Brier Island is an island in the Bay of Fundy in Digby County, Nova Scotia.
Brier Island is an island in the Bay of Fundy in Digby County, Nova Scotia.
The island is the westernmost part of Nova Scotia and the southern end of the North Mountain ridge with Long Island lying immediately northeast; both islands constitute part of the Digby Neck. Brier Island measures approximately 7.5 km (4.7 mi) long and 2.5 km (1.6 mi) wide and is made up of basalt.
The island's shoreline measures approximately 25 km (16 mi) in length. Brier Island is separated from Long Island by the 0.5 km (0.31 mi) Grand Passage. Westport is the only village on the island. The population, as of 2016 was 218. There were 98 private dwellings occupied year round. [1]
The island is an important stopover point for migrating sea birds.
The island's name is believed by some to come from the wild brier roses found there, another possibility is that the original name of the Island was "Bryer's" after a sea captain from New England who was one of the first settlers to spend any time on the island. [ citation needed ]
Another idea is that the name came from Andreas/Andrew Bayerlein whose name was changed to Brier and lived there around 1800. Andreas arrived in America in 1779 a Hessian Soldier from Ansbach, Bayern, Germany to fight in the Revolutionary War. He arrived 1783 in Nova Scotia and married Deborah Horton born Oct 22, 1775 daughter of Levi Horton and Mercy Haskell on December 16, 1794. Baptisms recorded at Church of England in Canada Trinity Anglican Church, Digby all on Nov 23, 1801 included an adult Deborah Brier, an adult Edmund Brier and 3 children of Andrew: Susanna Brier, Andrew Brier and William Brier. (Nova Scotia Church Records 1720-2001 Church of England in Canada Trinity Church, Digby, Cumberland - Baptisms, marriages, burials 1786-1839)
The local economy is driven by the year-round commercial fishing industry and the seasonal tourism industry, which is largely focused on whale watching tours.
The island is home to R. E. Robicheau Ltd, [2] a general store with a gas pump, gift shop, and café. On the eastern side of the island is the one hotel, the Brier Island Lodge. [3] There are also several bed and breakfasts, a used book store and gift shops. The island contains the fishing village of Westport which is connected to Freeport on Long Island by a ferry operated by the provincial government.
Brier Island is frequently inundated by fog and has witnessed 57 recorded shipwrecks. [4] The island has "a lighthouse per mile" with the Northern and Western lighthouses on the island, as well as the Peter Island lighthouse in Grand Passage; all are automated and are operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. The wreck of the barque "Aurora" in 1908 provided the lumber for the Westport Community Hall. [5]
The Canadian Coast Guard operates CCG Station Westport in the village. The rescue cutter CCGC Westport provides 24-hour-per-day, 7 days per week response to search and rescue incidents within the eastern Gulf of Maine and the southern and eastern Bay of Fundy.
Brier Island was the childhood home of sailor Joshua Slocum who became the first person to circumnavigate the world alone. A monument to Slocum and the bootshop where he worked as a boy can be seen in Westport.
The endangered Eastern mountain avens is present on Brier Island. [6]
The Bay of Fundy is a bay between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine. It is an arm of the Gulf of Maine. Its tidal range is the highest in the world. The name is probably a corruption of the French word fendu, meaning 'split'.
Digby County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
Machias Seal Island is an island in disputed water between the Gulf of Maine and the Bay of Fundy, about 16 km (10 mi) southeast from Cutler, Maine, and 19 km (12 mi) southwest of Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick. Sovereignty of the island is disputed by the United States and Canada. The Canadian Coast Guard continues to staff a lighthouse on the island; the first lighthouse was constructed there in 1832.
Digby is an incorporated town in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is in the historical county of Digby and a separate municipality from the Municipality of the District of Digby. The town is situated on the western shore of the Annapolis Basin near the entrance to the Digby Gut, which connects the basin to the Bay of Fundy.
The Annapolis Basin is a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, located on the bay's southeastern shores, along the northwestern shore of Nova Scotia and at the western end of the Annapolis Valley.
Route 217 is a collector road in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
The Glooscap Trail is a scenic roadway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
St. Marys Bay south western Nova Scotia, Canada, is surrounded by the modern municipal districts of Clare Municipal District and Digby.
Long Island is a Canadian island in Digby County, Nova Scotia.
Digby Neck is a Canadian peninsula extending into the Bay of Fundy in Digby County, Nova Scotia.
Seal Island is an island on the outermost extreme of Southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada, in the Municipality of the District of Argyle in Yarmouth County. It is approximately 4.3 kilometres (2.7 mi) long and 0.8 kilometres (0.50 mi) wide and is surrounded on its east, south and west sides by dangerous shoals. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and is the biggest of a group of five islands which extend north for 12 kilometres (7.5 mi). It is the second southernmost point of land of Nova Scotia. The southern tip of nearby Cape Sable Island is 250 metres (820 ft) farther south than the southern tip of land on Seal Island.
Sambro Island Lighthouse is a landfall lighthouse located at the entrance to Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, on an island near the community of Sambro in the Halifax Regional Municipality. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America and its construction is a National Historic Event.
North Mountain is a narrow southwest-northeast trending volcanic ridge on the mainland portion of southwestern Nova Scotia, stretching from Brier Island to Cape Split. It forms the northern edge of the Annapolis Valley along the shore of the Bay of Fundy. Together with South Mountain, the two ranges form the Annapolis Highlands region.
Mount Hanley is a Canadian rural community in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. It is the birthplace of the mariner Joshua Slocum and of Clara Belle Marshall, the first woman to graduate from Acadia University in 1879.
Belliveau Cove is a historical Acadian community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the District of Clare in Digby County settled in 1768 on un-ceded Mi'kmaq territory. A major centre of wooden shipbuilding in the 19th and early 20th century, Belliveau Cove built the second largest wooden ship ever constructed in Canada, the County of Yarmouth in 1884. It is now a mixed community of citizens with diverse backgrounds, including Acadians.
The Digby Gut is a narrow channel connecting the Bay of Fundy with the Annapolis Basin. The town of Digby, Nova Scotia is located on the inner portion of the western side of the Gut. The eastern entrance is marked by the Point Prim Lighthouse. Strong tidal currents, numerous rocky ledges, frequent fogs and unpredictable winds make it a dangerous passage requiring a pilot or local knowledge. Tide flows create 5 knot tidal currents and create numerous whirlpools and eddies. The gut is about a half nautical mile in width and bordered by high rocky cliffs. It marks a break in the North Mountain ridge along the Annapolis Valley and is the eastern end of Digby Neck. Digby Gut had its origins as the northern terminus of the ancient Bear River, part of which is now a drowned river valley.
The current Point Prim Lighthouse is the fourth in a line of lighthouses built at Point Prim in Canada since 1804. It is located at the mouth of the Digby Gut, which connects the Bay of Fundy with the Annapolis Basin. It is located approximately 8.5 km outside Digby.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Nova Scotia:
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
