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30-528: The basin takes its name from the Annapolis River , which drains into its eastern end at the town of Annapolis Royal . The basin measures approximately 24 kilometres (15 mi) northeast-southwest and 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) at its widest from northwest to southeast. It is a sheltered and mostly shallow water body, framed by the ridges of the North Mountain and South Mountain ranges of

60-423: A chimney and plaque to the plot in order house local chimney swifts . The BRCS building still remains. In the summer, Bridgetown is home to the annual Annapolis River Festival, which features different river sports including kayaking . Bridgetown also hosts an annual Ciderfest festival to celebrate the apple harvest every fall. The mascot, "Andy Apple-head" is a popular character among children and participates in

90-548: A furniture factory, an organ factory, a tannery, a bottling plant, a cider plant, the first M.W. Graves cannery and vinegar factory (Graves was a major food processor that later moved to Kings County ) and a distillery. The community is one of few in Nova Scotia to have developed from a formal town plan (or plat), rather than allowing development to proceed unhindered. Captain John Crosskill, who owned or controlled

120-460: A mayor and two councillors, which governed the town until municipal elections were held in October 2012. In November 2012 a new council (mayor and four councillors) was sworn in, and the provincially appointed council ceased to hold office. On March 31, 2014, the town council voted to give up the town's municipal charter effective April 1, 2015, dissolving the town into the larger Municipality of

150-470: A passenger station and small railway yard on the south bank of the river. A brick plant, soda pop factory, and various apple warehouses were built along the railway in this area. CN had a passenger station as well as a small yard on the north bank of the river, serving various apple warehouses and the Acadian Distillery factory. Most industries had closed by the 1980s and today, few remnants of

180-502: A transportation corridor in early Acadia after Samuel de Champlain and Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts established the Habitation at Port-Royal on the north bank of the river's mouth in 1605. Champlain's map of 1609 showed the river as being named "Rivière du Dauphin". A British attack in 1710 saw this part of Acadia fall from French hands. An Acadian settlement at the mouth of Allains Creek, ten kilometres upriver from Port Royal,

210-597: Is a Canadian river located in Nova Scotia 's Annapolis Valley . Measuring 120 kilometres in length, the river flows southwest through the western part of the valley from its source in Caribou Bog (50 m [160 ft] above sea level) near the villages of Aylesford and Berwick in western Kings County , to its mouth near Clementsport where it empties into the Annapolis Basin . The estuary portion of

240-662: The Canadian Heraldic Authority is derived from the ancient name of the river. Communities located along the Annapolis River in downstream order (from northeast to southwest), include: Bridgetown, Nova Scotia Bridgetown is a Canadian community located in north-central Annapolis County , Nova Scotia . Situated on the Annapolis River at the head of the tide, the area saw Mi'kmaq settlements, followed by Acadian settlers from Port-Royal and then British -sponsored settlements by

270-649: The Seven Years' War (the Battle of Bloody Creek (1757) ). Deed references suggest British settlement in Bridgetown from the early 1760s onward, after the Acadians were expelled from Nova Scotia in 1755. These settlers appeared shortly after the allocation of Granville Township among its proprietors; Bridgetown is located in what was formerly Granville Township, settled from 1760 on. The central part of Bridgetown

300-403: The 1980s as a result of federal grants. The new P-12 Bridgetown Regional Community School (BRCS) opened in 2017, to replace the former high school (BRHS) and former elementary school (BRES), both located in the east end of the town. BRHS was demolished and the site became green space and athletic fields, integrated with the new school site southeast of the former BRHS. In 2019, the town also added

330-589: The Annapolis River runs from Bridgetown to near Clementsport and experiences a tidal range of approximately 7.5 m (25 ft) between tides. The eastern part of the Annapolis Valley is drained by the Cornwallis River , also rising in the Caribou Bog, which has been dated to 10,000 years old. According to estimates by the Province of Nova Scotia, there were 31,877 people resident within

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360-465: The Annapolis River watershed in 2011. The river flows through some of the most productive agricultural land in the province. The comparatively mild micro-climate produced by the valley's North and South mountain ranges, as well as its proximity to the waters of the Bay of Fundy make the region ideal for fruit crops such as apples . The Annapolis River's importance in history is evident through its use as

390-599: The Annapolis Valley; the basin is geologically a continuation of the valley floor. A break in the North Mountain range at the northwestern edge of the basin, called Digby Gut , provides an outlet to the Bay of Fundy. The Bay Ferries Limited ferry service operating across the Bay of Fundy between Digby and Saint John maintains a terminal on the western shore of the basin near the Digby Gut. Rivers which drain into

420-481: The Ciderfest parade. Bridgetown is twinned with Bridgetown, Barbados . In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Bridgetown had a population of 970 living in 470 of its 514 total private dwellings, a change of 2.2% from its 2016 population of 949. With a land area of 3.63 km (1.40 sq mi), it had a population density of 267.2/km (692.1/sq mi) in 2021. Bridgetown

450-542: The P-12 school and Mountains and Meadows Care Group. Britex Limited was the last large manufacturing enterprise but closed in 2004. Bridgetown is roughly equidistant between Middleton and Annapolis Royal , situated in the Annapolis County . Trunk 1 runs through the community on Granville Street. During the 1980s, Highway 101 was extended to Bridgetown, terminating at an interchange with Trunk 1. This highway

480-491: The basin include: Two major islands are located in the basin: The basin hosts several historic seaports, including: A former Royal Canadian Navy base and decommissioned Canadian Forces Base is located between Deep Brook and Clementsport on the southeast shore of the basin - see CFB Cornwallis . 44°39′N 65°42′W  /  44.650°N 65.700°W  / 44.650; -65.700 Annapolis River The Annapolis River ( French : Rivière Annapolis )

510-408: The central part of the community, what is now downtown, divided the bulk of the lands into 90 by 90 lots in 1821. and most of these boundaries remain visible to this day. As the community developed, the heirs of Capt. Crosskill planned several additional subdivisions, some of which were wildly optimistic. The community was named at a gathering of local residents about 1824. There are two versions of

540-630: The late 18th century. There were at least ten Acadian settlers in the Bridgetown area before the French census of 1671, and the population doubled by 1707. The main Acadian settlement was on the east boundary of the present town, called Gaudetville. There were other Acadian settlers in the town proper, some of whom lived just east of the present bridge. Several armed skirmishes occurred in neighbouring Carleton Corner during Queen Anne's War (the Battle of Bloody Creek (1711) ) and several decades later,

570-575: The late 1980s, an application to designate the Annapolis River as a Canada federal Heritage River was rejected because of the high levels of pollution in the river from residential and agricultural development. A variety of monitoring and clean-up projects have followed in the wake of the rejection and led to the creation of the Clean Annapolis River Project (CARP). The title of Dauphin Herald Extraordinary at

600-426: The meeting, and since both sides wanted the name Bridgetown it will never be possible to sort out how many had which reason. The Windsor and Annapolis Railway (W&A) constructed its mainline between Windsor and Annapolis Royal through the area in 1868, crossing over the Annapolis River on a bridge between the north and south banks in the community. The original W&A crossing was a wooden covered bridge that

630-521: The north bank; it was succeeded by a bridge in the early 20th century. In 1984, Nova Scotia Power opened the Annapolis Royal Generating Station , which operated as a tidal power plant. A rock-filled dam now blocks the river between Annapolis Royal and Granville Ferry, carrying Trunk 1 and the stretch of river between Annapolis Royal and Bridgetown is now used as a reservoir. The station ceased operations in 2019. In

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660-441: The railways are visible, except for the former DAR station which was converted into a pub, formerly known as the “End of The Line Pub”. Under new ownership, it is now known as “The Station”. In 1966, Bridgetown had a population of 1,060, of which 140 were African Nova Scotians . Black people have a long history in Bridgetown, residing primarily in the areas of Inglewood Road, "The Pasture" and "The Tracks". The Morse-Magwood House

690-520: The rationale for the name. The more romantic has it that the community was named after Bridgetown, Barbados , because Captain Crosskill had once been stationed there, and had apparently much enjoyed it. The other simply attributes the name to the presence of a bridge over the Annapolis River . This version is given some credence because Joseph Howe , in his Rambles , refers to the area as "The Bridge". Likely there were proponents of both theories at

720-424: The river to protect the community from attack. Throughout the 18th to the 20th century the river was heavily used as a transportation corridor, particularly during the age of sail when sailing ships would sail as far upriver as Bridgetown (the tidehead, and head of navigation); Bridgetown being home to a thriving shipbuilding industry. A ferry service once crossed the river at Annapolis Royal to Granville Ferry on

750-649: Was built in 1871 and is noted as a fine example of Second Empire architecture and is considered one of the most picturesque homes in the province. The Rothsay Masonic Temple was built in 1871 as a Presbyterian church, but purchased in 1925 by the Rothsay Lodge of the Masonic Order . It is a brick structure in the Gothic Revival style. Like a lot of small communities, Bridgetown today concentrates on service industries. The largest employers are

780-405: Was extended in the early 1990s through to Annapolis Royal, bypassing the community completely. Today Bridgetown has many heritage buildings which are best appreciated by taking The Cyprus Walk self-guided and critically acclaimed walking tour, named after the largest ship built on the Annapolis River. The historic downtown fronting Queen Street underwent redevelopment and beautification during

810-600: Was incorporated as a town on September 15, 1897. The first mayor of the town was Harry Ruggles, elected by acclamation . In 2011, the town council drew national headlines by resigning en masse over financial difficulties including a misappropriation of funds by a municipal employee who was later convicted. A subsequent provincial audit found that $ 113,195.96 had been misappropriated from the town over 5 years by one employee, and additional losses were incurred from related costs and record-keeping errors. The provincial government subsequently appointed an interim council consisting of

840-477: Was referred to as the Farm of Henly for unknown reasons. The community grew into a successful wooden shipbuilding area during the 19th century, accounting for many grand homes. It was incorporated as a town in 1897. The town was actually an entrepot for the agricultural and forest products of the surrounding areas and became a significant manufacturing and commercial centre in the 19th century. Manufacturing included

870-458: Was renamed Annapolis Royal , in honour of the reigning monarch, Queen Anne . The river was also given the name Annapolis at this time. After France relinquished the part of Acadia which is now peninsular Nova Scotia to Britain in 1713, Annapolis Royal became the capital of the British colony of Nova Scotia until 1749; Fort Anne was established at the mouth of Allains Creek where it drains into

900-555: Was replaced in 1881 by the present iron railway bridge. The W&A merged into the Dominion Atlantic Railway (DAR), a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway , and operated until 1990. The Middleton and Victoria Beach Railway was constructed through the north end of Bridgetown in the early 20th century and this line came under the ownership of Canadian National Railway , operating until 1982. Various small industries clustered around both rail lines. The DAR had

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