Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
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.
. A runic stone was found at the nearby village of Overton
in 1812. It is interpreted by some to have been carved by Ericson, while others feel the markings are natural scratches gradually enhanced over the years. The stone is preserved at the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives
. Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq
, the Yarmouth area was known as "Keespongwitk" meaning "Lands End" due to its isolation being located at the end of Nova Scotia.
The region was visited in 1604 by Samuel de Champlain
, who named it Cape Fourchu, and it became a French fishing settlement. In 1759 settlers came to the townsite from Yarmouth, Massachusetts
, and there is speculation that they named it Yarmouth after their former home. The town was founded in 1761, when a larger group of settlers came from Sandwich, Massachusetts
. They were then followed by Acadians originally from the Grand Pré district who returned from exile in 1767. Substantial numbers of United Empire Loyalists arrived in 1785.
Through the 19th century it was a major shipbuilding
centre, at one point boasting more tonnage per capita
than any other port in the world. Yarmouth ships were found in every major port in the world including ships noted for courageous crews such as the ship Research
in 1861 and ships noted for great size such as the ship County of Yarmouth
in 1884, one of the largest wooden ships ever built in Canada.
John Patch
, the son of one Yarmouth sea captain developed and built one of the first modern screw propeller in 1832 (4 years before John Ericsson
's patent). First demonstrated in Yarmouth Harbour during the summer of 1833, Patch was unsuccessful in a patent
application in that year, but he continued to improve his propeller and received an American patent in 1849 which drew praise in American scientific circles. However by 1849 there were multiple competing versions of the screw propeller. Patch never received money or recognition and died a poor man at Yarmouth in 1861.
As wooden shipbuilding declined in the late 19th century, Yarmouth's shipowners re-invested into factories, steamship
s and railways such as the Western Counties Railway which evolved into the Dominion Atlantic Railway
. While steamships had led to the decline of Yarmouth's mighty wooden shipbuilding industry, they also made the port a vital connection between the new Nova Scotia rail lines and steamers for Boston
and New York
, a role which continued with Yarmouth's ferry connections until recent years.
Also, in 1939, examiners at Yarmouth's Merchant Marine Institution made seafaring history by issuing master's papers to Molly Kool
, the first female ship captain in the Western World.
. The East Camp was home to a detachment of the Royal Air Force
's No. 34 Operational Training Unit
(from RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
), who trained bomber crews, as well as the Royal Navy
's No. 1 Naval Air Gunners School from 1 January 1943 to 30 March 1945. The West Camp was home to the RCAF's
Anti-Submarine Bomber Reconnaissance and several Eastern Air Command Bomber Reconnaissance Squadrons, such as 162 Squadron
. The Air Base was home to the 9th Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery, various RCAF and RAF Bomber Squadrons and an Army Co-operation Reconnaissance Flight. Its primary function was as an administrative and logistical support base to the RAF and RCAF squadrons in the area, in addition to providing a Weather Information Section, an Armament Section and a firing range
. Several smaller installations associated with the air station were located in the area: a bombing range
at Port Maitland
, a fuel depot at Digby
, and radar detachments at Plymouth
, Tusket
and Bear Point
, Port Mouton
and Rockville
. In 1944, a detachment of the US Navy
briefly came to Yarmouth to test the effectiveness of a blimp
service. After a crash, the RCAF decided against this venture. RCAF Station Yarmouth closed in 1945. The airfield was sold to the Department of Transport
in 1946 and became the Yarmouth Airport
. The infantry base (known as Camp 60) on Parade Street also provided basic and artillery training for 20,000 men during the war.
A Hudson bomber
from Royal Canadian Air Force Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron 113 in Yarmouth became the first aircraft of RCAF's Eastern Air Command to destroy a submarine, sinking U-754 about 100 mi (160.9 km) south of Yarmouth on July 31, 1942.
has been a major industry in Yarmouth since the 1880s when Loran Ellis Baker
founded the Yarmouth Steamship Company. Steamship and railway promotion based in Yarmouth created the first tourism marketing in Nova Scotia.
Baker's steamships operated between Yarmouth and Boston until 1900, when the company was purchased by the Dominion Atlantic Railway. The DAR and Halifax and Southwestern Railway
offered connections for passengers arriving in Yarmouth with steamship services operating to New York City and Boston. This service continued until the 1950s. Canadian National Railway
s instituted a ferry
service to Bar Harbor, Maine
in the 1950s and this was continued by CN Marine
and Marine Atlantic
until 1997.
