Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Annapolis Royal is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County

Annapolis County, Nova Scotia

Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.-History:...

, 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...

. Known as Port Royal

Port Royal, Nova Scotia

Port Royal was the capital of Acadia from 1605 to 1710 and is now a town called Annapolis Royal in the western part of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Initially Port Royal was located on the north shore of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, at the site of the present reconstruction of the...

until the Conquest of Acadia in 1710 by Britain

Kingdom of Great Britain

The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

, the town is the oldest continuous European settlement in North America, north of St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine, Florida

St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...

.

The town was the capital of Acadia and later Nova Scotia for almost 150 years, until the founding of Halifax

City of Halifax

Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...

in 1749. It was attacked by the British six times before permanently changing hands after the Conquest of Acadia

Siege of Port Royal (1710)

The Siege of Port Royal , also known as the Conquest of Acadia, was conducted by British regular and provincial forces under the command of Francis Nicholson against a French Acadian garrison under the command of Daniel d'Auger de Subercase, at the Acadian capital, Port Royal...

in 1710. Over the next fifty years, the French and their allies made six unsuccessful military attempts to regain the capital.

Including a raid during the American Revolution

American Revolution

The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...

, Annapolis Royal faced a total of thirteen attacks, more than any other place in North America.

Port Royal

The original French settlement at Port Royal

Port Royal, Nova Scotia

, known as the Habitation at Port-Royal

Habitation at Port-Royal

The Habitation at Port-Royal was the first successful French settlement of New France in North America, and is presently known as Port-Royal National Historic Site, a National Historic Site located on the northern side of the Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada...

, was settled in 1605 by François Gravé Du Pont

François Gravé Du Pont

François Gravé , said Du Pont , was a French navigator , an early fur trader and explorer in the New World.Gravé Du Pont is known to have traded furs in the New France, since maybe 1580, surely before 1599, reaching Trois-Rivières in...

, Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....

, with and for Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. This site is approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) west of present-day Annapolis Royal at the mouth of the Annapolis River

Annapolis River

The Annapolis River is a Canadian river located in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.-Geography:Measuring 120 kilometres in length, the river flows southwest through the western part of the valley from its source in Caribou Bog near the villages of Aylesford and Berwick in western Kings County, to...

on the Annapolis Basin

Annapolis Basin

The Annapolis Basin is a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, located on the southwestern shores of the bay, along the northwestern shore of Nova Scotia and at the western end of the Annapolis Valley....

. The first settlement was abandoned after being destroyed by English attackers in 1613.

Scottish settlers, under the auspices of Sir William Alexander

William Alexander (the younger)

Sir William Alexander was the founder, in 1629, of the Scottish colony at Port-Royal, now the site of modern Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. He also built forts in Cape Breton then in Port Royal. He was the son of colonizer William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling, but predeceased his father and...

, established their settlement, known as Charlesfort in 1629 at the mouth of the Annapolis River (present site of Annapolis Royal). The settlement was abandoned to the French under the terms of the Treaty of St. Germain-en-Laye in 1632. A second French settlement replaced the Scottish Charlesfort at present-day Annapolis Royal. It was also called Port-Royal and it developed into the capital of the French colony of Acadia

Acadia

Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...

. Port-Royal under the French soon became self sufficient and grew modestly for nearly a century, though it was subject to frequent attacks and capture by British

Kingdom of Great Britain

military forces or those of its New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

colonists, only to be restored each time to French control by subsequent recapture or treaty stipulations. Acadia remained in French hands throughout most of the 17th century.

Creation of Annapolis Royal

In 1710 Port Royal was captured a final time from the French at the 1710 Siege of Port Royal

Siege of Port Royal (1710)

during Queen Anne's War

Queen Anne's War

Queen Anne's War , as the North American theater of the War of the Spanish Succession was known in the British colonies, was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought between France and England, later Great Britain, in North America for control of the continent. The War of the...

, marking the British conquest of mainland Nova Scotia. The British renamed the town Annapolis Royal after Queen Anne

Anne of Great Britain

Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...

(1665–1714), the reigning monarch. The name was formed by combining the queen's name 'Anne' with that of 'polis

Polis

Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...

', the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

word for city

City

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

and taking part of the former French name Port-'Royal'. The Annapolis Basin

Annapolis Basin

The Annapolis Basin is a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, located on the southwestern shores of the bay, along the northwestern shore of Nova Scotia and at the western end of the Annapolis Valley....

, Annapolis River

Annapolis River

and the Annapolis Valley

Annapolis Valley

The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy.-Geography:...

all take their name from the town. Under the French reign, Annapolis River had been known as Rivière Dauphin.

