Liz and Dave bought it in '86? I was serving in the Navy at that time; might also have been '87. But Liz had told me she and Dave were thankful they'd paid off the mortgage on time, despite the two refi's and the second mortgage in the '90s.
Yeah, I kind of figured. I had to go to court twice in Ephrata in '06 and '07, and I liked the town. Big enough for amenities, small enough and far enough off the beaten track to not have rush hour traffic.
We have good friends in Ephrata and have visited them often. We like the place and the people are very friendly.
One of the old car wrecking yards I posted about on here a number of years ago is in Ephrata. Though I have heard a rumor that it no longer exists.
So Fannie, what are the highlights of your new City? How old is the city? Are there any places like A&W or Dairy Queen or a local place that the car people hang out at? What's are the unique things about your new town that draws tourists? Is it growing, staying about the same size, or shrinking. That was something we had to learn when we moved to where we're at. It's been 5-1/2 years now and we're still learning.
Thank you for asking. Here is a Wikipedia history... Parrsboro - Wikipedia Parrsboro is a community located in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada. A regional service centre for southern Cumberland County, the community is also known for its port on the Minas Basin, the Ship's Company Theatre productions, and the Fundy Geological Museum. History[edit] Before the arrival of European settlers, Parrsboro was a portage point for Mikmaq travellers along the Minas Basin and Cumberland County river systems. The native inhabitants called the region "Awokum," meaning a 'short-cut' or 'passing-over point.'[2] The first European settlers were the Acadians in 1670 at the western mouth of the Parrsboro Harbour, near Partridge Island. After they were expelled in 1755, they were replaced by New England Planters.[3] The centre of settlement gradually shifted from Partridge Island to the sheltered estuary of the Parrsboro River where a harbour and surrounding mills grew. The settlement, at first named Mill Village, was renamed Parrsboro in honour of Nova Scotia Governor John Parr in 1784, and the town was incorporated on July 15, 1889.[4] The Old Town Hall and Civic Gardens Parrsboro thrived in the mid 19th century as the hub of a string of shipbuilding communities from Economy to Advocate collectively known as the "Parrsboro Shore". The town became a port of registry in 1850 for over 115 locally built schooners as well as giant square riggers, culminating in the largest, the ship Glooscap in 1891. In its peak years of the 1890s, over 1646 ships arrived and departed annually.[5] The Springhill and Parrsboro Railway began service to the town from the coal mining town of Springhill on July 1, 1877; Parrsboro became a coal shipping port for the Springhill mines, primarily serving Saint John, New Brunswick. Railway service to Parrsboro was abandoned on June 14, 1958, following several years of declining shipments, several months before the 1958 mining disaster.[6] Throughout the late 19th century and first four decades of the twentieth century, Parrsboro saw daily ferry service across the Minas Basin to the Annapolis Valley ports of Kingsport and Wolfville. The 13th and final vessel in this service, operated by the Dominion Atlantic Railway, was the MV Kipawo, which is now permanently beached at Parrsboro and incorporated into the Ship's Company Theatre performance centre.[7] A Handley Page V/1500 named Atlantic made a forced landing in Parrsboro July 5, 1919. When the starboard engine failed the pilot, Major Brackley saw the lights of the town during the night and landed. After three months, the aircraft was repaired and departed for Greenport, New York, Parrsboro's sister town.[8] The local Air Cadet Squadron, 689 Handley Page, is named after this event. * On April 10, 1984, Parrsboro resident Eldon George located the world's smallest dinosaur footprints at Wasson Bluff, a series of cliffs to the east of Parrsboro Harbour. The prints are now on display at the Parrsboro Rock and Mineral Shop and Museum, owned by George.[9] Municipal governance[edit] Parrsboro was incorporated as a town on July 15, 1889. On October 5, 2015 the Town Council filed an application for dissolution with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. The NSURB held public hearings in November 2015 and issued a decision on June 15, 2016 granting the application. The Town of Parrsboro was dissolved effective November 1, 2016 and merged into the larger Municipality of the County of Cumberland.[10] * The pervious property that we purchased had belonged to Eldon George. He pasted away in 2018. The local Fundy Geological Museum What to See & Do | Fundy Geological Museum (novascotia.ca) purchased all of Eldon's life collection. The Parrsboro Rock and Mineral Shop was one of the building that we purchased. I will see if I can find a picture or two. There is a small main street that has a couple of shops, a brewery that hosts local talented, a bakery, a Bistro, a couple of interesting second hand stores, antique shop, a bank, a post office, a grocery store, hair salon, florist, convenience store, Napa and Tim Horton's No DQ or A&W. All of these are within walking distance to our H.E.A.H. A bit further is a couple of restaurants, hardware store, hospital, radio station, Legion, several B&B's. We are also hoping to enjoy the local beaches, golf course and the Ottawa House Ottawa House Museum – Ottawa House By-the-Sea Museum. Parrsboro is very much a tourist town with folks coming from all over the world to take in the small town culture and stunning vistas. The smaller shops struggle during the winter months, some are only open seasonally. Our house actually had a gift shop in it, I shopped there a couple of times. Who knew we would end up buying it? Parrsboro has a vibrant community spirit. There seems to be things going on all the time from the weekly farmers markets to volunteering at the Ottawa House. I hope to get involved with a few of things. There is also an annual car show every summer along with a car show that closes down Main Street on Canada Day. I should stop here I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, we are looking forward to getting our next life started.