In the 1970s an American tourist cruise company, Prince of Fundy Cruises, began operating a conventional cruise-ferry between Portland, Maine
, and Yarmouth. This operation continued as Scotia Prince Cruises
until April 2005. In June 2006, the ferry service between Yarmouth and Portland was resumed by The Cat on weekends, whereas on weekdays The Cat sailed between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor daily. In December 2009, Bay Ferries
announced that The Cat ferry service would end because it would not receive additional funding from the provincial government.
In August 2004, a record mako shark
was caught off the coast of Yarmouth during the Yarmouth Shark Scramble. It weighed 1082 lb (490.8 kg) and set a new Canadian record. It is considered one of the largest mako sharks ever caught.
The Western Branch of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
is located in Yarmouth. The town is also home to the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives
which preserves the history of the town and surrounding county and operates the Killam Brothers building on the waterfront. The Firefighters Museum, part of the Nova Scotia Museum
system and the privately run Sweeney Fisheries Museum are also located in Yarmouth.
The Izaak Walton Killam
Memorial Library, founded in 1963, serves as the town's public library. It is the largest branch of Western Counties Regional Library
and houses the regional library's headquarters.
A popular but unsupported cultural belief in Yarmouth holds that the American composer Meredith Willson
wrote his well-known song "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
" while staying in Yarmouth's Grand Hotel.
, a legacy of the wealthy captains and shipowners of the town seafaring Golden Age. A heritage district preserves several blocks of these residences including the Lovitt House and Eakin/Hatfield House. On the waterfront two historic warehouses survive from the sailing era such as the Killam Brothers Building.
Yarmouth's Main Street is marked by several distinctive Victorian
commercial buildings such as the turreted Yarmouth Block Building. The largest building in the town is a 1970s hotel, the Rodd Grand Hotel. It is built on the site of the original Grand Hotel, a Second Empire hotel which was the town's landmark for many years.
A landmark for Yarmouth Harbour is the large Cape Forchu Lighthouse which is located a few kilometeres way at the headland
of Cape Forchu
, the peninsula that guards Yarmouth Harbour. The tall "apple core" style is a notable example of modernist style light tower.
Mother tongue language (2006)
Religious make-up (2001)
Income (2006)
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
in rural southwestern 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 the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing
Lobster fishing
Lobster fishing, sometimes called lobstering, is the commercial or recreational harvesting of marine lobsters, spiny lobsters or crayfish.-Lobster tools and technology:...
grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.
History
The townsite may possibly have been visited by Leif EricsonLeif Ericson
Leif Ericson was a Norse explorer who is regarded as the first European to land in North America , nearly 500 years before Christopher Columbus...
. A runic stone was found at the nearby village of Overton
Overton, Nova Scotia
Overton, Nova Scotia is a fishing village in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, located approximately northwest of the town of Yarmouth....
in 1812. It is interpreted by some to have been carved by Ericson, while others feel the markings are natural scratches gradually enhanced over the years. The stone is preserved at the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives
Yarmouth County Museum & Archives
The Yarmouth County Museum & Archives is a museum located in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia exploring the history of Yarmouth County. The Museum began in 1935 with the creation of the Yarmouth County Historical Society. It opened its doors at the current location in 1958...
. Originally inhabited by the Mi'kmaq
Mi'kmaq
The Míkmaq are a First Nations people, indigenous to the northeastern region of New England, Canada's Atlantic Provinces, and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. The nation has a population of about 40,000 , of whom nearly 9,100 speak the Míkmaq language...
, the Yarmouth area was known as "Keespongwitk" meaning "Lands End" due to its isolation being located at the end of Nova Scotia.
The region was visited in 1604 by 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....
, who named it Cape Fourchu, and it became a French fishing settlement. In 1759 settlers came to the townsite from Yarmouth, Massachusetts
Yarmouth, Massachusetts
Yarmouth is a New England town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 24,807 at the 2000 census....
, and there is speculation that they named it Yarmouth after their former home. The town was founded in 1761, when a larger group of settlers came from Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich, Massachusetts
Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,675 at the 2010 census. The Town Hall is located right next to the Dexter Grist Mill, in the historic district of town....
. They were then followed by Acadians originally from the Grand Pré district who returned from exile in 1767. Substantial numbers of United Empire Loyalists arrived in 1785.