Siege of Annapolis Royal (1711)

After success in the local Battle of Bloody Creek (1711), 600 Acadians and native warriors attempted to retake the Acadian capital. Under the leadership of Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin

Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin

Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was a French military officer serving in Acadia. He was a member of a successful privateering force at the time of Queen Anne's War, and led native and French forces in the defense of Acadia.- Biography :...

they descended on Annapolis Royal and laid siege to Fort Anne

Fort Anne

For a similarly named fort in New York City see: Fort AmsterdamFort Anne is a typical star fort built to protect the harbour of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. The fort repelled all French attacks during the early stages of King George's War....

. The garrison had fewer than 200 men, but the attackers had no artillery

Artillery

Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...

and were thus unable to make an impression on the fort. They eventually dispersed, and Annapolis Royal remained in British hands for the remainder of the war.

Under the Treaty of Utrecht

Treaty of Utrecht

The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...

in 1713, Acadia was granted to the British

Kingdom of Great Britain

; however the vague boundary definitions saw only the peninsular part of Nova Scotia granted to Britain, and the next half century would be turbulent years as Britain and France acted out the final struggle for Acadia and North America.

Blockade of Annapolis Royal (1722)

During Dummer's War

Dummer's War

Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...

, in July 1722 the Abenaki and Mi'kmaq attempted to create a blockade of Annapolis Royal, with of intent of starving the capital. The natives captured 18 fishing vessels and prisoners from present-day Yarmouth to Canso. They also seized prisoners and vessels from the Bay of Fundy. Under potential siege, in May 1722, Lieutenant Governor John Doucett

John Doucett

John Doucett was probably of French descent although he did not speak the language and was likely born in England. He was a career military man and, from 1702 on, received several promotions....

took 22 Mi'kmaq hostage at Annapolis Royal to prevent the capital from being attacked. Massachuetts Governor Samuel Shute

Samuel Shute

Samuel Shute was a military officer and royal governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. After serving in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession, he was appointed by King George I as governor of Massachusetts in 1716...

declared war on the Abenaki.

New Englanders retrieved some of the vessels and prisoners after the Battle at Winnepang (Jeddore Harbour)

Battle at Winnepang (Jeddore Harbour)

The Battle at Winnepang occurred during Dummer's War when New England forces attacked Mi’kmaq at present day Jeddore Harbour, Nova Scotia. The naval battle was part of a campaign ordered by Governor Phillips to retrieve over 82 New England prisoners taken by the Mi'kmaq in fishing vessels off...

, in which thirty-five natives were killed and five New Englanders. Other vessels and prisoners were retrieved at Malagash harbour after a ransom was paid.

Raid on Annapolis Royal (1724)

During Dummer's War

Dummer's War

, the worst moment of the war for the capital came in early July 1724 when a group of sixty Mikmaq and Maliseets raided Annapolis Royal. They killed and scalped a sergeant and a private, wounded four more soldiers, and terrorized the village. They also burned houses and took prisoners. The British responded by executed one of the Mi'kmaq hostages on the same spot the sergeant was killed. They also burned three Acadian houses in retaliation.

As a result of the raid, three blockhouses were built to protect the town. The Acadian church was moved closer to the fort so that it could be more easily monitored.

King Georges' War

During King Georges War there were four attempts by the French, Acadians and Mi'kmaq to retake the capital of Acadia.

Siege of Annapolis Royal (July 1744)

Le Loutre gathered three hundred Mi'kmaq warriors together and began their assault on Annapolis Royal on July 12. This was the largest gathering of Mi'kmaw warriors to date to take arms against the British. The Mi'kmaq outnumbered the New Englanders regulars by three to one. Two New England regulars were captured and scalped. The assault lasted for four days, when the fort was rescued on July 16 by seventy New England soldiers arriving on board the ship Prince of Orange.

Siege of Annapolis Royal (September 1744)

After spending the summer trying to recruit the assistance of Acadians, François du Pont Duvivier

François du Pont Duvivier

Captain François Dupont Duvivier was an Acadian-born merchant and officer of the French colonial troupes de la marine.- Early life :François Dupont Duvivier was born in Port Royal, Acadia, the eldest of the three sons of François du Pont Duvivier and Marie Mius d'Entremont de Pobomkou on April 25,...

attacked Annapolis Royal on September 8. His force of 200 was up against 250 soldiers at the fort. The siege raged on for a week and then Duvivier demanded the surrender of the fort. Both sides waited for reinforcements by sea. The fighting continued for a week and then two ships did arrive - from Boston, not Louisbourg. On board the ship was New England Ranger John Gorham (military officer)

John Gorham (military officer)

John Gorham was a New England Ranger and was the first significant British military presence on the frontier of Nova Scotia and Acadia to remain in the region for a substantial period of time after the Conquest of Acadia . He established the famous "Gorham's Rangers". Gorham was commissioned a...

and 70 natives. Duvivier retreated.

