Concession, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Concession is a small rural residential village located in the Clare District
of DigbyCounty
, Nova Scotia
, Canada
. It encompasses a sprawling forested area featuring many lakes and streams. These include Belliveau Lake, Victor Lake, Spectacle Lake, Lac D’en Bas, and the Meteghan River.
Its inhabitants are mostly situated on the axis of the Patrice and Second Division Roads and along the lake shores.
The first Acadia
n settlers arrived in Concession in 1818. The Second Division Road was noted in historical documents by 1830.
The first wave of Acadians in Clare settled along the shores of St. Mary's Bay
from present-day St. Bernard
to Little Brook
upon tracts of land known as the "Basterache Concession" granted to them by the British in May 1775. In January 1801, other tracts were granted, the "Deuxiéme Concession" (the Second Division), and the "Troisiéme Concession" (the Third Division) lying between the first grants along St. Mary's Bay and the New Tusket
settlements deeper inland. The village was simply referred to as "les concessions" and retains that name to this day.
Concession enjoyed railway service form 1879 to 1990. It is now the site of exit 29 of Highway 101.
The village was originally served by its own post office beginning in 1886. It is now Rural Route #1 served by the Church Point post office, postal code B0W 1M0.
Concession had its own elementary school from the 1920s to the mid 1970s when the local schools were consolidated. The building was converted into a window and woodworking factory.
Electrical and telephone utilities became available here in the late 1950s.
For many years the inhabitants engaged in agriculture and timbering (lumber, firewood), lumber was sawn at various mills in the village and conveyed to markets via the St. Mary's Bay shores or by railroad.
The late 1950s saw the establishment of several large hog farms in Concession which operated until 2007 when low commodity prices and high overhead costs forced their closures.
The most prominent structure in the village is the Notre Dame du Mont Carmel Roman Catholic Church. Built in 1902 on the hill near the intersection of the Patrice and Second Division Roads, it is a landmark that can be seen for miles around.
Victor Lake in Concession is home to the Camp Jeunesse Acadien (CJA), a youth summer camp that was at one time ran by nuns; however, it is now staffed by summer students sponsored by government summer jobs programs. The CJA is also the starting point for the extremely popular annual Clare Canoe Trip every Easter weekend. The canoes travel the Meteghan and Salmon River systems in the heightened springtime melt waters.
At a nearby home stands the largest Horse Chestnut tree in Nova Scotia. It is 136 centimetres (54 in) in diameter and 17 metres (66 ft) tall.
Concession’s Lac D’en Bas has the dubious distinction of being the first site of the illegal introduction of the invasive chain pickerel
fish species by an overzealous sports fisherman. This voracious predator has decimated native fish stocks here and in other lakes and watersheds of southern Nova Scotia where it has been subsequently introduced.
Clare, Nova Scotia
Clare is a municipal district in western Nova Scotia, Canada.Primarily an Acadian region, Clare occupies the western half of Digby County. Most of the municipality's settled areas are located along St. Marys Bay, a sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine...
of DigbyCounty
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,...
, 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...
, Canada
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...
. It encompasses a sprawling forested area featuring many lakes and streams. These include Belliveau Lake, Victor Lake, Spectacle Lake, Lac D’en Bas, and the Meteghan River.
Its inhabitants are mostly situated on the axis of the Patrice and Second Division Roads and along the lake shores.
The first 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...
n settlers arrived in Concession in 1818. The Second Division Road was noted in historical documents by 1830.
The first wave of Acadians in Clare settled along the shores of St. Mary's Bay
St. Mary's Bay
St. Marys Bay is a bay located in western Nova Scotia, Canada, in Digby County.A sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine, the bay's southeastern shore is formed by mainland Nova Scotia, while its northwestern shore is formed by the Digby Neck, Long Island and Brier Island.The bay bifurcates the two...
from present-day St. Bernard
St. Bernard, Nova Scotia
St. Bernard is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the District of Clare in Digby County .-References:**...
to Little Brook
Little Brook, Nova Scotia
Little Brook is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Clare Municipal District in Digby County.The village has a postmaster, but no post office, which closed in 1988.-References:*...
upon tracts of land known as the "Basterache Concession" granted to them by the British in May 1775. In January 1801, other tracts were granted, the "Deuxiéme Concession" (the Second Division), and the "Troisiéme Concession" (the Third Division) lying between the first grants along St. Mary's Bay and the New Tusket
New Tusket, Nova Scotia
New Tusket is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the District of Clare in Digby County .-References:*...
settlements deeper inland. The village was simply referred to as "les concessions" and retains that name to this day.
Concession enjoyed railway service form 1879 to 1990. It is now the site of exit 29 of Highway 101.
The village was originally served by its own post office beginning in 1886. It is now Rural Route #1 served by the Church Point post office, postal code B0W 1M0.
Concession had its own elementary school from the 1920s to the mid 1970s when the local schools were consolidated. The building was converted into a window and woodworking factory.
Electrical and telephone utilities became available here in the late 1950s.
For many years the inhabitants engaged in agriculture and timbering (lumber, firewood), lumber was sawn at various mills in the village and conveyed to markets via the St. Mary's Bay shores or by railroad.
The late 1950s saw the establishment of several large hog farms in Concession which operated until 2007 when low commodity prices and high overhead costs forced their closures.
The most prominent structure in the village is the Notre Dame du Mont Carmel Roman Catholic Church. Built in 1902 on the hill near the intersection of the Patrice and Second Division Roads, it is a landmark that can be seen for miles around.
Victor Lake in Concession is home to the Camp Jeunesse Acadien (CJA), a youth summer camp that was at one time ran by nuns; however, it is now staffed by summer students sponsored by government summer jobs programs. The CJA is also the starting point for the extremely popular annual Clare Canoe Trip every Easter weekend. The canoes travel the Meteghan and Salmon River systems in the heightened springtime melt waters.
At a nearby home stands the largest Horse Chestnut tree in Nova Scotia. It is 136 centimetres (54 in) in diameter and 17 metres (66 ft) tall.
Concession’s Lac D’en Bas has the dubious distinction of being the first site of the illegal introduction of the invasive chain pickerel
Chain pickerel
The chain pickerel, Esox niger , is a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes. The chain pickerel and the american pickerel belong to the Esox genus of pikes.-Range:...
fish species by an overzealous sports fisherman. This voracious predator has decimated native fish stocks here and in other lakes and watersheds of southern Nova Scotia where it has been subsequently introduced.