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
centre, at one point boasting more tonnage per capita
Per capita
Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
than any other port in the world. Yarmouth ships were found in every major port in the world including ships noted for courageous crews such as the ship Research
Research (ship)
Research was an full rigged ship built in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia which was famous for a determined and courageous crew who replaced her rudder eight times to survive a crippling North Atlantic storm in 1866. Research was built in 1861 for the fleet of Thomas Killam and was the largest vessel built...
in 1861 and ships noted for great size such as the ship County of Yarmouth
County of Yarmouth
For the county in Nova Scotia, see Yarmouth County, Nova ScotiaCounty of Yarmouth was a full rigged ship built in Belliveau's Cove, Nova Scotia in 1884. She was the largest wooden ship ever built for shipowners in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, and the second largest wooden ship ever built in...
in 1884, one of the largest wooden ships ever built in Canada.
John Patch
John Patch
John Patch was a Nova Scotian fisherman from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia who invented one of the first versions of the screw propeller.Patch was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia in 1781. His father was a Yarmouth sea captain who died in a shipwreck at Seal Island, Nova Scotia soon after John Patch's birth...
, the son of one Yarmouth sea captain developed and built one of the first modern screw propeller in 1832 (4 years before John Ericsson
John Ericsson
John Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor and mechanical engineer, as was his brother Nils Ericson. He was born at Långbanshyttan in Värmland, Sweden, but primarily came to be active in England and the United States...
's patent). First demonstrated in Yarmouth Harbour during the summer of 1833, Patch was unsuccessful in a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
application in that year, but he continued to improve his propeller and received an American patent in 1849 which drew praise in American scientific circles. However by 1849 there were multiple competing versions of the screw propeller. Patch never received money or recognition and died a poor man at Yarmouth in 1861.
As wooden shipbuilding declined in the late 19th century, Yarmouth's shipowners re-invested into factories, steamship
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
s and railways such as the Western Counties Railway which evolved into 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....
. While steamships had led to the decline of Yarmouth's mighty wooden shipbuilding industry, they also made the port a vital connection between the new Nova Scotia rail lines and steamers for Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, a role which continued with Yarmouth's ferry connections until recent years.
Also, in 1939, examiners at Yarmouth's Merchant Marine Institution made seafaring history by issuing master's papers to Molly Kool
Molly Kool
Myrtle 'Molly' Kool was North America's first registered female sea captain or ship master.She was born in Alma, New Brunswick, the daughter of Myrtle Anderson and Paul Kool, a Dutch sailor. She grew up sailing, eventually becoming captain of the Jean K, a 21-metre scow owned by her father...
, the first female ship captain in the Western World.
World War II history
RCAF Station Yarmouth was originally opened in 1940 as three separate training sites (the East Camp, the West Camp and the Air Base) under the British Commonwealth Air Training PlanBritish Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
. The East Camp was home to a detachment of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
's No. 34 Operational Training Unit
Operational Conversion Unit
An Operational Conversion Unit is a unit within an air force whose role is to support preparation for the operational missions of a specific aircraft type by providing trained personnel. OCUs teach pilots how to fly an aircraft and which tactics best exploit the performance of their aircraft and...
(from RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge was a Royal Canadian Air Force training base located in coastal Charlotte County, New Brunswick in the hamlet of Pennfield Ridge....
), who trained bomber crews, as well as the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's No. 1 Naval Air Gunners School from 1 January 1943 to 30 March 1945. The West Camp was home to the RCAF's
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
Anti-Submarine Bomber Reconnaissance and several Eastern Air Command Bomber Reconnaissance Squadrons, such as 162 Squadron
No. 162 Squadron RCAF
Formed as a Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron at RCAF Station Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada on May 19, 1942 with Canso A aircraft, the squadron spent an uneventful eighteen months on East Coast anti-submarine duty...
. The Air Base was home to the 9th Light Anti-Aircraft Artillery, various RCAF and RAF Bomber Squadrons and an Army Co-operation Reconnaissance Flight. Its primary function was as an administrative and logistical support base to the RAF and RCAF squadrons in the area, in addition to providing a Weather Information Section, an Armament Section and a firing range
Shooting range
A shooting range or firing range is a specialized facility designed for firearms practice. Each facility is typically overseen by one or more supervisory personnel, called variously a range master or "RSO – Range Safety Officer" in the United States or a range conducting officer or "RCO" in the UK...