Siege of Annapolis Royal (1745)

In May 1745, Paul Marin de la Malgue

Paul Marin de la Malgue

Paul Marin de la Malgue was the eldest son of Charles-Paul Marin de la Malgue and Catherine Niquet. He was born in Montreal and, as many of the prominent historical figures of his time, had a military career in the colonial regular troops...

led and 200 troops, hundreds of Mi'kmaq joined a siege against Annapolis Royal. This force was twice the size of Duvivier's expedition. During the siege the English pulled destroyed their own officers fences, houses and buildings that the attackers might be able to use. The siege was ended quickly when Marin was recalled to assist with defending the French during the Siege of Louisbourg (1745)

Siege of Louisbourg (1745)

The Siege of Louisbourg took place in 1745 when a New England colonial force aided by a British fleet captured Louisbourg, the capital of the French province of Île-Royale during the War of the Austrian Succession, known as King George's War in the British colonies.Although the Fortress of...

. Marin had taken British prisoners in the siege and stopped with them further up the bay at Cobequid. While at Cobequid, an Acadian said that the French soldiers should have "left their [the English] carcasses behind and brought their skins." Martin was not able to assist Louisbourg because he engaged in the Battle at Tatamagouche

Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia

Tatamagouche is a Canadian village in Colchester County, Nova Scotia.Tatamagouche is situated on the Northumberland Strait 50 kilometers north of Truro and 50 kilometres west of Pictou. The village is located along the south side of Tatamagouche Bay at the mouths of the French and Waugh Rivers...

Siege of Annapolis Royal (1746)

Led by Ramesay, the French land forces laid siege to Annapolis Royal for twenty-three days, awaiting naval reinforcements. They never received the assistance they required from the Duc d'Anville Expedition

Duc d'Anville Expedition

The Duc d'Anville Expedition was sent from France to recapture peninsular Acadia . The expedition was the largest military force ever to set sail for the New World prior to the American Revolution. The effort to take the Nova Scotian capital, Annapolis Royal was also supported on land by a force...

and were forced to retreat.

Deportation of the Acadians

During the Expulsion of the Acadians, on December 8, 1755, 32 Acadian families (225 prisoners) were deported from Annapolis Royal on the British ship Pembroke. The ship was headed for North Carolina. During the voyage, the Acadians took over the vessel. On February 8, 1756, the Acadians had sailed up the Saint John River as far as they could. The Acadians disembarked and burned their ship. A group of Maliseet met them and directed them up stream, where they joined an expanding Acadian community. The Maliseet took them to one of Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot

Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot

Charles Deschamps de Boishébert , was the leader of the Acadian resistance to the Expulsion of the Acadians. He settled and tried to protect Acadians refugees along the rivers of New Brunswick. Fort Boishebert is named after him...

's refugee camps for the fleeing Acadians, which was at Beaubears Island

Beaubears Island

Beaubears Island is an island at the confluence of the Northwest Miramichi and Southwest Miramichi Rivers near Miramichi, New Brunswick. The island is most famous for being the site of an Acadian refugee camp during the French and Indian War. The camp was under the command of leader of the Acadian...

.

In December 1757, while cutting firewood near Fort Anne, John Weatherspoon was captured by Indians (presumably Mi'kmaq) and carried away to the mouth of the Miramichi River. From there he was eventually sold or traded to the French and taken to Quebec, where he was held until late in 1759 and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, when General Wolfe's forces prevailed.

American Revolution

During the American Revolution

American Revolution

, the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)

84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants)

The 84th Regiment of Foot was a British regiment in the American Revolutionary War that was raised to defend present day Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada from the constant land and sea attacks by American Revolutionaries...

were stationed at Annapolis Royal to guard Nova Scotia against American Privateers. On October 2, 1778, the 84th Regiment, was involved in the defeat of an American privateer at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Captain MacDonald arrived at Annapolis in a ship, to find a large privateer ship raiding the port. He destroyed the privateer vessel, which mounted ten carriage guns.

Two months later, Captain Campbell of the 84th Regiment, in December 1778, took seven men with him to retrieve an American Privateer ship that was abandoned on Partridge Island, New Brunswick

Partridge Island, New Brunswick

Partridge Island is a Canadian island located in the Bay of Fundy off the coast of New Brunswick on the west side of the mouth of the Saint John River and Saint John Harbour.The island is designated as both a national and provincial historic site...

