Bedford, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Bedford is a community in the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was an independent town from 1980-1996. Bedford lies on the northwestern end of Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin is a large enclosed bay, forming the northwestern end of Halifax Harbour on Canada's Atlantic coast.-Geography:Geographically, the basin is situated entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality and is oriented northwest-southeast, measuring approximately 8 kilometres long and 5...
, an extension of the Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour
Halifax Harbour is a large natural harbour on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, located in the Halifax Regional Municipality.-Harbour description:The harbour is called Jipugtug by the Mi'kmaq first nation, anglisized as Chebucto...
. Bedford is located at the junctions of Trunks 1, 2, and 7.
Eighteenth Century
Father Le Loutre's WarFather Le Loutre's War
Father Le Loutre’s War , also known as the Indian War, the Micmac War and the Anglo-Micmac War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the British and New England colonists were led by British Officer Charles...
began when Edward Cornwallis
Edward Cornwallis
Lieutenant General Edward Cornwallis was a British military officer who founded Halifax, Nova Scotia with 2500 settlers and later served as the Governor of Gibraltar.-Early life:...
arrived to establish Halifax with 13 transports on June 21, 1749. By unilaterally establishing Halifax the British were violating earlier treaties with the Mi'kmaq (1726), which were signed after Dummer's War
Dummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...
. The British quickly began to build other settlements. To guard against Mi'kmaq, Acadian and French attacks on the new Protestant settlements, British fortifications were erected in Halifax (1749), Dartmouth (1750), Bedford (Fort Sackville) (1751), Lunenburg
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Lunenburg , is a Canadian port town in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia.Situated on the province's South Shore, Lunenburg is located on a peninsula at the western side of Mahone Bay. The town is approximately 90 kilometres southwest of the county boundary with the Halifax Regional Municipality.The...
(1753) and Lawrencetown
Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia
There are several locations in Nova Scotia with the name Lawrencetown:* Lawrencetown in Annapolis County* Lawrencetown in Halifax County* Upper Lawrencetown, also in Halifax County* West Lawrencetown, also in Halifax County...
(1754).
The history of Bedford began when Governor Edward Cornwallis
Edward Cornwallis
Lieutenant General Edward Cornwallis was a British military officer who founded Halifax, Nova Scotia with 2500 settlers and later served as the Governor of Gibraltar.-Early life:...
organised his men and began the construction of a road leading to Minas Basin
Minas Basin
The Minas Basin is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and a sub-basin of the Fundy Basin located in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is known for its extremely high tides.- Geography :- Boundary :...
on the Bay of Fundy
Bay of Fundy
The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...
after establishing the garrison at Halifax. To protect it, he hired John Gorham (military officer)
John Gorham (military officer)
John Gorham was a New England Ranger and was the first significant British military presence on the frontier of Nova Scotia and Acadia to remain in the region for a substantial period of time after the Conquest of Acadia . He established the famous "Gorham's Rangers". Gorham was commissioned a...
and his Rangers to erect a fort on the shore of Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin
Bedford Basin is a large enclosed bay, forming the northwestern end of Halifax Harbour on Canada's Atlantic coast.-Geography:Geographically, the basin is situated entirely within the Halifax Regional Municipality and is oriented northwest-southeast, measuring approximately 8 kilometres long and 5...
. It was named Fort Sackville after Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset
Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, PC was an English political leader and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He was the son of the 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex and the former Lady Mary Compton, younger daughter of the 3rd Earl of Northampton...
. The area around the fort became known as Sackville until the mid-1850s when it became Bedford.
In 1752, among the first to receive a large land grant was military officer George Scott
George Scott
George Scott may refer to:*George Scott , fought in Canada, governor of Grenada from 1762 to 1764*George Scott , wrote a 1683 book extolling the virtues of Scottish settlement in East Jersey...
in the Fort Sackville area. George Scott later participated in the Expulsion of the Acadians, specifically the St. John River Campaign
St. John River Campaign
The St. John River Campaign occurred during the French and Indian War when Colonel Robert Monckton led a force of 1150 British soldiers to destroy the Acadian settlements along the banks of the Saint John River until they reached the largest village of Sainte-Anne des Pays-Bas in February 1759...
