Summerville, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Summerville is a small community in the Canadian
province of Nova Scotia
, located in The Municipality of the District of West Hants
in Hants County
.
After the American Revolution
, Summerville, Hants County was first settled by American Loyalists
Captain John Robert Grant (1729 - 1790) and his wife Sarah of the famous Bergen family of New York. They married in 1759 in New York. Captain Grant was born in Strathspey, Scotland, along with John Small (British Army officer)
.
Grant fought in the War of the Austrian Succession
and served in the famous 42nd Regiment of Foot
(Black Watch) (the same regiment as Major General John Small who settled the neighbouring Douglas Township, Hants County after the war). During the Seven Years War, he was in the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, where he was wounded. He fought again in the American Revolution in the Battle of Long Island
. He later became a Captain of a Queens County, New York militia.
He arrived in Nova Scotia on the transport SS Stafford, October 16, 1783 after evacuting his home in New York. He brought a significant number of slaves to Nova Scotia who are buried on his property. Captain John Grant died in Summerville in 1792 at the age of 64. The Grant homestead was on what now is called Loyal Hill.
A large wharf was built at Summerville in the late 19th century to export gypsum
. It was also used to repair ships and later became a vessel graveyard for old sailing ships converted to gypsum barges. Trace of the hulls of several of these large sailing vessels may still be seen at low tide, including the hull of the Barque Hamburg
, the largest barque ever built in 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...
province of 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 in The Municipality of the District of West Hants
West Hants, Nova Scotia
West Hants is a municipal district in Hants County, Nova Scotia.It occupies the western half of Hants County, running from the Minas Basin to the boundary with Halifax County, sharing this boundary with the East Hants municipal district....
in Hants County
Hants County, Nova Scotia
Hants County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia which was the home of Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Alden Nowlan and Noel Doiron. The county of Hants was created June 17, 1781, and consisted of the townships of Windsor, Falmouth and Newport...
.
History
The identities of the Acadians who settled this community prior to the Expulsion of the Acadians are unknown.After the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Summerville, Hants County was first settled by American Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists
The name United Empire Loyalists is an honorific given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris...
Captain John Robert Grant (1729 - 1790) and his wife Sarah of the famous Bergen family of New York. They married in 1759 in New York. Captain Grant was born in Strathspey, Scotland, along with John Small (British Army officer)
John Small (British Army officer)
Major-General John Small was a British military officer who was most famous for his leadership in the 84th Regiment of Foot and his involvement in the Battle of Bunker Hill.- Seven Years War :...
.
Grant fought in the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
and served in the famous 42nd Regiment of Foot
42nd Regiment of Foot
The 42nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally the 43rd Highlanders they were renumbered the 42nd in 1748.- Early history :...
(Black Watch) (the same regiment as Major General John Small who settled the neighbouring Douglas Township, Hants County after the war). During the Seven Years War, he was in the Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, where he was wounded. He fought again in the American Revolution in the Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
. He later became a Captain of a Queens County, New York militia.
He arrived in Nova Scotia on the transport SS Stafford, October 16, 1783 after evacuting his home in New York. He brought a significant number of slaves to Nova Scotia who are buried on his property. Captain John Grant died in Summerville in 1792 at the age of 64. The Grant homestead was on what now is called Loyal Hill.
A large wharf was built at Summerville in the late 19th century to export gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
. It was also used to repair ships and later became a vessel graveyard for old sailing ships converted to gypsum barges. Trace of the hulls of several of these large sailing vessels may still be seen at low tide, including the hull of the Barque Hamburg
Hamburg (barque)
Hamburg was a three masted barque built in 1886 at Hantsport, Nova Scotia. She was the largest three masted barque ever built in Canada . Hamburg was one of the last of over a hundred large sailing vessels built by the Churchill family of Hantsport, led by Ezra Churchill. Her name continued the...
, the largest barque ever built in Canada.