. They returned the ship safely to Annapolis Royal.

However the 84th Regiment was transferred to the Carolinas in June 1780, leaving the town vulnerable to attack. On August 29, 1781, two large American privateer

Privateer

A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...

schooners attacked the undefended town. They imprisoned the men of the community in the fort and systematically looted houses in the town, even stealing window glass from the church. The privateers fled when reports arrived that the militia was assembling outside the town. The only death took place when the privateer's accidentally shot their own pilot. Two town residents were taken as hostages and later released on parole on promise of exchange for an American prisoner at Halifax.

Loyalists

After the American Revolution, a flood of United Empire Loyalists

United Empire Loyalists

The name United Empire Loyalists is an honorific given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris...

arrived at Annapolis Royal. The Loyalist migration severely taxed the resources of the town for a time before many moved to found Loyalist settlements like nearby Digby

Digby, Nova Scotia

Digby is a Canadian town in western Nova Scotia. It is the shiretown and largest population centre in Digby County.The town is situated on the western shore of the Annapolis Basin near the entrance to the Digby Gut which connects the basin to the Bay of Fundy.Named after Admiral Robert Digby, RN,...

and Clementsport

Clementsport, Nova Scotia

Clementsport is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County.Clementsport is situated on the Annapolis Basin, and along the Moose River. The small town has pizzeria - Jody's Gourmet Pizza, which is part of the Moose River Variety Store...

while others stayed. Some such as Anglican minister Jacob Bailey remained in Annapolis Royal and became members of the town's elite. Many escaped slaves who fought for the British known as Black Loyalists were also part of the Loyalist migration, including Thomas Peters, an important Black Loyalist leader who first arrived in Annapolis Royal before taking land near Digby. Another notable Black Loyalist was Rose Fortune

Rose Fortune

Rose Fortune was an African American who came to Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia with the Black Loyalists where she became a successful businesswoman and the first female police officer in Canada.-Biography:...

who founded a freight business and policed the Annapolis Royal waterfront.

Nineteenth century: ships and railroads

The town grew with the rise of wooden shipbuilding and boomed in 1869 when the Windsor and Annapolis Railway

Windsor and Annapolis Railway

The Windsor and Annapolis Railway was a historic Canadian railway that operated in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley.The railway ran from Windsor to Annapolis Royal and leased connections to Nova Scotia's capital of Halifax...

arrived and made Annapolis Royal an important steamship port. Incorporation as a town under the provincial municipalities act took place in 1893. However the completion of the railway to Digby

Digby, Nova Scotia

in 1893, followed by the creation of the Dominion Atlantic Railway

Dominion Atlantic Railway

The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley....

to Yarmouth

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...

shifted much of the steamship commerce to Digby and Yarmouth at the same time as the wooden shipbuilding industry declined. Annapolis Royal became a small country town, although the rising tourism industry of the 20th century stimulated some commercial growth.

Since the early 20th century, the outskirt of the town has been the site of a bridge connecting the south side of the Annapolis River to the north side at Granville Ferry; before the bridge, there was a ferry connection. In 1961, the bridge was replaced with a causeway or dam and in 1984, the causeway became a component of part of the Annapolis Royal Tidal Power Generating Station

Annapolis Royal Generating Station

The Annapolis Royal Generating Station is a 20 MW tidal power station located on the Annapolis River immediately upstream from the town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the only tidal generating station in North America. The generating station harnesses the tidal difference...

.

The construction of the tidal generating station by the then-provincially owned electrical utility Nova Scotia Power Inc. was part of a pilot project to investigate this alternative method of generating electricity. It is the only tidal power facility in operation in North America. The generating station has created tangible environmental changes in water and air temperatures in the area, siltation patterns in the river, and increased erosion of the river banks on both sides of the dam.

Notable residents

Sir William Williams, 1st Baronet, of Kars was born at Annapolis Royal.
Noel Doiron
Noel Doiron
Noel Doiron was a leader of the Acadians, renown for the decisions he made during the Deportation of the Acadians. Doiron was deported on a vessel named the Duke William . The sinking of the Duke William was one of the worst marine disasters in Canadian history...

was born at Port Royal.
Daurene Lewis
Daurene Lewis
Daurene E. Lewis, CM is a Canadian politician and educator.Born in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Lewis is a descendant of freed Loyalist African Americans who settled in Annapolis Royal in 1783...

- first black woman mayor in North America
Rose Fortune
Rose Fortune
Rose Fortune was an African American who came to Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia with the Black Loyalists where she became a successful businesswoman and the first female police officer in Canada.-Biography:...

