Weymouth, Nova Scotia

Weymouth is a rural village located in Digby County, Nova Scotia.

History

The area was settled in the 1760s by New England Planters after the Acadian Expulsion. The town was formally founded by Loyalists in 1783 (the year that the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the American Revolution). Originally, the area was named Sissiboo, still the name of the river that runs through the village. There are conflicting stories on the origins of this name. One story purports "Sissiboo" to be a Mi'maq word, and the other derived from the combination of the French words “six” and “hiboux” ("Six Owls"). Current day Weymouth was once called Weymouth Bridge, and Weymouth North was called Weymouth. Weymouth is supposed to have been named in honour of the previous settlement of the Strickland family from Weymouth, Massachusetts.

Shipping and shipbuilding were the main industry in the mid 1800s. Remnants of docks can be seen on the Northeast side of the Sissiboo today. Goods such as lumber were loaded on ships at these docks and shipped all over the world. Weymouth houses the oldest general store in Eastern Canada still in operation. Opened in 1837, the store is now called The Trading Post. The village also houses one of the original Merchants Bank of Halifax (later renamed Royal Bank of Canada) in Canada. This building is now part of the aforementioned Weymouth Trading Post.

Weymouth Falls was home to one of the world's greatest boxers, Sam Langford (1886-1956). Although he was never officially crowned World Champion, he held titles from England, Spain and Mexico.

On October 2nd, 1929 a fire started in the general store of Captain R.D. Barkhouse and swept through the downtown area destroying 25 buildings including retail shops, factories and private homes. It was estimated that the fire caused approximately $250,000 in structural damage. No serious injuries or death occurred because of the fire.

The Dominion Atlantic Railway stopped running through Weymouth on March 1990. Sissiboo river overflowed in March of 2003, flooding the town by almost two feet.

Geography

Modern day Weymouth straddles the Sissiboo River. This river swells approximately every six hours as salt water backs up from the high tides of the Bay of Fundy into St. Mary's Bay.The town is located on the southern edge of Digby Municipality and is 30 minutes from Digby, 45 minutes from Yarmouth and 3 hours from the capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax. Smaller villages surrounding Weymouth proper are Weymouth Falls, Weaver Settlement, Ohio, Saint Bernard and New Edinburgh on the Southwest side, North Point, Weymouth North and Weymouth Falls on the Northeast side of the river.

Two exits (27 and 28) on Highway 101 are the primary access to the town. Trunk 1 (the main road) runs right through town and was the main thoroughfare from the Annapolis Valley to Yarmouth.

Economy

The two main industries located in the town are the Lewis Sawmill (owned by J.D. Irving Ltd.) but is no longer running, and Lewis Moldings and Wood Specialties Ltd. Mink farming, fishing, and logging are also predominant in the area.

Demographics

The Village of Weymouth comprises many different ethnic backgrounds. Primarily populated by descendants of the loyalists, both African-Canadian and Caucasian, it also is home to Acadians, Mi'kmaq and German descendants.

Weymouth in fiction

Weymouth and Weymouth Falls appear mythologized in George Elliott Clarke's poetical work "Whylah Falls" (1990). [http://www.poetics.ca/poetics02/02fiorentino.html]

External links

* [http://www.weymouthnovascotia.com/ Village of Weymouth Official Website]
* [http://www.westerncounties.ca/main/index.php?pagecontentid=199&demoid=1&=SID&PHPSESSID=16588c964fbb41533534972fb13e597a Weymouth Library]