21'16"N, 64º42'54"W, with the community of
Advocate Harbour
Advocate Harbour (2011 pop.: 826) is a rural community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The community is situated on Route 209 and has a small well-protected fishing harbour opening on the Bay of Fundy; the harbour dries at low ...
to the west and the community of
Port Greville and village of
Parrsboro
Parrsboro is a community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada.
A regional service centre for southern Cumberland County, the community is also known for its Parrsboro Harbour, port on the Minas Basin ...
to the east. It is located on
Route 209
The following highways are numbered 209:
Canada
* Manitoba Provincial Road 209
* Nova Scotia Route 209
* Prince Edward Island Route 209
* Quebec Route 209
* Saskatchewan Highway 209
China
* China National Highway 209
Costa Rica
* Natio ...
and one of the communities that form the
Fundy Shore Ecotour
The Fundy Shore Ecotour is a former scenic drive and network of tourist destinations in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and encircles several sub-basins of the Bay of Fundy, which contains the highest tidal range on the planet.
The Fundy Sh ...
.
''Fundy Shore Ecotour''
The community of Spencer's Island contains a historic lighthouse dating to 1904, a beach, campground and cafe. The lighthouse has recently been granted permission by the Canadian Coast Guard to turn the light back on, and is open to the public with pictures of the ship building and ship building artifacts on display. A plaque in the lighthouse recognizes Stanley Spicer, a noted local historian who helped save the lighthouses and wrote many books on the history and shipping of the Bay of Fundy. A picnic park is located beside the lighthouse and a public boat ramp has also been re-built for small craft to be launched from mid-tide to high tide. Public bathrooms are available from June to September.
References
External links
tides.info: Spencer's Island
Google map of Spencer's Island
Park
{{NSCumberland, state=expanded
Islands of Nova Scotia
Communities in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia