Accommodations Nova Scotia
Your Guide To Accommodations In Nova Scotia
Elmsdale, Nova Scotia
Elmsdale is an unincorporated Canadian community located on the
boundary of Hants and Halifax counties.
Specifically, the community is divided by the Shubenacadie River,
with the eastern half being in the Halifax Regional Municipality and
the western half being in the Municipality of the District of East
Hants.
Elmsdale owes its early growth to the construction of the
Shubenacadie Canal and the Nova Scotia Railway. Demand for workers
on these projects, brought many new families into the area. One of
the earliest was William Read who was granted 0.81 km2 of land in
1785 at the confluence of the Nine Mile River and the Shubenacadie
River.
In 1852 Alexander Fraser built the first house in what is now in the
village proper, about 91 m from the railway crossing. In the next
six years more houses were constructed near the crossing, including
a hotel and a boarding house for railway workers.
The Elmsdale Presbyterian Church was completed in 1862. Its pastor,
Rev. John Cameron and family came from Nine Mile River to live in
the large residence he had built on the crest of a gentle slope
overlooking the village. This house is still in existence and is
currently The Briarwood Bed and Breakfast.
