Pictou, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia


Pictou is a town in Pictou County
Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Pictou County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 46,513 people in 2006, which represents a decline of 6.3 percent from 1991. It is the sixth most populous county in Nova...

, in the Canadian
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 on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait....

.

Once an active shipping port and the shire town of the county, today Pictou is primarily a local service centre for surrounding rural communities as well as being the primary tourist destination in this region of Nova Scotia.

History

Pictou was a receiving point for many Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

 immigrants moving to a new home in northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....

 following the Highland Clearances
Highland Clearances
The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...

 of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Consequently, the town's slogan is "The Birthplace of New Scotland
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...

"; the first wave of immigrants is acknowledged to have arrived on September 15, 1773, on the Hector
Hector (ship)
The Hector was a ship famous for having brought the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773.- Career :A full rigged Fluyt, the Hector was employed in local trade in waters of the British Isles as well as the immigrant trade to North America, having made at least one trip ca...

. The town has an indirect connection to Scottish settlement in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

; the Reverend Norman McLeod emigrated to Pictou from Scotland some years after the Hector but eventually re-settled with his parishoners at St. Ann's on Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....

. He later encouraged his parishoners to move to Waipu
Waipu
Waipu is a small town in Bream Bay, in the Northland Region of New Zealand, with a Scottish heritage. The population was 1,491 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 222 from 2001. A highlight of the town's calendar is the annual Highland Games held at New Year...

 where there are still many descendants from Pictou and St. Ann's.
In 1812 Sir Hector Maclean
Sir Hector Maclean, 7th Baronet
Sir Hector Maclean, 7th Baronet of Morvern was the 23rd Clan Chief of Clan Maclean who died before he had any children, and the title passed to his half brother.-Biography:...

 (the 7th Baronet of Morvern
Maclean Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Maclean, one in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...

 and 23rd Chief of the Clan Maclean
Clan MacLean
Clan Maclean is a Highland Scottish clan. They are one of the oldest clans in the Highlands and owned large tracts of land in Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides. Many early MacLeans became famous for their honour, strength and courage in battle. They were involved in many clan skirmishes with...

) emigrated to Pictou from Glensanda and Kingairloch
Glensanda
Glensanda was a Viking settlement at the mouth of Glen Sanda on the Morvern peninsula within south west Lochaber, overlooking the Isle of Lismore and Loch Linnhe in the western Highlands of Scotland....

 in Scotland with almost the entire population of 500. Sir Hector is buried in the cemetery at Pictou.

During the latter part of the 19th century, Pictou's industrial sector gained strength. The Intercolonial Railway was built to the town on a spur from the Stellarton
Stellarton, Nova Scotia
-External links:*...

-Oxford Junction
Oxford Junction, Nova Scotia
Oxford Junction is a Canadian rural community in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, which lies approximately 5 kilometers to the southwest of the town of Oxford....

 "Short Line". Shipbuilding increased through the 19th century, particularly with the increase in coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

 being shipped from Pictou Landing, Abercrombie and the East River of Pictou. A shipyard has been continuously established in the town since this period. The port's activity increased after the nearby Scott Maritimes pulp mill opened in Abercrombie in 1965. CN Rail abandoned its service to the town in the late 1980s but other transportation - including Highway 106
Nova Scotia Highway 106
Highway 106 is a short, 2-lane controlled access highway in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Canada.The highway is part of the Prince Edward Island loop of the Trans-Canada Highway and connects the Northumberland Ferries terminal in Caribou to the mainline Trans-Canada at Highway 104 near Westville.The...

 (the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...

) - opened in the 1970s to provide alternatives.

Notable Pictonians

  • Sir William Dawson
    John William Dawson
    Sir John William Dawson, CMG, FRS, FRSC , was a Canadian geologist and university administrator.- Life and work :...

    , born in Pictou in 1820. He resided in Pictou until 1840, when he travelled to Scotland to complete his education in geology and natural history at the University of Edinburgh
    University of Edinburgh
    The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...

    . He returned to Nova Scotia in 1842 and served as superintendent of education from 1850 to 1853. In 1855, he moved to Montreal
    Montreal
    Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

    , Quebec
    Quebec
    Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

    , to become the principal of McGill University
    McGill University
    Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

    , a position he held with distinction until 1893.
  • Thomas McCulloch, Presbyterian minister from Renfrewshire
    Renfrewshire
    Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...

    , Scotland
    Scotland
    Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

     and founder of Pictou Academy
    Pictou Academy
    Pictou Academy , founded in 1816 by the late Dr. Thomas McCulloch, is a secondary school in Pictou, Nova Scotia. Prior to the twentieth century, it was a liberal nonsectarian college, a grammar school, an academy and then a secondary school. Pictou Academy's current principal is James Ryan. The...

    . He went on to establish Dalhousie University
    Dalhousie University
    Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...

     in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
  • Christie MacDonald
    Christie MacDonald
    Christie MacDonald was a Canadian-American actress and opera singer. She was born in Pictou, Nova Scotia...

    , American stage actress & singer, 1875–1962
  • Peter Crerar
    Peter Crerar
    Peter Crerar was a Scottish-Nova Scotian civil engineer. He designed the first railway in British North America, and the first standard gauge railroad in North America, at Stellarton, near Pictou, Nova Scotia.-The 1836 Albion Mines Railway:Crerar had shown an early interest in railways as early as...

