Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Chester, Nova Scotia

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Country
  
Canada

Founded
  
1759

Time zone
  
AST (UTC-4)

Elevation
  
17 m

Province
  
Nova Scotia

County
  
Lunenburg County.

Incorporated
  
1963

Postal code
  
B0J 1J0

Local time
  
Saturday 8:12 AM

Area code
  
902

Chester, Nova Scotia httpsphotossmugmugcomGeographicZoneNovaSc

Weather
  
-11°C, Wind W at 23 km/h, 57% Humidity

Municipality
  
Municipality of the District of Chester

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Chester is a village located in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is part of Nova Scotia's Chester Municipal District in the southeastern part of Lunenburg County.

Contents

Map of Chester, NS, Canada

Chester nova scotia


History

Chester was officially founded in 1759 during the French and Indian War. It was the Shoreham grant, although French fishermen had already built a few houses on the site. The first permanent European-descended settlers were a group from Massachusetts who came to the area in 1761.

During the American Revolution, the village avoided a raid by American Privateers wherein the townswomen, young and old, garbed in cloaks with their red lining worn outwards (to resemble the uniforms of the British soldiers) marched around the blockhouse (now the Wisteria Cottage House) in the early morning of 30 June 1782 to successfully convince American Privateers lying offshore to find another place to pillage. The following day the privateers successfully executed the Raid on Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1782).

During the War of 1812, the American Privateer Young Teazer was trapped off the shores of Chester by the HMS Hogue (1811). To avoid capture, a crew member of the Young Teazer destroyed his own ship, killing most of the crew.

After World War I, to honour the 54 soldiers from the area that were killed, the famous New York sculptor J. Massey Rhind was commissioned to make the Nova Scotia Highlander soldier cenotaph. After the war the Women's Institute of Nova Scotia established the Zoé Vallé Memorial Library.

Chester is one of the wealthiest communities in the province as a result of being a holiday and resort destination, with many seasonal and year-round estates and mansions. The nearby waters of Mahone Bay and its numerous islands are well known for yachting and have made the Chester Yacht Club into a cruising destination. A Provincial ferry from the village provides a schedule of daily trips to Big Tancook Island and Little Tancook Island.

Chester was the site of a controversial proposal to change status of the village. A committee had been formed in hopes of changing the status of Chester by incorporating as a town, thereby leaving the Chester Municipal District. Many residents of the village under the banner "Citizens for Fairness" successfully fought the motion on the principle that the majority of citizens, by ballot, should decide such a fundamental change. Some also saw the possibility of higher taxes, costs for a town hall, a mayor, and water and sewage services as reasons to not incorporate. They won the right to a plebiscite in the fall of 2002 from the Nova Scotia Legislature. The motion was defeated in a public plebiscite on February 22, 2003.

Geography

The village is situated on the Chester Peninsula, which extends into Mahone Bay.

The village has two natural harbours, Front Harbour (including Front Cove) on the east and Back Harbour (including Back Cove or Mill Cove) on the west. The village is also immediately south of Stanford Lake.

Schools

Chester has an elementary school, Chester District School (grades Primary–5) and a middle school, Chester Area Middle School or CAMS as it is known (grades 6–8). Forest Heights Community School brings together students from all of the Municipality of the District of Chester and Tancook Islands for grades 9–12.

Festivals and events

The village is home to the Chester Playhouse one of the best-known community theaters on Nova Scotia's South Shore. Chester is well known for its annual summer sailing regatta, Chester Race Week, where keelboats from all over the eastern coast of North America compete during the second week of August. In the last weekend of July there is the annual Chester Garden Show and the House and Garden Tour along with harbour tours. Also that weekend is the famous Bonnie Lea Lobster benefit.The Chester Municipal Heritage Society operates the Lordly House Museum and children's playground, they host an annual Antique Auction in early July,and an Annual House and Boat Tour after Race week,a Christmas Craft Fair and at the Train Station circa 1905 is an Oak Island Display and Visitors Information office. Winter is a time for events including "Sing! Choirs" in December and February's "Coldest Day of the Year", the Chester Drama Society fundraiser. There are a number of public boat launch sites around Mahone Bay. The waters are fine for kayaking and sailing. For walkers and cyclists there is also the Chester Connector which is a municipal operated section of the previous rail line and which is shared with motorized recreational vehicles.Chester Golf Club situated along the eastern side of the front harbour boast 18 holes many on the coastal waters where golfers can watch sailing and play golf at the same time! "The Park" The Church Memorial Park is home to the Chester Tennis Club, Eleanor Pew Memorial Rink and Chester Curling Club, home club of curler Mary Fay (2015 Canada Games Silver Medal winner).

Movies

Scenes for several films, miniseries, movies of the week, and television shows have been shot in and around Chester:

  • Echoes of a Summer (1976)
  • The Secret (1992)
  • Dolores Claiborne (1995, exterior of Vera Donovan's)
  • Two If by Sea (1996) starring Sandra Bullock and Denis Leary
  • Black Harbour (1996)
  • Love and Death on Long Island (1997)
  • Catch a Falling Star (2000)
  • The Weight of Water (2000)
  • Deeply (2000) starring Kristen Dunst
  • Blackfly (2001)
  • A Town Without Christmas (2001)
  • Beach Girls (2005)
  • Candles on Bay Street (2006)
  • Noah's Ark (2008)
  • TV shows

  • Haven (TV series) The Syfy original series Haven is mainly filmed in Chester as well as Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Hubbards.
  • Curse of Oak Island [TV Series] Mostly filmed at the Oak Island in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Also features discussions about the treasure at the F'o'c'sle Tavern in Chester, Nova Scotia.

    Notable people

  • Mary Fay world champion curler
  • Dean Brody - country music singer.
  • Donald Olding Hebb FRS (1904-1985) - psychologist ("father of neuropsychology").
  • John Grier Hibben - President of Princeton University
  • Marie Zoé Vallé Lightfoot (1849-1926)
  • Old Man Luedecke - folk music singer and banjo player.
  • John Gardner Murray - the sixteenth presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church
  • Sir Christopher Ondaatje
  • Mona Louise Parsons - member of the Dutch resistance, WW2.
  • Desmond Piers - commanded HMCS Restigouche (H00) and HMCS Algonquin (R17).
  • Henry Porter - Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy.
  • Robert Timbrell - Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy.
  • Frank Woolley - England Test cricketer lived in Chester for 30 years after his retirement.
  • Ben Heisler - Master Boat Builder
  • Parks

  • East River Provincial Park
  • Graves Island Provincial Park
  • References

    Chester, Nova Scotia Wikipedia