Nova Scotia’s Historic Inland Communities: The Gathering Places and Settlements That Shaped the Province

Narrative, photo-filled historical guide to Nova Scotia’s inland communities from author of Nova Scotia’s Historic Harbours and Nova Scotia’s Lost Communities.

The story of Nova Scotia’s inland communities begins with the Mi'kmaq, who established traditional gathering places in the heart of Mi'kma'ki. Through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, European settlers, British Loyalists, and former soldiers were among those who also took on the challenges of developing Nova Scotia’s inland communities. Some places struggled to survive, but many thrived. Today, Nova Scotia’s most successful communities live on because entrepreneurs have adapted to changing circumstances – and all of Nova Scotia’s inland communities have stories to tell.

With the help of more than forty historical photos, trusted historian Joan Dawson takes us through the stories of the many Indigenous, Acadian, European, and African Nova Scotian communities in inland Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia’s Historic Inland Communities also explores the rivers, roads, and railways that led to the development of those communities– and the industries that were central to their success.