Shelburne | ||
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Town | ||
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Nickname(s): Where Canada's history comes alive | ||
Location of Shelburne, Nova Scotia | ||
Coordinates: 43°45′48″N 65°19′25″W / 43.763333°N 65.323611°W | ||
Country | Canada | |
Province | Nova Scotia | |
County | Shelburne | |
Founded | 1783 | |
Incorporated | April 4, 1907 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Town of Shelburne Council | |
• Mayor | Karen Mattatall | |
• MLA | Sterling Belliveau (NDP) | |
• MP | Bernadette Jordan (L) | |
Area | ||
• Land | 9 km2 (3 sq mi) | |
Highest elevation | 6 m (20 ft) | |
Lowest elevation | 0 m (0 ft) | |
Population (2011) | ||
• Total | 1,686 | |
• Density | 187.3/km2 (485/sq mi) | |
• Change (2006-11) | 10.3% | |
• Dwellings | 797 | |
Time zone | AST (UTC-4) | |
• Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-3) | |
Postal code(s) | B0T 1W0 | |
Area code(s) | 902 & 782 | |
Access Routes | Trunk 3 | |
Website | town |
Shelburne is a town located in southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the seat of the Municipal District of Shelburne.
Early European settlers had small subsistence farms, but most of the inhabitants' income from that time to the present have been derived from the sea. Shelburne lies at the southwest corner of Nova Scotia, at roughly the same latitude as Portland, Maine in the United States. The Mi'kmaq called the large and well-sheltered harbour Logumkeegan or Sogumkeagum.
The first Europeans to make a settlement on these shores were the French Acadians. They set up a small fishing settlement known as Port Razoir in the late 17th century, named after the harbour's resemblance to an open razor. The Acadian fishing settlement was abandoned after repeated raids from English colonists from New England during Queen Anne's War in 1705, in which five Acadians were taken prisoner, and 1708.
On May 14, 1715, New England naval commander Cyprian Southack attempted to create a permanent fishing station at a place he named "Cape Roseway" (now known as Shelburne). Shortly after he set up a base, in July 1715 the Mi'kmaq raided the station and burned it to the ground. In response, Southack led a raid on Canso, Nova Scotia (1718) and encouraged Governor Phillips to fortify Canso.
New England fishermen knew Shelburne as "Port Roseway" and frequently used the outer harbour for seasonal shelter and repairs. Pirate Ned Low raided the New England fishing fleet at Shelburne Harbour in 1723, capturing 13 ships and taking Philip Ashton captive. After the English conducted the Acadian Expulsion in 1755, there were no settlers for several decades. Alexander McNutt attempted to start a settlement in 1765 but was not successful.