. Several smaller installations associated with the air station were located in the area: a bombing range
Bombing range
A bombing range is an area used for testing explosive ordnance and practicing to accurately direct them to the target. Bombing ranges are used for munitions that either explode or produce too much destruction to use at a shooting range, such as kinetic energy penetrators or very large caliber...
at Port Maitland
Port Maitland, Nova Scotia
Port Maitland is a small community in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is near the town of Yarmouth, and very near to the community of Beaver River. Salmon River also very nearby, lies within Digby County...
, a fuel depot at 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 radar detachments at Plymouth
Plymouth, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia
Plymouth is a small rural community located in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. It is located on the west side of the Tusket River approximately three miles from the main Trunk 3 on route 334....
, Tusket
Tusket, Nova Scotia
Tusket is a small fishing community located in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia on route 308. The 2006 population was 395.The village was originally settled by Acadians, then by Dutch United Empire Loyalists from New York and New Jersey in 1785, after the Great Expulsion. In the 19th century the...
and Bear Point
Bear Point, Nova Scotia
Bear Point is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Barrington municipal district of Shelburne County.-References:...
, Port Mouton
Port Mouton, Nova Scotia
Port Mouton is a small village along Highway 103 on the southwest coast of Region of Queens Nova Scotia, Canada. It is about ten miles from Liverpool, Nova Scotia, the nearest significant community, and 100 miles from the provincial capital of Halifax, Nova Scotia.On May 13, 1604, the French...
and Rockville
Rockville, Nova Scotia
Rockville is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the Yarmouth Municipal District in Yarmouth County ....
. In 1944, a detachment of the US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
briefly came to Yarmouth to test the effectiveness of a blimp
Blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
service. After a crash, the RCAF decided against this venture. RCAF Station Yarmouth closed in 1945. The airfield was sold to the Department of Transport
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
in 1946 and became the Yarmouth Airport
Yarmouth Airport
Yarmouth Airport is located in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Canada and began as a World War II Royal Air Force training base.The airport is classified as an airport of entry by NAV CANADA and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency...
. The infantry base (known as Camp 60) on Parade Street also provided basic and artillery training for 20,000 men during the war.
A Hudson bomber
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
from Royal Canadian Air Force Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron 113 in Yarmouth became the first aircraft of RCAF's Eastern Air Command to destroy a submarine, sinking U-754 about 100 mi (160.9 km) south of Yarmouth on July 31, 1942.
Tourism
TourismTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
has been a major industry in Yarmouth since the 1880s when Loran Ellis Baker
Loran Ellis Baker
Loran Ellis Baker was a successful businessman in Yarmouth where he built a large importing and mercantile business and eventually branched into ship ownership to facilitate the trade....
founded the Yarmouth Steamship Company. Steamship and railway promotion based in Yarmouth created the first tourism marketing in Nova Scotia.
Baker's steamships operated between Yarmouth and Boston until 1900, when the company was purchased by the Dominion Atlantic Railway. The DAR and Halifax and Southwestern Railway
Halifax and Southwestern Railway
The Halifax and Southwestern Railway was a historic Canadian railway operating in the province of Nova Scotia. The H&SW was created in spring 1901 when William Mackenzie and Donald Mann approached the provincial government with plans to finish the abortive plans for a railway from Halifax to...
offered connections for passengers arriving in Yarmouth with steamship services operating to New York City and Boston. This service continued until the 1950s. Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
s instituted a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service to Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
in the 1950s and this was continued by CN Marine
CN Marine
CN Marine was a Canadian ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick.-History:CN Marine was created by parent Canadian National Railway in 1977 as a means to group the company's ferry operations in eastern Canada into a separate operating division...
and Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic
Marine Atlantic Inc. is an independent Canadian Crown corporation offering ferry services between the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia.Marine Atlantic's corporate headquarters are in St...
until 1997.
In the 1970s an American tourist cruise company, Prince of Fundy Cruises, began operating a conventional cruise-ferry between Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, and Yarmouth. This operation continued as Scotia Prince Cruises
Scotia Prince Cruises
Scotia Prince Cruises was a cruise ferry operator based in Maine which owned and operated the M/S Scotia Prince. This ferry operated across the Gulf of Maine between Portland, Maine, and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, until the end of the 2004 sailing season....
until April 2005. In June 2006, the ferry service between Yarmouth and Portland was resumed by The Cat on weekends, whereas on weekdays The Cat sailed between Yarmouth and Bar Harbor daily. In December 2009, Bay Ferries
Bay Ferries
Bay Ferries Limited, referred to simply as Bay Ferries, is a ferry company operating in eastern Canada and the United States and is headquartered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...
announced that The Cat ferry service would end because it would not receive additional funding from the provincial government.
