St. Margaret's Bay: A History

Kenneth M. Glazier was Chief Librarian Emeritus at the University of Calgary, Alberta.

Canadians are showing more interest in their “roots”; and hence there is a plethora of books on local history. This volume celebrates the two-hundredth anniversary of the first European settlement in this area of Nova Scotia. The book is a compilation of material written by citizens who were willing to do the research in the villages. Most of the villages never became noteworthy but there is one that became a familiar name all across Canada — Peggy’s Cove. (Tradition has it that since the Cove is located at the mouth of St. Margaret’s Bay, the name was probably shortened to Peggy’s Cove.)

The first families to settle permanently at the Bay were of French and German descent; they came between 1780 and 1785. In 1786 a few Loyalist settlers arrived in the Bay area from the United States. Farming and shipbuilding flourished in these early years.

The beauty of the scenery around Peggy’s Cove has attracted a number of artists and photographers, and it is now a mecca for tourists from all across Canada. The numerous photographs in the book reflect not only the beauty of the surroundings but the occupations and industry of the pioneer days. Nova Scotians from all across Canada will read with delight the record of their past.