Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada - c. 1800
by Garth Vaughan © 2001
Windsor,
Nova Scotia
Overview
A Brief History
1.
French / English
2. The Loyalists
3. King's College
4.
Center of Culture
5. The Railway
6. T.C. Haliburton
7. Windsor Today
For
more history
see Birthplace
A Brief History of Windsor, Nova Scotia
4. Windsor, Center of Culture and Learning
Windsor's Civic Building 1910
By 1790, Windsor also had a Library and Reading Society in addition to the college, and the town had become recognized as a Centre of Culture and Learning. Wealthy Haligonians registered their children at the college and were coming to visit regularly and partaking of the wonderful fishing, hunting, cricket and hurley matches and horse racing.
Fort Edward Blockhouse 1920
Because of all the sporting activities at the college between the students and the military of Fort Edward and Halifax, journalists began to refer to the town as the Playground of Halifax and the Athens of Nova Scotia. Windsor had quickly become a place of some significance in the British Empire and of very great importance to Halifax. All this activity led to the necessary improvement of the sixty mile road between Halifax and Windsor, for it was used more and more as the years sped by. It was the longest road in the province at the time, and was as important to the military as it was to the citizens of Halifax.
Stage Coach 1816
Travel by horse and carriage was difficult and took about six hours. By 1816, a stage coach line had been instituted and was the first in the Maritimes. The trip cost $5.oo and took the better part of a day. In 1836 the longest covered bridge ever to be built in the province crossed the Avon River at Windsor, thus connecting Halifax with the bay of Fundy communities and Establishing Windsor as the "Gateway to the Annapolis Valley". Because of the lumber and gypsum industries that were developing, ship building became a necessity in order to transport the products first to America, and eventually to ports around the world.
Windsor Waterfront - Shipyards
Between 1836 and 1890, Windsor became a world-renowned sea port and ship building centre, the third largest in Canada, second only to Montreal and Saint John, New Brunswick in terms of goods shipped. Ships from Boston and Saint John visited Windsor regularly where passengers accessed stage coach transportation to Halifax.
Windsor's "Rotundus" Ferry
Copyright - Garth Vaughan
December 8, 2000
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