Windsor, Nova Scotia

Windsor is a small town located in central Nova Scotia at the junction of the Avon and St. Croix Rivers. It is the largest community in western Hants County with a 2001 population of 3,778.

History of Windsor

The French were the first to settle in the area around 1685. They named the community 'Pesaquid'. British first settled in 1749. They built Fort Edward in 1750, which later burned down except for its wooden blockhouse. That blockhouse is now the last of its kind in Canada and is a major tourist attraction in Windsor.

Related Topics:
1685 - 1749 - Fort Edward - 1750 - Canada

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The Township of Windsor was founded in 1764, and the next year, its first Agricultural Fair was held. This fair is still continued today, and is actually the oldest and longest-running such fair in North America.

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The University of King's College and its secondary school 'King's Collegiate School' were founded in 1788-1789 by United Empire Loyalists as Anglican academic institutions. The college remained in the community until a disastrous fire on February 3, 1920. In 1922 it moved to Halifax, with the assistance of the Carnegie Foundation and continues to this day.

Related Topics:
University of King's College - 1788 - 1789 - United Empire Loyalists - Anglican - February 3 - 1920 - 1922 - Carnegie Foundation

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The King's Collegiate School continued operation on the campus and was joined by a sister girls school, 'Edgehill School', in 1890. In 1976 both institutions merged to form 'King's-Edgehill School', today the oldest independent (ie. private) school in the British Commonwealth outside of the United Kingdom.

Related Topics:
1890 - 1976 - British Commonwealth - United Kingdom

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Thomas Chandler Haliburton brought fame to Windsor during the 1800s with his writings under the pseudonym of Sam Slick.

Related Topics:
Thomas Chandler Haliburton - 1800s - Pseudonym - Sam Slick

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In 1878, Windsor was officially incorporated as a town. Its harbour made the town a centre for shipping and shipbuilding during the age of sail, and it was one of Nova Scotia's major port communities following the completion of the Nova Scotia Railway's line from Halifax in 1857, giving that city access to the Bay of Fundy shipping routes.

Related Topics:
1878 - Nova Scotia Railway - 1857 - Bay of Fundy

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Over the course of its history, Windsor was victim to two disastrous fires, on October 17, 1897, and January 6, 1924, both of which destroyed part of the town.

Related Topics:
October 17 - 1897 - January 6 - 1924

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In 1970, the construction of a flood-control causeway carrying Nova Scotia Highway 101 and the Dominion Atlantic Railway across the Avon River closed Windsor off from shipping and has affected navigation in the Avon River downstream from the causeway due to excessive siltation. Highway 101 is scheduled to be upgraded to a 4-lane expressway in the future and there have been discussions about replacing the causeway with railroad and highway bridges to improve water flow. Today, the Avon River on the upstream side of the causeway which is obstructed from freely flowing into the Bay of Fundy is called 'Lake Pesaquid'.

Related Topics:
1970 - Nova Scotia Highway 101 - Dominion Atlantic Railway - Avon River - Expressway

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