Canning, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Canning, 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...
(2006 pop. 798) is a village in northeastern Kings County
Kings County, Nova Scotia
Kings County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Kings County is located in central Nova Scotia on the shore of the Bay of Fundy with its northeastern part also forming the western shore of the Minas Basin....
located at the crossroads of Route 221
Nova Scotia Route 221
Route 221 is a collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in Kings County and Annapolis County in the Annapolis Valley and connects Kingsport to Spa Springs....
and Route 358
Nova Scotia Route 358
Route 358 is a collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in Kings County and connects Greenwich at Trunk 1 with Scot's Bay.-Communities:* Greenwich* Port Williams* Canard* Hillaton* Canning* The Lookoff* Scot's Bay-Parks:...
.
History
The area was originally settled by AcadianAcadian
The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...
s who were expelled in 1755 during the Acadian Expulsion
Great Upheaval
The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal by the British of the Acadian people from present day Canadian Maritime provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island...
. After the Acadians, Canning - first called Apple Tree Landing and later Habitant Corner - was settled in 1760 by New England Planters
New England Planters
The New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Bay of Fundy Campaign of the Acadian Expulsion...
and by the Dutch following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The present name was adopted in honour of British prime minister George Canning
George Canning
George Canning PC, FRS was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and briefly Prime Minister.-Early life: 1770–1793:...
.
Though much diminished in importance in recent years, Canning was once a major shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
centre and shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
and rail
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
hub for farmers in Kings County. Canning merchants and farmers founded the Cornwallis Valley Railway
Cornwallis Valley Railway
The Cornwallis Valley Railway was a historic Canadian railway in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. It was built in 1889 and ran from Kentville to Kingsport serving the Cornwallis Township area of Kings County...
which ran from 1889 to 1961, connecting the village to the Dominion Atlantic Railway
Dominion Atlantic Railway
The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley....
mainline in Kentville, Nova Scotia
Kentville, Nova Scotia
Kentville is a town in Kings County, Nova Scotia. It is one of the main towns in the Annapolis Valley, and it is the county seat of Kings County. As of 2006, the town of Kentville had a population of 5,815 people....
. The village suffered three major fires in its history.
The Canadian parliamentarian Sir Frederick William Borden
Frederick William Borden
Sir Frederick William Borden, KCMG, PC was a Canadian politician. While he was the Minister for Militia and Defence, he was the father of the most famous Canadian casualty of the Second Boer War Harold Lothrop Borden...
had a home in Canning. A cousin of Sir Robert Borden, Sir Frederick was Minister of Militia prior to the First World War. Canning has a prominent statue to the most famous Canadian casualty of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, Harold Lothrop Borden
Harold Lothrop Borden
Lieutenant Harold Lothrop Borden, was from Canning, Nova Scotia and the only son of Canada's Minister of Militia and Defence, Frederick William Borden. He became the most famous Canadian casualty of the Second Boer War. Queen Victoria asked F. W...
, a son of Sir Frederick. He died in the Battle of Witpoort (See Battle of Witpoort, South Africa).
Canning was also the home the famous country singer Wilf Carter
Wilf Carter
Wilf Carter , also known as Montana Slim, was a Canadian country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and yodeller...
. He was made an honourary citizen of Canning, Nova Scotia in 1978.
The village is home to Glooscap Elementary School, an elementary school with a student population of over 200, and NKEC, a middle school/high school with a student population of around 1020.
A lighthouse that once served the port fell into disuse and abandonment but was restored in the 1990s.