Nestled along the shores of the beautiful Annapolis Basin is the historical village of Smith's Cove. Originally called "Seegeeguneegunk" or place of canvas tents by the earliest Mi Kmaq natives. Smith's Cove was a summer gathering place for the Mi Kmaq. One of the earliest British settlers in Smith's Cove was a planter, Joseph Potter Jr. In 1783 he exchanged grants with Joseph Smith, a loyalist from whom the village derives its name. The first school was held in the home of Thomas Watt in 1789 and 10 years later, the first religious meetings were held n the home of Daniel Odelle. In 1858, John Austin smoked finnan haddie on the shore, the first time this was done commercially in Canada. In 1884, he began canning the finnan haddie under the trade name, Thistle Brand. From his factory and wharf in Soulis Cove, sailing ships on their way to the West Indies loaded finnan haddie as well as smoked herring and apples. At the time the shore line from Joggin Bridge to Victoria Bridge a the mouth of Bear River was dotted with wharves, fishing weirs, smoke houses, and small sailing vessels. The first summer visitors began arriving in the area about 1880 with the opening of a boarding house, Hardwick House. The first hotel in Smith's Cove, The Imperial House, was opened in by Benjamin Hunt in 1893. Present day Smith's Cove, with a population of approximately 600, our community increases in the summer to 800 with summer residents from Europe, USA, and other provinces in Canada. Smith's Cove is a resort area for the summer tourist, along the scenic shore road (Trunk #1 as Ben Franklin named it or Highway# 1 as people call today). |