Nova Scotia S Lost Highways

At the turn of the nineteenth century, road travel in Nova Scotia was still in its infancy. Many Nova Scotians still preferred water routes, and those "roads" that did exist were often little more than blazed trails not fit for wheeled vehicles. But it wasn't long before roads were established around the province to allow for a steady increase in traffic and sophistication of vehicles. Author Joan Dawson has used nineteenth-century maps and surveys to not only trace the paths of these old roads, but to explore the residents and businesses that sprang up along them. She follows the roads out of Halifax to Windsor and Truro (the "Great Roads") as well as the oldest post roads along the Annapolis Valley, the South Shore, northern and eastern Nova Scotia, and even Cape Breton. These earliest highways, now mostly forgotten or buried in wilderness, reminds us of the hard-working crews and surveyors who defied geographical difficulties to make travelling easier for Nova Scotia's residents. Featuring 40 maps and illustrations, Nova Scotia's Lost Highways is a fascinating history of early travel in the province.

Stories and photos that bring the people and places of Nova Scotia’s historic past to life. Beaubassin was once a prosperous farming community at the head of the Cumberland Basin; Africville was the vibrant home of Black Nova Scotians who struggled to make a living and found spiritual solace in their church. Both are now gone, one a casualty of long-ago colonial warfare and the other a victim of misguided urban renewal. In this fascinating book, author Joan Dawson looks at thirty-seven of this Canadian province’s lost communities: places like Electric City, Indian Gardens, and the Tancook Islands. Some were home to ethnic groups forced to leave. Others, once dependent on factories, mills, or the fishery, died as the economy changed or resources were depleted. But they were all once places where Nova Scotians were born, married, worked, and died. Featuring over 60 archival and contemporary photos and illustrations, Nova Scotia’s Lost Communities preserves those memories with fascinating insights.

Narrative, photo-filled historical guide to Nova Scotia's inland communities from author of Nova Scotia's Historic Harbours and Nova Scotia's Lost Communities. The story of Nova Scotia's inland communities begins with the Mi'kmaq, who established traditional gathering places in the heart of Mi'kma'ki. Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, European settlers, British Loyalists, and former soldiers were among those who also took on the challenges of developing Nova Scotia's inland communities. Some places struggled to survive, but many thrived. Today, Nova Scotia's most successful communities live on because entrepreneurs have adapted to changing circumstances -- and all of Nova Scotia's inland communities have stories to tell. With the help of more than forty historical photos, trusted historian Joan Dawson takes us through the stories of the many Indigenous, Acadian, European, and African Nova Scotian communities in inland Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia's Historic Inland Communities also explores the rivers, roads, and railways that led to the development of those communities-- and the industries that were central to their success.

A local historian explores the rich history of this rugged Canadian coastline with fascinating research and twenty-five historical photos. The beautiful harbours of Nova Scotia take many forms. Some are broad and studded with islands, while others are long inlets carved out by glaciers. Prized by the indigenous Mi’kmaq people as well as European settlers, they contain fascinating tales from the Age of Sail the American Revolution, the Golden Age of Piracy, and much more. Featuring profiles of more than fifty harbours—from the Bedford Basin to Shelburne Harbour to Cobequid Bay, Louisbourg, and Canso—Nova Scotia’s Historic Harbours explores each harbour’s historical significance. Local historian Joan Dawson shows how these communities have been shaped by the sea, and how Nova Scotia’s growth has been driven by its wealth of harbours.

This book is a follow-up to Joan Dawson's earlier book The Mapmaker's Eye, which shows how early maps of Nova Scotia reflect the province's establishment under first French, then English colonial rule. The present book looks at Nova Scotia's continuing development in the nineteenth century, first as a British colony then as a member of Confederation, as reflected in the many different types of maps made for various purposes during the century. Any map or history enthusiast will be fascinated by Nova Scotia's evolution from a colony of military outposts and subsistence farmers to an increasingly industrial society. Early in the nineteenth century, maps reflected the settlement that was still taking place, the roads being built to link the settlements, the increasingly sophisticated defenses that were being constructed, and the attempts to identify the resources on which development would depend. In the second half of the century maps began to change, depicting the development of industries, the establishment of railways and shipping lines, and the growth of towns where enterprising manufacturers and merchants were setting up businesses. Throughout The Mapmakers' Legacy, Dawson examines and explains the many maps that illustrate this evolution. This is a unique and captivating account of Nova Scotian cartographic history.

While Nova Scotia may be known as “Canada's Ocean Playground,” the tributaries and meandering streams that flow through the province have a significance that runs just as deeply. In Nova Scotia's Historic Rivers, Joan Dawson takes us on an insightful expedition around the province. From the original portage routes of the Mi'kmaq, such as the Margaree and Shubenacadie Rivers; to shipbuilding, logging, and mill-based industries along the LaHave and Sackville Rivers; to the settlers and communities that flourished along their banks, Dawson demonstrates the myriad ways in which Nova Scotia's rivers have always been imperative to the sustenance and survival of the province. Featuring over 50 archival and contemporary photographs and illustrations, Nova Scotia's Historic Rivers is a fascinating glimpse into the settlement an development of the province, and the ever-evolving rivers that continue to shape its landscape and culture.

Have you ever been to the LaHave Islands Marine Museum on Bell Island? How about the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique, or the Africville Museum in Halifax? Joan Dawson has. Armed with a spirit of adventure, curiosity, and the belief that "treasures can be found in unlikely places," the author-historian has scoured Nova Scotia's National Heritage Sites and community museums for the fifty objects that best "embody the history and culture" of the province. Casting a wide net, from a pair of good-luck Nantucket Whaler shoes to a Mi-Carême seven-beast mask, Dawson unearths the many arcane and overlooked items whose stories collectively form Nova Scotia's historical fabric. Entries are arranged in chronological order, from prehistory to present-day, and each one includes a photograph, description, and contextual history of the object. Written in an engaging, narrative style, A History of Nova Scotia in 50 Objects is both a fabulously unique approach to the province's history and an interactive treasure hunt.