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Heritage Sites
Africentric Heritage Park
Visitors are invited to experience the park, which is situated on Vale Road in the South end of New Glasgow. The park, opened in 2000, bears the inscription “to our children” and was created to commemorate the past, focus on the present and provide a foundation for the cultural future of Nova Scotians of African descent. At the heart of the park is the pyramid-shaped design of the building, which symbolizes the pyramids of Egypt. Each side of the building represents a portion of the history and migration story of the Black community in Nova Scotia.
Cenotaph at Carmichael Park
Located on Terrace Street, just off the Samson Trail and in view of the scenic East River and landmark George Street Bridge is New Glasgow’s monument to our war veterans who have given the ultimate sacrifice during WWI, WWII and the Korean War. This park is the site of annual services each Remembrance Day, November 11th. Visitors can relax and reflect in the gazebo adjacent to the Cenotaph, which was built by the Royal Canadian Legion, Normandy Branch #34. The gazebo has been the focal point of recent Red Friday events taking place in support of our troops serving today, both home and abroad. Also located in the park is an obelisk, erect in memory of the Pictou Highlanders who died and in honour of those who served. Viewed the cenotaphs on-line at www.parl.ns.ca/cenotaph/newglasgow.htm. A virtual cenotaph, which honours all New Glasgow veterans may be viewed on-line at: www.parl.ns.ca/veterans/. Members of the public are invited to visit the site and submit names and any relevant information.
Ship Building Monument
Located at the New Glasgow Riverfront Gazebo, this monument bears proud testimony to our rich shipbuilding heritage. In its heyday over 300 tall ships were constructed and launched from the shipyards of New Glasgow.
Stewart Street (Veterans) Heritage Site
The Stewart Street story is one that connects the wartime experience of New Glaswegians to the experience of every community in Canada. Stewart Street was a small residential area in the South end of New Glasgow during the thirties and forties. Despite this being one of the Town’s smaller neighborhoods with only a few families, there were an extraordinary number of veterans who enlisted and served during WWII. This site marks the spot where more than 40 men said goodbye to loved ones, not knowing when or if they would return. This is the story of fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, sweethearts, mothers, wives and sisters. It is the story of friends and comrades and the story of the ravages of war.
Among these more than 40 Stewart Street veterans, six were killed in action, one was taken a prisoner of war and one received the Distinguished Service Medal. The selfless contribution of the Stewart Street families represent and epitomize the sacrifices made by so many on the battle lines and also here at the home-front.
This heritage site and panel are testament to our commitment to the principles of freedom and peace. When hearing and reading the Stewart Street story it is our hope that our youth will continue to recognize the role our veterans played in shaping our nation. We also trust it will be a place of remembrance, a place of honour and a place of respect.
Thomas Fraser Monument
This monument, located in Carmichael Park, was erected by the Pictou County Historical Society in 1989 as tribute to the first settler to New Glasgow.
Municipal Heritage Sites & Properties
In 1998 Town Council instituted a Heritage Property By-law, which established a Heritage Advisory Committee to advise Council. Heritage Property Criteria were established in 1999 followed by Heritage Site Criteria in 2004.
In 1989, the firm of MacFawn & Rogers Architects prepared the Town of New Glasgow Architectural Guidelines. The report identified landmark, landmark complementary and other categories, but was only adopted as a guideline and carried no regulatory requirements.
New Glasgow Town Hall
The New Glasgow Town Hall was commissioned by Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald, as one of a series of Post Offices and Custom Houses to be built across Canada. The post office project established 78 buildings across the nation, each becoming the physical cornerstone of their communities.
Thomas Fuller, Canada’s chief architect, designed this building. The “Fuller style”, which came to by synonymous with adjectives like grand, impressive and dominating, is very much on display in the New Glasgow building. Builder Donald Grant was at the peak of his career when he built the former New Glasgow post office and is known to have constructed numerous churches across Nova Scotia. This building, erected in 1884, was the first of the new national series built in Nova Scotia and was constructed when Adam Carr Bell was the town’s first mayor. The construction came in at $6,735, a meagre sounding sum by today’s standards.
Located at 111 Provost Street, the Town Hall is constructed of red and beige sandstone and ironstone. It is a mixture of Second Empire and Romanesque architectural styles. Until about 1960, this building operated as the Town’s Post Office and Customs Office and for a short time, the courthouse. The Town of New Glasgow bought the building after the old Town Hall was severely damaged by fire in 1957. The New Glasgow Town Hall remains the most statuesque building in the Downtown core.
Pioneer Cemetery
In 2006 Pioneer Cemetery became the first municipally designated heritage site in New Glasgow.
This site is located off Stewart Street and near the South end entrance to the Pioneer Trail. The cemetery, also known as Founders Cemetery and the MacGregor Cemetery, contains graves dating back to the late 1700s. It is the resting place for some of the founders and earliest settlers of New Glasgow including Reverend James MacGregor, the first Presbyterian Minister to the region. Entrepreneurs James Carmichael and George Argo who established the first trading post are also buried here. The cemetery is also the final resting place of some of the early settlers who arrived directly from Scotland in 1773 aboard the Ship Hector.
Squire Fraser’s Place (The Dock)
This Georgian townhouse was built around 1845 by Squire James Fraser and is one of the oldest commercial structures in Nova Scotia. Squire Fraser’s full name was James Fraser Drummond and in 1825 he opened a general store on George Street. By the early 1840s this building also served as a Post Office with Squire Fraser as postmaster. The story goes that one day in 1867 a letter addressed to Squire James Fraser arrived. It was notification of the appointment of James Fraser to the Legislative Council of Nova Scotia. The dilemma was there were two James Frasers involved in the local political scene. James Fraser Drummond (the postmaster) and James Fraser Downie were both merchants and prominent Conservatives. Downie had the added qualifications of having been elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1863-67 and might have been seen as the more likely appointee. However, the letter was received by Drummond, who made no mention of it to Downie and without delay rode his horse to Halifax and was sworn into office.
James Fraser Drummond held the title of Squire because he was appointed judge of the Court of Sessions and a justice of the peace. He was also a member of a municipal governing group prior to the formation of the Town Council, but he cherished most his title as Chief of the Clan Fraser in British North America. When Squire Fraser died in 1884, he had amassed a fortune of about $10 million in today’s currency. His son, Thomas carried on the business and by 1906, this property passed out of family hands to Thomas Munroe, a local jeweler and another James Fraser, the editor of the Eastern Chronicle newspaper. In 1895 this building was occupied by Siveright and Co., dealers in Earthenware China and Fancy Goods. In 1916, Squire Fraser’s was the office and publishing house of the Eastern Chronicle and in 1955 it was home to Hector Publishing and CKEC Radio. In more recent times it was home to a law firm and real estate office. Carmel & Wayne Margeson opened The Dock as an old world style pub in 1996 and bought the building in 1999.
The solid stone construction—smooth on the front and rough on the sides—reflects the distinct Scottish character of this building. For reasons of architectural distinctiveness, its role in the commercial foundation of the community and its relationship to noteworthy persons and events, Squire Fraser’s Place is among the first of New Glasgow’s designated municipal heritage sites.
The New Glasgow Heritage Committee hopes that other property owners will consider applying for heritage designation. Application forms are available at the Town Hall or by clicking here.
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