    , civil engineer, came to Pictou from Scotland in 1817. Designed and built the Albion Mines Railway, the first standard gauge railroad in North America,
  • Joey MacDonald
    Joey MacDonald
    Joseph MacDonald is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender in the Detroit Red Wings organization who currently plays with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League . He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, and the Toronto Maple Leafs...

    , an NHL goaltender, currently playing with the Detroit Red Wings
    Detroit Red Wings
    The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

  • Rudolph Grohmann(and Deane H. Russell of BC)designed the award-winning Canadian Belt Knife in 1957, which has always been and still is manufactured by Grohmann Knives Ltd. in Pictou. Grohmann along with his family founded Grohmann Knives over 50 years ago and family members still run it today.
  • Donald L. Grant was a Health Evaluation Division director at Health Canada
    Health Canada
    Health Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for national public health.The current Minister of Health is Leona Aglukkaq, a Conservative Member of Parliament appointed to the position by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.-Branches, regions and agencies:Health Canada...

    , and an advisor to the World Health Organization
    World Health Organization
    The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...

    .
  • Ken Reid, Television personality. Rogers Sportsnet.

Education

Pictou Academy
Pictou Academy
Pictou Academy , founded in 1816 by the late Dr. Thomas McCulloch, is a secondary school in Pictou, Nova Scotia. Prior to the twentieth century, it was a liberal nonsectarian college, a grammar school, an academy and then a secondary school. Pictou Academy's current principal is James Ryan. The...

 is the town's high school and was founded in 1803 by Dr. Thomas McCulloch, who was travelling to his new clergy posting on Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...

. He was convinced to stay the winter and ended up remaining in Pictou for much longer. Disappointed by the lack of education among Pictonians, Dr. McCulloch decided to start a "college". There was considerable argument between Dr. Thomas McCulloch and Nova Scotia's provincial government for funding however it finally became a reality in 1816 when the Pictou Academy was incorporated. The province of Nova Scotia would not let it be named a "college," as such, but it was a school of higher education (senior matriculation) which was open to people of every race and denomination.

Between 1816 and the present, Pictou Academy has been in four separate buildings. The school was moved from its original building to a new site, while the second and third buildings both burned down. There were Academy graduates from every year since it was incorporated, excluding the years between several of its different buildings.

At the start of the school year of 2003–2004, all high schools in Pictou County were closed, and their students began to go the two new "superschools", Northumberland Regional High School
Northumberland Regional High School
Northumberland Regional High School is a Canadian secondary school located in Alma, Nova Scotia.Students that attend the school come from the western part of Pictou County, including the towns of Stellarton, and Westville....

, and North Nova Education Centre
North Nova Education Centre
North Nova Education Centre is a Canadian high school in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. It serves approximately 900 students from the eastern side of Pictou County. It is administratively part of the "Celtic Region" of the Chignecto-Central Regional School Board. The school's official colours are blue...

, for their education. The only exception to this is Pictou Academy, which continues to operate.

The town operates a small library and C@P
Nova Scotia C@P
Nova Scotia Community Access Program is a Government of Canada initiative, administered by Industry Canada, which aims to provide Nova Scotians with affordable public access to the Internet and the skills they need to use it effectively...

 site.

Attractions

The primary tourist attraction in Pictou is the waterfront along Pictou Harbour. During the 1990s-2000s, industrial land on the Pictou waterfront was redeveloped with the centrepiece being construction of the replica tall ship Hector
Hector (ship)
The Hector was a ship famous for having brought the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773.- Career :A full rigged Fluyt, the Hector was employed in local trade in waters of the British Isles as well as the immigrant trade to North America, having made at least one trip ca...

. Now completed, the ship is docked each summer at the Hector Heritage Quay, an interpretive centre that includes a gift store, a carpentry shop, a blacksmith shop and an artist's studio.

The Hector Festival, celebrating the arrival of settlers to Nova Scotia on the Hector
Hector (ship)
The Hector was a ship famous for having brought the first Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773.- Career :A full rigged Fluyt, the Hector was employed in local trade in waters of the British Isles as well as the immigrant trade to North America, having made at least one trip ca...

 takes place in August. In July, the Lobster Carnival takes place, and an amusement park is set up. The Lobster Carnival is a yearly event celebrating the end of the fishing season and has been a town festival since 1934.

The waterfront redevelopment also features a marina and small boardwalk that connects to the Trans-Canada Trail. The historic Intercolonial Railway station on the waterfront has been restored, and a new fisheries museum is under construction nearby.

Grohmann Knives Ltd, the only knife manufacturing factory in Canada, are the sole producers of the historic D.H. Russell Belt Knives and Grohmann Kitchen Knives for over 50 years. Free factory tours of the plant are offered to the public.

Water taxis and boat tours of the harbour are available, which also connect to the town of New Glasgow
New Glasgow, Nova Scotia
New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait....

.

Pictou is 5 kilometres south of the port of Caribou
Caribou, Nova Scotia
Caribou is a small Canadian rural community in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.Located on the Northumberland Strait northwest of the town of Pictou, Caribou is named after the Woodland Caribou which used to live in Nova Scotia until European settlers hunted the herds to extinction in the 19th century...

 where Northumberland Ferries Limited
Northumberland Ferries Limited
Northumberland Ferries Limited is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...

 operates a seasonal vehicle-pedestrian ferry service to Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...

; there is also a pedestrian-only ferry that operates seaonally to Pictou Island. Several beaches are located near the town of Pictou, most notably Caribou Provincial Park and Waterside Beach Provincial Park.

External links

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