(1758). George Scott's brother Joseph, was paymaster at the Halifax Garrison in the 1760s received two grants in 1759 and 1765. He built Scott Manor House in 1770.
Nineteenth Century
Anthony Holland established the Acadian Paper Mill on the Basin around 1819 to provide paper to produce the Halifax newspaper Acadian RecorderAcadian Recorder
The Acadian Recorder was a weekly newspaper published during the 19th century in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The newspaper was originally founded in 1813 by Anthony Henry Holland. He died in 1830 and the paper eventually came under the ownership of Hugh William Blackadar.- References :* * * * *...
.
When the railway went through the station named Millview, the Moirs, Son and Co. moved a part of the Moirs Mill factory to Bedford. The Moirs Mill generating station built in the early 1930s to supply the necessary electricity required to run the factory.
The village adopted the name Bedford around 1850. The name is in honour of John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford
John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford KG, PC, FRS was an 18th century British statesman. He was the fourth son of Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford, by his wife, Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of John Howland of Streatham, Surrey...
and Secretary of State for the colonies in 1749. In 1896 the name became official by an Act of Legislation.
Twentieth Century
Bedford was incorporated as a townTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
on July 1, 1980. On April 1, 1996, Bedford was amalgamated with Halifax, Dartmouth, and Halifax County
Halifax County, Nova Scotia
Halifax County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.The Municipality of the County of Halifax was the municipal government of Halifax County, apart from the separately incorporated towns and cities therein...
Municipality to form the Halifax Regional Municipality
Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia
Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The Regional Municipality had a 2006 census population of 372,679, while the metropolitan area had a 2010 estimated population of 403,188, and the urban area of Halifax had a population of 282,924...
(HRM) for the municipal level of government however the place name still exist for 911, mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
, legal and other services.
The current mayor of the HRM is Peter J. Kelly, who was the mayor of Bedford at the time of amalgamation. The very first mayor of Bedford was Francene Jen Cosman. 1980.
Macleans Magazine rated Bedford as being the "Best Community to Live in Canada," in an issue dated March 23, 1997.
Sports and recreation
There is a popular walkway along much of the Bedford Basin waterfront that begins at DeWolf park, and continues as the Bedford-Sackville Connector Greenway, a crushed gravel covered trail that meanders along the Sackville River. There is an outdoor 25m pool and smaller splash pool located at the Lions Park on Shore Drive. In the summer there are numerous lakes suitable for swimming. The topography of the area limits the possible locations for soccer and football fields. However, there are fields at Basinview Drive School, Sunnyside Elementary (Eaglewood location), Bedford Junior High, Charles P. Allen High SchoolCharles P. Allen High School
Charles P. Allen High School, is a senior high school located in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada.-Sports teams:CPA has teams that participate in:*Football*Golf*Baseball*Soccer *Cross Country Running...
, and Range Park. The community is currently home to six ice surfaces, at the Lebrun Centre, Gary Martin Bubble Dome and the BMO Centre. Bedford is a well-established sailing community, and is home to the Bedford Basin Yacht Club and Marina. Its also home of the Basinview Bedford Street Hockey League/Championship
Traditions
Bedford Days has occurred annually at the end of June and beginning of July for over 30 years. Currently, most events take place at Dewolf Park. There is an Opening Celebration, Rubber Duck Dash, Free pancake breakfast, Dog show, Scott Manor House Tea Party, Kids' Extravaganza, Kids' Triathlon, Movies in the Park and a Canada Day Celebration.The Light Up Bedford Parade is an annual parade that goes along the Bedford Highway from Bedford Place Mall and ends at DeWolf Park. At the park there is a hot chocolate stand, Christmas carol singing and contests and prizes. At the conclusion of the parade, a Christmas Tree is lit. In addition to bringing the community together to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season, the parade serves as a fundraiser for the Turkey Club Society, which raises funds to ensure all residents of HRM are able to provide a Christmas dinner for their families. The parade takes place on the Sunday following the Light Up Halifax Parade, which is usually mid-November.
