Port Maitland is a small community in Yarmouth County

Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia

For the ship built in Yarmouth County, see County of YarmouthYarmouth County is a rural county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It has both traditional Anglo-Scottish and Acadian French culture as well as significant inland wilderness areas, including over 365 lakes and several major rivers...

, 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 is near the town of 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...

, and very near to the community of Beaver River

Beaver River, Nova Scotia

Beaver River is a small Canadian rural community in Digby County, located on the southwest coast of Nova Scotia near the town of Yarmouth.Beaver River was originally named Elsetcook which was a Mikmaq word meaning "Flowing by high banks"...

. Salmon River

Salmon River, Digby County, Nova Scotia

Salmon River is a small Canadian rural community in Digby County, located on the southwest coast of Nova Scotia....

 also very nearby, lies within Digby County. The community covers 81.46 km².

History

Port Maitland, was heavily influenced by the Henry Alline's new light Baptist movement of the late 18th century. Both Port Maitland and Beaver River tend to be Baptist

Baptist

Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

 in confession and English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 in ethnic origin. The community is, however, only a short distance away from the primarily Acadian

Acadian

The Acadians are the descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in Acadia . Acadia was a colony of New France...

-French speaking, Catholic municipality of Clare

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...

 in Digby County, as well as from such historically black communities as Hectanooga

Hectanooga, Nova Scotia

Hectanooga is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the District of Clare in Digby County .-References:*...

.

Present day

Nearby Beaver River has Canada's oldest active temperance hall, although local tradition suggests that, during Prohibition in Canada

Prohibition in Canada

The temperance movement reached its height in Canada in the 1920s, when outside imports were cut off by provincial referendums. As legislation prohibiting consumption of alcohol was repealed, it was typically replaced with regulation restricting the sale of alcohol to minors and imposing excise...

, the basement of the temperance hall was used to hide the local still. In the past, the community depended on ship-building, fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, and farming. Many would live inland in the various wooded lakes during winter to avoid the winter gales, and return to the seaside during summer to avoid the flies. Along the Evangeline trail

Evangeline Trail

The Evangeline Trail is a scenic roadway in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.It is located in the western part of the province, bringing visitors to the Minas Basin, the Annapolis Valley and the Gulf of Maine...

 towards Beaver River one finds the gravestones of the old free Baptist graveyard.

Port Maitland Provincial Park

There is a provincial park on Port Maitland Beach, which is easily reached from the community. The park features a large sandy beach, several shaded picnic tables and bathroom facilities. Lifeguards are on duty. It is one of the few remaining beaches in Nova Scotia that allows you to walk your dog on a leash. There is a sign by the beach with a picture of a dog on a leash.