We set off early this morning from Halifax in Susan's Saab, our bags filling the back and our special companion, a five foot inflatable lobster, taking up most of the back seat. Our companion was a surprise addition to the trip and added a certain level of hilarity.
Road trips invariably begin with Tim's coffee. We grabbed ours with spirits high, basking in the expectation of any road trip. We set out on Highway 103 West which gradually meanders south and west through Mahone Bay, Bridgewater, Liverpool, Shelburne, to Barrington before switching north. Our trip was to the South Shore, where we will continue to film our YouTube vignettes of archives and museums in an effort to promote the Routes to Your Roots application in the superbly revamped NovaScotia.com.
Our first destination was Shelburne. I read: "Described as 'one of the most culturally vibrant small towns in Canada', there is so much to enjoy." The town has an amazing history, known for the Loyalist Landing when 10,000 refugees from the American Revolution arrived in 1783. While driving in we were met with tall banners promoting their lobster festival which was set to begin on Friday. Mine and Susan's interest was immediately piqued. First, we had two places to visit: the Shelburne County Museum and the Shelburne County Archives & Genealogical Society Resource Centre. We weren't actually going inside today, just lining up video shots and taking as many photographs as possible.
Dock Street is by far, my favourite place in Shelburne. It's along the water, center stage for the entire waterfront district. We walked along the street taking in the Barrel Factory, the Dory Shop, Shelburne County Museum (where our video will be) and the impressive Cox's Store & Warehouse which stretches high above all other buildings. The entire district is crammed with areas of interest, I'll be writing more about them in days to come.
We had a picnic lunch on the green belt along the waterfront. Tuna fish sandwiches, banana bread and olives stuffed with feta. Susan ordered coffee from the Beandock restaurant while I finished off an extra large Red Bull.
With full stomachs and caffeine levels joyfully high, we embarked further south to Barrington. We stopped at the Barrington Visitor Information Centre to stock-up on pamphlets and ask questions to a bonafide local. The women working there were helpful and happy to see us, and after some chitchat, one lady suggested that we hurry to Cape Sable, to the wharf at Clark's Harbour where lobster fishermen were still pulling in the last of their traps for storage. Another lobster season was on the cusp of closing.
So we ran to the car and sped off, excited for the sudden mission. I insisted that we stop quickly at the Cape Sable Causeway for a few photos of me and my buddy, the gigantic lobster in the back seat.
At Clark's Harbour it was really windy and we squeezed our way past the trucks and vans loading up lobster traps. I set up the camera and protected my hat from escaping into the ocean. The lobster fishermen were indeed finishing things up. They're amazing to watch: so nimble and quick, throwing massive ropes and jumping between boats and the wharf. I looked at their faces for some sign of relief, hoping to see if they were satisfied with the season they had had.
We returned to Barrington, to the Cape Sable Historical Society. After another round of endless shots, angles and apertures, we wandered through the ancient graveyard across the street to the Seal Island Light Museum, an enormous lighthouse surrounded by the forest. I took the short trail through the trees to see the lighthouse in its entirety. Although only a replica of the top half of the original Seal Island Lighthouse, it's still really impressive.
We eventually headed back to Shelburne to finally check in at the Cooper's Inn. Tomorrow we'll work with some genealogists to fine tune their scripts for our videos and continue to film and photograph as much as we can. Still lots of stuff to see.
Road trips invariably begin with Tim's coffee. We grabbed ours with spirits high, basking in the expectation of any road trip. We set out on Highway 103 West which gradually meanders south and west through Mahone Bay, Bridgewater, Liverpool, Shelburne, to Barrington before switching north. Our trip was to the South Shore, where we will continue to film our YouTube vignettes of archives and museums in an effort to promote the Routes to Your Roots application in the superbly revamped NovaScotia.com.
Our first destination was Shelburne. I read: "Described as 'one of the most culturally vibrant small towns in Canada', there is so much to enjoy." The town has an amazing history, known for the Loyalist Landing when 10,000 refugees from the American Revolution arrived in 1783. While driving in we were met with tall banners promoting their lobster festival which was set to begin on Friday. Mine and Susan's interest was immediately piqued. First, we had two places to visit: the Shelburne County Museum and the Shelburne County Archives & Genealogical Society Resource Centre. We weren't actually going inside today, just lining up video shots and taking as many photographs as possible.
Dock Street is by far, my favourite place in Shelburne. It's along the water, center stage for the entire waterfront district. We walked along the street taking in the Barrel Factory, the Dory Shop, Shelburne County Museum (where our video will be) and the impressive Cox's Store & Warehouse which stretches high above all other buildings. The entire district is crammed with areas of interest, I'll be writing more about them in days to come.
We had a picnic lunch on the green belt along the waterfront. Tuna fish sandwiches, banana bread and olives stuffed with feta. Susan ordered coffee from the Beandock restaurant while I finished off an extra large Red Bull.
With full stomachs and caffeine levels joyfully high, we embarked further south to Barrington. We stopped at the Barrington Visitor Information Centre to stock-up on pamphlets and ask questions to a bonafide local. The women working there were helpful and happy to see us, and after some chitchat, one lady suggested that we hurry to Cape Sable, to the wharf at Clark's Harbour where lobster fishermen were still pulling in the last of their traps for storage. Another lobster season was on the cusp of closing.
So we ran to the car and sped off, excited for the sudden mission. I insisted that we stop quickly at the Cape Sable Causeway for a few photos of me and my buddy, the gigantic lobster in the back seat.
At Clark's Harbour it was really windy and we squeezed our way past the trucks and vans loading up lobster traps. I set up the camera and protected my hat from escaping into the ocean. The lobster fishermen were indeed finishing things up. They're amazing to watch: so nimble and quick, throwing massive ropes and jumping between boats and the wharf. I looked at their faces for some sign of relief, hoping to see if they were satisfied with the season they had had.
We returned to Barrington, to the Cape Sable Historical Society. After another round of endless shots, angles and apertures, we wandered through the ancient graveyard across the street to the Seal Island Light Museum, an enormous lighthouse surrounded by the forest. I took the short trail through the trees to see the lighthouse in its entirety. Although only a replica of the top half of the original Seal Island Lighthouse, it's still really impressive.
We eventually headed back to Shelburne to finally check in at the Cooper's Inn. Tomorrow we'll work with some genealogists to fine tune their scripts for our videos and continue to film and photograph as much as we can. Still lots of stuff to see.
You are right in saying that Shelburne has rich history on a national scale. I appreciate you doing a small general article of Shelburne Co. Too bad you missed the Black Historical Society in Birchtown though...anotha added peice of rich history that also connects us to the 1700's
Hello! Thanks for the comment. My colleague and I were in Birchtown last Fall to speak with Beverly Cox about the history of Black Loyalists. Besides having extensive archives including a copy of the Book of Negros, there is also the Black Burial Ground, a National Historic Site. I hope to write a blog post on them sometime and show some of the photos and videos I've taken...in the meantime, you can check out the video we made by clicking the link below:
Black Loyalist Heritage Society Historical Site and Museum