Area schools
Depending on where they live, students may attend the following schools in the Bedford area:- Fort Sackville Elementary - Grades Primary and grade one, offers early French immersion
- Waverley Road Elementary - Grades Primary to 3
- Basinview Drive Elementary School - Grades Primary to 6
- Bedford South SchoolBedford South SchoolBedford South School is an elementary and junior high school located in Bedford, Nova Scotia.- Administration :The current Principal of Bedford South School is Mrs. Metherall, with Miss. Burgess as Vice Principal.- School Mascot/School Colors :...
- Grades Primary to 9 - Eaglewood Drive Elementary - Grade 2 to grade 6, offers early French immersion
- Bedford Junior High School http://www.bedford.ednet.ns.ca - Grades 7 to 9
- Charles P. Allen High SchoolCharles P. Allen High SchoolCharles P. Allen High School, is a senior high school located in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada.-Sports teams:CPA has teams that participate in:*Football*Golf*Baseball*Soccer *Cross Country Running...
- Grade 10 to Grade 12 - École BeaubassinÉcole BeaubassinL'École Beaubassin is a French primary school in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada that welcomes pupils from kindergarten to 5th grade. It is operated by the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. It is on Larry Uteck Boulevard. For the 2010–2011 school year, there are about 460 pupils. The school also...
- Grades Primary to 9, entirely Francophone - FLEC's (Flexible Learning Education Centres) - Grades 10 to 12, "A Different High School Option"
Bedford area also has two private schools :
- Bedford Academy - Grades Primary to 9
- Sandy Lake Seventh Day Adventist Academy - Grades Primary to 12
The Bedford School System is considered one of the best school systems in Nova Scotia. It has two smaller elementary schools
and two larger elementary schools a Primary to nine school a junior high (7-9) and a senior high (10-12) a FLEC school a 100% French school and two private schools.
Transportation
Bedford is served by Halifax Regional Municipality's transit authority, Metro Transit. Routes 66, 81, 82, 86, 88 and 89 directly serve Bedford while many more routes serve the nearby Cobequid terminal in Lower Sackville.There is a fast ferry service planned for the Mill Cove area that would connect to the Ferry Terminal in Downtown Halifax
Downtown Halifax
Downtown Halifax is the city centre of the Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. Located on the eastern-central portion of the Halifax Peninsula, on Halifax Harbour, it serves as the business, entertainment, and tourism hub of the region.- Municipal:...
. However, this proposed service is controversial due to disputes over projected costs and ridership levels.
Bedford is well serviced by taxis, buses, roads, highways, and sidewalks/walking paths.
Demographics
- Median household income in 2000 was $64,963.
- Unemployment rate in 2001 was 6.7.
- Average house value in 2001 was $179,881.
Notable residents
- Brendan CroskerryBrendan CroskerryBrendan James Bone Croskerry is an English/Canadian singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Halifax, Nova Scotia. “Superman is on Holidays”, his first commercial release, was featured on the international selling compilation albums Disco Estrella in 2007, and Supermodelo 2007...
- Musician - Geoff ReganGeoff ReganGeoffrey Paul Regan, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. He has the prenomial "the Honourable" and the postnomial "PC" for life by virtue of being made a privy councillor and a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. Regan grew up in a strong political family...
- Member of Parliament for Halifax WestHalifax WestHalifax West is a federal electoral district in Nova Scotia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1979. Its population in 2006 was 88,756.-Demographics:From the 2006 census Ethnic groups:*White: 90.8%...
Electoral District, which includes Bedford. - Kelly ReganKelly ReganKelly Regan, MLA is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia in the 2009 election, representing the electoral district of Bedford-Birch Cove as a member of the Liberal Party....
- Member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly for Bedford-Birch Cove Electoral District, which includes Bedford. - Ante JazicAnte JazicAnte Jazić is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer, and for the Canadian national team.-Youth:...
- Soccer player for MLS team Chivas USA
Francene Jen Cosman - First Mayor of Bedford, Former MLA, Former President of the NS Status of Women, former Minister of Community Services