Indian Harbour, Nova Scotia

Indian Harbour in Nova Scotia

Indian Harbour is a small fishing community of the Halifax Regional Municipality in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on the Chebucto Peninsula. It is located between the communities of Peggy's Cove and Hackett's Cove.

Indian Harbour also refers to a bay on the east coast of Nova Scotia, Guysborough county, District of St Mary's,Coordinates 45.095004,-61.827714. The town associated with this bay was once also named Indian Harbour and was renamed Port Hilford.

History

Indian Harbour was founded in the early 18th century. The first recorded person to live in Indian Harbour was John Ormsby in 1784. The first and the oldest house in Indian Harbour is still standing today at over 250 years old.

Indian Harbour is located next to the popular tourist destination Peggy's Cove and its famous lighthouse. There is also a lighthouse in Indian Harbour, located at the end of Paddy's Head Peninsula. The lighthouse was built in 1901 and manned until 1945, when power was introduced to the area.[1]

Indian Harbour's roads were dirt and had to be up kept by the locals until 1955 when Route 333 was widened and paved.

In recent years one of Canada's biggest air disasters took place over the Atlantic Ocean near St. Margarets Bay. On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed just off the coast; all 229 people on board died. Today when people come to visit Indian Harbour or Peggy's Cove they pass the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial.

Nova Scotian singer Anne Murray used to own a beach in Indian Harbour, on the Paddy's Head Peninsula, and used to let the public use the beach, but she sold it in 1999.

Schools

Indian Harbour has had three schools in its history. The first school was built in 1878 and is said to have burnt down; it was located on the Government Wharf Road, 50 yards from the Baptist church. In 1891 the second school was built where East St. Margaret's Elementary currently stands. This school served the communities of Hackett's Cove, Indian Harbour and Peggy's Cove. On November 18, 1958, East St Margaret's Elementary School opened its doors. The school served grades primary to twelve; in 1966 the grades were reduced to primary to eight; when Tantallon Junior High opened in 1972, the grades were reduced to primary to six. Today East St. Margaret's is still serving Indian Harbour. The school has room for 198 students but only had 55 students for the 2009-2010 school year.

Transit

Currently there are no buses running from Halifax to Indian Harbour; the closest bus route is in Tantallon where the "Metro X" buses run several times a day.

Television

Indian Harbour gets all of the local television from Halifax. The following television stations air in St. Margarets Bay:
CBC Nova Scotia (CBHT)
CTV Maritimes (CJCH)
Global Maritimes

Local business

Local businesses include the Rhubarb Grill & Café, the Harbourside Restaurant (formerly Tea and Treasures),[2] the King Neptune Campground, the Oceanstone Inn and Cottages,[3] and the Clifty Cove Motel.[4] Indian Harbour only has one store, the Whale's Back; locals call it "the store". The Whale's Back serves people from West Dover to Glen Haven and tourists in the summer; it has the same owners as the Sou' Wester Restaurant & Giftshop in Peggy's Cove.

References

  1. ↑ "Indian Harbour (Paddy's Head), NS," accessed July 10, 2011, http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=1035.
  2. ↑ "The Harbourside Restaurant," accessed July 10, 2011, http://www.theharbourside.ca/.
  3. ↑ "Oceanstone Inn and Cottages by the Sea," accessed July 10, 2011, http://www.oceanstone.ns.ca/.
  4. ↑ "Clifty Cove Motel," accessed July 10, 2011, http://cliftycovemotel.com/.

Coordinates: 44°31′35.1″N 63°56′23.8″W / 44.526417°N 63.939944°W