Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Spencer's Island is a rural community in Cumberland County
Cumberland County, Nova Scotia
Cumberland County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:The name Cumberland was applied by Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Monckton to the captured Fort Beauséjour on June 18, 1755 in honour of the third son of King George II, William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, victor at...
, 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...
located at the western end of Greville Bay 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...
. The community is named after a small island 45°19′50"N 64°41′30"W of the same name located offshore from nearby Cape Spencer. According to legend, the island, cape and community trace their name to a man named Spencer who is buried on the island. However the name more likely comes from Lord Spencer, a British statesman at the time the community was settled.
Spencers Island was used seasonally by the Mi'kmaq who called it Wochuk, meaning small kettle island. The first recorded settlement was by the Spicer families in 1778. Spencer's Island became an important shipbuilding centre during the latter days of the Age of Sail
Age of Sail
The Age of Sail was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships, lasting from the 16th to the mid 19th century...
. The first large vessel from its shipyards was the Amazon built in 1861 and later to become famous as the ill-fated Mary Celeste
Mary Celeste
The Mary Celeste was an American brigantine merchant ship famous for having been discovered on 4 December 1872, in the Atlantic Ocean unmanned and apparently abandoned , despite the fact that the weather was fine and her crew had been experienced and able...
. Many larger vessels followed including the full-rigged ship Glooscap
Glooscap (ship)
Glooscap was an full-rigged sailing ship built in 1891 at Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia in the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy. The ship was named after Glooscap, the spiritual hero figure of the Mi'kmaq people. Glooscap was the culmination of several decades of large-scale ship building in the...
in 1891, the largest ship built in Cumberland County and the last square rigger built along the Parrsboro Shore
Parrsboro Shore
The Parrsboro Shore is an area of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia consisting of the shoreline communities west of the town of Parrsboro. The Parrsboro Shore is generally defined as stretching along the Bay of Fundy from the town of Parrsboro westward around Cape Chignecto as far as Apple River...
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The community is located at 45º21'16"N, 64º42'54"W, with the community of Advocate Harbour
Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia
Advocate Harbour is a Canadian rural community located in Cumberland County, Nova ScotiaThe community is situated on Route 209 and has a small well-protected fishing harbour opening on the Bay of Fundy; the harbour dries at low tide....
to the west and the community of Port Greville and village of Parrsboro
Parrsboro, Nova Scotia
Parrsboro is a Canadian town located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia.The town is known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions and the Fundy Geological Museum.-History:...
to the east. It is located on Route 209
Nova Scotia Route 209
Route 209 is a collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in Cumberland County and follows the shoreline of the Bay of Fundy, connecting Parrsboro with River Hebert. The linked communities are known as the Parrsboro Shore....
and one of the communities that form the Fundy Shore Ecotour
Fundy Shore Ecotour
The Fundy Shore Ecotour is a scenic drive in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and encircles several sub-basins of the Bay of Fundy, which contains the highest tidal range on the planet....
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The community of Spencer's Island contains a historic lighthouse dating to 1904, a beach, campground and cafe.
The Lighthouse has recently been granted permission by the Canadian Coast Guard to turn the light back on, and is open to the public with pictures of the ship building and ship building artifacts on display. A plaque in the lighthouse recognizes Stanley Spicer, a noted local historian who helped save the lighthouses and wrote many books on the history and shipping of the Bay of Fundy. A picnic park is located beside the lighthouse and a public boat ramp has also been re-built for small craft to be launched from mid-tide to high tide. Public bathrooms are available from June-September.