Wow, you have moved into a really neat town, Fannie. An impressive history, far older than the entire Province of BC. While your town was a bustling community of commerce our area was still used by First Nations as part of their hunting grounds. Out here "old" is late 1800's stuff and our house, built in 1935, is considered very old. After reading Parrsboro's history it brings the place alive and I, at least, can picture you fitting right into that environment. We are finding that our "small town" suits us so well in retirement, 30 years ago we'd have been bored stiff I suspect, but now we are loving the slower pace, the small family owned businesses, and for the most part how friendly and courteous the people are. I think even though we are at opposite ends of this vast country we are living in we're experiencing a very similar lifestyle. In retirement you will find that it becomes so comfortable being in a small community, one with history to explore, beautiful scenery to enjoy, it makes all the years of hard work and stress worth it because you've ended up in your little piece of paradise. Thanks for sharing the overview.
Looking through on google maps it is a beautiful area and you're not far from either Amherst or Truro. Next trip we take to Cape Breton to visit Deb's family we should make a detour off the Trans Canada and see the area.
Do you travel through regularly? Take the Springhill exit and just follow the signs to Parrsboro. We are about a bit more than an hour from Truro, which is where we would likely do our shopping as that is where we go now. Drop me a line the next time you are going by, perhaps you can fit a quick stop into your trip?
I believe you are right Safari, our retirements do sound similar. However, we have always been small town folks. Stewiacke is very similar to Parrsboro in population and amenities and also has a great history. But our/my desire was to finally live by the water and the Bay of Fundy is an interesting body of water to live by. Bay of Fundy - Wikipedia
It's nice to be by the water. We have less than a 10 minute drive to the east shore of Vancouver Island. We'd originally planned on a water view but when we came across this tiny community it's like nothing else on the Island, or the mainland, and we fell in love with the quaint historic homes and setting. We're close enough to the water but unlike you we can't just walk there and home for an evening stroll. We'd love to have that ability. My maternal grandmother was from Halifax and actually was hurt in the Halifax explosion. I supposedly have relatives there and in various places in the Province but don't know who or where. My brother knows of some of them, I'll have to ask him when I see him this summer.
I’ve never been to the northeast. Sounds like a pretty place. I too live near the water. Except for me it’s Lake Michigan. I’m about 5-10 minutes away. Pretty sunsets. Lots of old places and tourist based stuff. History related to Ernest Hemingway and others. I prefer to keep to myself on my own property. There isn’t really much of a rush hour for work, but on weekends and during summer to fall it really jams up so I plan accordingly. It’s weird going to cities on the weekends when they are practically dead. In the winter we get our town and sanity back, but many places close up and the owners go to Florida. One statistic said 40% of houses here are vacation houses. My local junkyard (about an hour away) is Swains junkyard. Massive piece of property. Lots of really old stuff that’s been there forever. They don’t do anything electronic, they don’t take checks and I don’t think they even have a phone. But they’re nice folks and fair.
