Maitland, East Hants, Nova Scotia (originally known as Jean Peter's Village) is a village in East Hants, Nova Scotia. It is home to the historic Lawrence House Museum,[1] which is part of the Nova Scotia Museum. The William D. Lawrence ship was built here. The community was part of the Douglas Township until it was named Maitland after Governor General of Nova Scotia Peregrine Maitland (1828–34) when building the Shubenacadie Canal was first attempted (1826–1831). The Canal was supposed to start at Maitland, Nova Scotia and run through the province to Maitland Street, Dartmouth, the canal being "bookended" by two "Maitland" landmarks.[2]
History
Maitland was first settled by the Acadians. After the Acadian expulsion from the region (1750), the village was eventually settled by Ulster Scots whose descendants became shipbuilders.
Acadians
Charles Morris Map of Maitland, 1752 (inset)
Maitland was settled by Jean Pitre (i.e., Peters), son of Jean Denis Pitre, prior to the Acadian Expulsion. Oral tradition states that the Oak Island Graveyard was an Acadian burial ground, which was consecrated by Abbe Jean-Louis Le Loutre. Oral tradition also states that a path that connects the "French Field" in Selma to the cemetery in Maitland is the old Acadian roadway.
After the expulsion of the Acadians from Maitland (1750), the land was owned but never settled by Malachy Salter. Decades after the village was vacated by the Acadians, it was settled by Ulster Scots people such as the Putnams (c. 1771).
Shipbuilding
Maitland emerged as a major shipbuilding centre in the late 19th century. William Dawson Lawrence became the community's most famous shipbuilder. His ship, the William D. Lawrence, the largest wooden ship ever built in Canada and third largest in the world, was launched at the William D. Lawrence Shipyard in Maitland on October 27, 1874, to one of the largest crowds assembled in Nova Scotia to that date.
[3] Every September, Maitland celebrates the launch of William D. Lawrence at a weekend festival called "Launch Days".[4] Several other shipyards built large vessels as well, including the barqueCalburga, the last large square rigger to sail under the Canadian flag. Today, the only remaining remnant of the shipbuilding industry is Frieze and Roy, a general store which has operated since the 1860s and is known as Canada's oldest general store.
RCAF Aerodrome Maitland
During World War II, the RCAF constructed an aerodrome near the village of Maitland. The Aerodrome acted as a relief landing field for CFS Debert that was located nearby.
In approximately 1942, the aerodrome was listed at 45°20′N63°32′W / 45.333°N 63.533°W / 45.333; -63.533 with a Var. 23.5 degrees W and no elevation specified. The field was listed as "Hard under construction" and had one runway listed as follows:[5]
