Timeline & History

A Brief History of St. Margaret's Bay and the Hubbards area in particular.

Based on information from: As the Last Leaf Fell,  by Barbara Peart. Self-published, 2001 and  St. Margaret’s Bay, An Historical Album, Alfreda Withrow, Nimbus/Four East 1997. (All excerpts from St. Margaret's Bay by Alfreda Withrow, published in 1997 by Nimbus Publishing, Ltd are reproduced with consent of the author and publisher, February, 2004. Any other use is strictly prohibited.)

Hubbards is located on St. Margaret’s Bay, on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The history of permanent European settlement in the area dates back to around 1785. Hubbards is one of  the Shatford Trust communities.

Pre-1600
The first people in Nova Scotia and the Bay area were the nomadic Mi’kmaq who have been in the province for thousands of years. They fished and hunted here in the summer and returned inland for the winter. Archeological digs have unearthed arrowheads, clay pots, stone tools and huge piles of shells. The Mi’kmaq continued to set up summer camps here until the early 1900s.

Beginning in the 1500s, European fishermen also set up summer camps along the coast of  Nova Scotia to dry their catch before heading back across the Atlantic. However the Mi’kmaq were the only permanent inhabitants of this area until the late 1700s.

1600-1700
In 1604, France sent Sieur De Monts and Samuel de Champlain with a group to settle “Acadie” which included Nova Scotia. In 1605, they established the first permanent settlement in North America at Port Royal on the opposite side of Nova Scotia.

During the 1600s and 1700s, villages, farms and fortresses began appearing along the coast of  Nova Scotia. In this area, lasting settlement did not begin until the late 1700s when land grants were given. 

“By 1761, a few people had come to St. Margaret’s Bay and attempted to settle on the Islands for the sake of the cod and salmon fishery but not a single person stayed here permanently.” - Page 7, As the Last Leaf Fell. 

“However by 1785, we see a growth in population as the first settlers were offered land grants on the condition that they take up permanent residence. Some of the first permanent settlers of the Bay area were the children of Foreign Protestants who had received land grants in Lunenburg County in 1752. Many of these men were farmers and fishermen by trade who wanted to own land and provide food and shelter for their families.”-  Page 8 of St. Margaret’s Bay.

Some of these Foreign Protestants were originally from the Montbéliard region of France. Others were from Franconia, now part of Germany and some were Swiss. Many of their surnames such as Boutilier, Coolen, Dorey, Dauphinee, Harnish, Schwartz, Westhaver and Shankel are still evident in the Hubbards area today. 

“During this same period, there was another influx of Loyalist settlers from the United States. These settlers were granted land in return for their allegiance to the British Crown. In 1793, a poll tax assessment was recorded showing a total 59 families residing in the St. Margaret’s Bay area.” - Page 8 of St. Margaret’s Bay.

An early land grant  shows three landowners around Hubbards Cove, the earliest from 1790.  Goetlieb Harnish and family were the first settlers.

1800
By 1817, the population in the area was 506 people. “It is around this time that the Bay area grew from being a settlement to a number of separate small communities, with the building of proper stores, churches, way stations and school houses. This was a period of steady growth and development. By 1840, there were a total of 161 families living in the area.” - Page 8 of St. Margaret’s Bay

A later map shows many new land grants in the Hubbards area. 

The St. Margaret’s Bay Road was built between 1840 and 1845 from Armdale to Chester linking all the communities on the Bay. With the road came a coach service.

“In 1847, the Royal Western Mail Shore Line stage coach began its biweekly runs which continued until the early 1900s.” - Page 9 of St. Margaret’s Bay.

Fishing was a major industry around the Bay. The Hubbards area had two fish plants: the  Burns Fish Plant  (built in 1920's  and closed in mid 1980's) and the Associated Seafoods plant in Fox Point which operated in the 1940s and 1950s until it burnt down. Shatford Lobster Pound opened in 1949 and residents can still pick up fresh lobster there today.  Farming, shipping, and lumbering were also important to the growing economy.  In Hubbards village, Shankel’s  sawmill ran off the Fitzroy River behind the family home.

Tourism increased during the 1800s and Hubbards with its scenic cove and beaches was a popular tourist spot. The Somerset House or McLean House, built in 1853 and used extensively as  a stopover for stagecoaches, operated for more than 100 years. It was torn down in 1966 and the current post office erected on the site. The Dauphinee Hotel was built in the late 1800s but burnt down in the 1950s. The Gainsborough Hotel was built next to the McLean House in 1884. It was sold in 1944  to the government and used as part of the St. Margaret’s Bay Training School for the Merchant Marines and for various other businesses after the War. The JD Shatford Library built in 1969 is now on the site.

Most communities in the bay area today were formed during this period.  This Web site covers the eight communities within the Shatford Trust area:  Hubbards, Queensland, Black Point, Simms Settlement, Fox Point, Mill Cove, Birchy Head and The Lodge.  See below for historical information on each individual community and how it got its name.

This map shows the Shatford Trust area with place names.

1900
“It was during the years 1890 to 1910 that St. Margaret’s Bay enjoyed a period of prosperity due to a second building boom.” - Page 9  of St. Margaret’s Bay. The Halifax South Western Railway  between Halifax and Yarmouth was completed in 1905 carrying both passengers and freight. Three railway stations were built in the Bay area including the Hubbards station. 


“The popularity of this small resort made the railway important for the arrival of visitors during their summer vacations.”  - Page 71 of St. Margaret’s Bay

Cars became more common around the Bay from the 1920s onward.  As transportation became easier, people bought or rented cottages in the Bay area including Hubbards and spent summer days at the many beaches. Dances are still held at the Shore Club (opened in 1946) and sailing, canoeing, and rowing were popular. 

In 1969,  Highway 103 was completed linking Hubbards to Halifax with a driving time of about 45 minutes. This meant more residents traveling  to the city for work and more visitors from the city and other locales. 

Hubbards has benefited in recent years from films and TV series being shot in the area and using the former Mill Cove Forces Base for indoor production.   

2000
“The communities around St. Margaret’s Bay were originally developed as small fishing villages, which were once isolated and connected only by water. However, as the different modes of travel evolved, many changes began to take place. What was once a road joining together a number of small fishing village, now looks like one very long residential highway with churches, schools, small businesses and modern homes… Today it is difficult to distinguish where one community ends and another begins.”  - Page 9 of  St. Margaret’s Bay