Hantsport: From the Bustling Shipbuilding Town of the 1800’s to the Town of Industry that it is Today
Horton Journal of Canadian History - Volume II - 2001
Hantsport: From the Bustling Shipbuilding Town of the 1800’s to the Town of Industry that it is Today
By
Morgan Dunbar
The town of Hantsport celebrated the 100th anniversary of its incorporation in 1995. From that there has been an increased interest of the history of the town. Hantsport started in 1790 when a British soldier wanted to expand what he had out of Falmouth. The land that he acquired was in what Hantsport is today. (Robertson, 9) From there, the town became "fifth among the world’s shipbuilding centers." (Chittick, 10) Today, "the Town of Hantsport encompasses approximately one square mile of the area of Hants County." (Mister Webpage)
Ezra Churchill started the shipbuilding industry during the time of the Napoleonic Wars when colonial timber and colonial vessels were in demand. Ezra Churchill was a farmer in Hantsport at this time, but he had the sea in his blood and he began building ships. He built...