In August 2004, a record mako shark
Shortfin mako shark
The shortfin mako shark, Isurus oxyrinchus , is a large mackerel shark. Along with the closely related longfin mako it is commonly referred to as a "mako shark".-Etymology:...
was caught off the coast of Yarmouth during the Yarmouth Shark Scramble. It weighed 1082 lb (490.8 kg) and set a new Canadian record. It is considered one of the largest mako sharks ever caught.
Culture
Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is the provincial art gallery for the province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the central downtown region of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with a branch gallery in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia....
is located in Yarmouth. The town is also home to the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives
Yarmouth County Museum & Archives
The Yarmouth County Museum & Archives is a museum located in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia exploring the history of Yarmouth County. The Museum began in 1935 with the creation of the Yarmouth County Historical Society. It opened its doors at the current location in 1958...
which preserves the history of the town and surrounding county and operates the Killam Brothers building on the waterfront. The Firefighters Museum, part of the Nova Scotia Museum
Nova Scotia Museum
Nova Scotia Museum is the corporate name for the most decentralized museum in Canada - 27 museums across Nova Scotia, including over 200 historic buildings, living history sites, vessels, specialized museums and close to a million artifacts and specimens...
system and the privately run Sweeney Fisheries Museum are also located in Yarmouth.
The Izaak Walton Killam
Izaak Walton Killam
Izaak Walton Killam was one of Canada's most eminent financiers.-Early life:Born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Killam rose from paper boy in Yarmouth to become one of Canada's wealthiest individuals.-Business ventures:...
Memorial Library, founded in 1963, serves as the town's public library. It is the largest branch of Western Counties Regional Library
Western Counties Regional Library
The Western Counties Regional Library is a regional public library with 10 branches serving the counties of Digby, Shelburne and Yarmouth in southwestern Nova Scotia...
and houses the regional library's headquarters.
A popular but unsupported cultural belief in Yarmouth holds that the American composer Meredith Willson
Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright, best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man...
wrote his well-known song "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" is a classic Christmas song written in 1951 by Meredith Willson. The song was originally titled "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas"...
" while staying in Yarmouth's Grand Hotel.
Buildings and structures
Yarmouth is known for some of the most exuberant examples of Victorian houses styles in the MaritimesMaritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
, a legacy of the wealthy captains and shipowners of the town seafaring Golden Age. A heritage district preserves several blocks of these residences including the Lovitt House and Eakin/Hatfield House. On the waterfront two historic warehouses survive from the sailing era such as the Killam Brothers Building.
Yarmouth's Main Street is marked by several distinctive Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
commercial buildings such as the turreted Yarmouth Block Building. The largest building in the town is a 1970s hotel, the Rodd Grand Hotel. It is built on the site of the original Grand Hotel, a Second Empire hotel which was the town's landmark for many years.
A landmark for Yarmouth Harbour is the large Cape Forchu Lighthouse which is located a few kilometeres way at the headland
Headland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
of Cape Forchu
Cape Forchu, Nova Scotia
Cape Forchu is a Canadian fishing community and headland of the same name in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia.During the 17th and 18th centuries, fishing, water transportation and trade were essential to everyday life in Cape Forchu...
, the peninsula that guards Yarmouth Harbour. The tall "apple core" style is a notable example of modernist style light tower.
Demographics
Population trend| Census | Population | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 7,162 | 5.3% |
| 2001 | 7,561 | 0.1% |
| 1996 | 7,568 | 2.7% |
| 1991 | 7,781 | 4.1% |
| 1981 | 7,475 | N/A |
Mother tongue language (2006)
| Language | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| English | 6,045 | 87.23% |
| French | 700 | 10.10% |
| Other languages | 145 | 2.09% |
| English and French | 40 | 0.58% |
Religious make-up (2001)
| Religion | Population | Pct (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | 3,220 | 44.70% |
| Protestant | 2,705 | 36.48% |
| No religious affiliation | 1,295 | 17.02% |
| Christian n.i.e. | 100 | 1.35% |
| Other religions | 85 | 1.15% |
Income (2006)
| Income type | By CAD Canadian dollar The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies... |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $17,771 |
| Median Household Income | $31,584 |
| Median Family Income | $38,500 |
Climate
- Yarmouth averages 191 days of fogFogFog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
each year.