- considered first black woman police officer in Canada

Geography

Annapolis Royal is situated at the western end of the fertile Annapolis Valley

Annapolis Valley

, nestled between the North and South mountains which define the valley. The town is on south bank of the Annapolis River

Annapolis River

facing the heavily tidal Annapolis Basin

Annapolis Basin

The Annapolis Basin is a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, located on the southwestern shores of the bay, along the northwestern shore of Nova Scotia and at the western end of the Annapolis Valley....

. The riverside forms the waterfront for this historic town. Directly opposite Annapolis Royal on the northern bank of the river is the community of Granville Ferry

Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia

Granville Ferry is a village in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County .-References:*...

. Allains Creek joins the Annapolis River at the town, defining the western side of the community. The Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...

is just over the North Mountain, 10 kilometers north of the town.

Climate

Economy

Fort Anne

Tourism is a substantial industry for Annapolis Royal. Fort Anne, contained within the boundaries of the town, was designated as a National Historic Site in 1917 and is a natural tourist attraction. The French fort was renamed Fort Anne

Fort Anne

and established as a British garrison. The Fort, built originally around 1703, was designed to defend the capital of Acadia/ Nova Scotia from seaward attack. Today, much of the original earthen embankments are preserved for tours by the public, as well as some buildings original to the military facility and the Garrison Cemetery

Garrison Cemetery (Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia)

Garrison Cemetery is a cemetery located on the grounds of Fort Anne in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. It is located next to the old Court House, at the intersection of George St. and Nova Scotia Trunk 1....

. It is the oldest formal cemetery in Canada, dating back to the French and later the British. The oldest English gravestone in Canada is among the graves, that of Bathiah Douglas who was buried in 1720. (Rose Fortune

Rose Fortune

, a Black Loyalist

Black Loyalist

A Black Loyalist was an inhabitant of British America of African descent who joined British colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War...

and the first female police officer in what is now Canada is buried here.)

The trains of the Dominion Atlantic Railway

Dominion Atlantic Railway

The Dominion Atlantic Railway was a historic Canadian railway which operated in the western part of Nova Scotia, primarily through an agricultural district known as the Annapolis Valley....

ceased operations in 1990, bringing much industrial commerce within the confines of Nova Scotia's smallest town to a halt. Today, after many years of neglect, the old brick railway station is being privately renovated into professional office space.

The fleet of scallop boats moored in the Annapolis Basin continue to generate millions of dollars of economic activity each year, and support many businesses in the Annapolis Royal area.

The town also contains the largest Registered Historic District in Canada, as well as a waterfront boardwalk, a variety of unique shops, and many mature trees. Visitors can enjoy a fine selection of Bed & Breakfast accommodations, the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens (established in 1986), many shops and galleries, including Westside Studio, featuring the art of Richard Zenkner.

There are also a number of historical walking tours. During the summer, late night, guided candlelight Garrison Cemetery tours are available and very popular. An added benefit is the scenery of the surrounding countryside, much of which is agricultural. The mild climate and scenic location make this a favourite destination in all seasons. Nova Scotia's largest amusement park, Upper Clements Park

Upper Clements Park

Upper Clements Parks is a seasonal amusement park located in Upper Clements, Nova Scotia, Canada. In 2011 a new "Aerial Adventure Park" will be opened and will feature ziplines, yurt camping, tree top bridges, and mountain bike trails.-History:...

, was built several kilometres west of the town in nearby Upper Clements

Upper Clements, Nova Scotia

Upper Clements is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County .-Points of Interest:* Upper Clements Park- An amusement park with a wooden roller coaster , a haunted house, a pool, 2 mini golf courses, ziplining, bumper boats, pedal boats, a train to the other...

.

The town, along with most of Annapolis

Annapolis County, Nova Scotia

Annapolis County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia located in the western part of the province on the Bay of Fundy. The county seat is Annapolis Royal.-History:...

and Digby

Digby County, Nova Scotia

Digby County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Taking its name from the Township of Digby , which had been named in honour of Rear Admiral Robert Digby who dispatched HMS Atlanta to convey loyalists from New York City in the spring of 1783 to Conway, which became known as Digby,...

counties, experienced a severe economic decline during the mid-1990s after a nearby military training base, CFB Cornwallis

CFB Cornwallis

Canadian Forces Base Cornwallis is a former Canadian Forces Base located in Deep Brook, Nova Scotia.It is situated in the western part of Annapolis County on the southern shore of the Annapolis Basin...

, was closed as a result of defence budget cuts. The former base located on the shores of the Annapolis Basin in Cornwallis is now the site of an international peacekeeping

Peacekeeping

Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....

training centre, and an innovative industrial park for small businesses.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.