Pictou in Nova Scotia is steeped in history and full of surprises. We were invited on a research trip to Pictou by Nova Scotia Tourism. It is the perfect place to learn more about Nova Scotia's history.
An absolute highlight in the town is the Hector Heritage Quay. Here you can learn how the first Scottish settlers arrived by ship in 1773 on the Hector. An impressive replica ship brings you closer to their challenges and dreams. It's hard to believe that Nova Scotia's Scottish roots began in this small town!
But Pictou has more to offer. The region tells exciting stories about fishing. We learned a lot about the importance of cod for the economy and the lives of previous generations. Everywhere you feel the connection to the coast and the sea.
And then there are the stories of early settlers, like Thomas McCulloch, who was not only a minister but also an educational pioneer. His vision for the community continues to shape the region today.
The "Hector" in Pictou Nova Scotia
We had never heard of Pictou before our visit. We did not associate the place with any developments in Canada's history. However, the place played an important role in the history of the Atlantic provinces in Canada. The first immigrants from Scotland landed here at the end of the 18th century. While in the USA the Mayflower and the Pilgrim Fathers were much talked about, the Scots do not seem to play such a big role in Nova Scotia, which is named after them. Perhaps this is due to the expulsion of the Acadians a few years earlier? I don't know.
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In any case, the history of the Scots in the Atlantic provinces is a subject that we rarely encountered on our previous travels through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Reason enough for us to take a closer look. If you do, you can definitely find traces of the Scots in this province. We even discovered several in Pictou.
The Hector Heritage Quay commemorates the first Scots in Nova Scotia
The port of Pictou in Nova Scotia is generally considered to be the place where the first group of immigrants from Scotland arrived in the Atlantic provinces. In 1755, the British forcibly deported the Acadians (French) from the region. Only a few of them managed to escape into the forests away from the coastal regions. The colonial power Great Britain then wanted to strengthen its presence in this area and advertised in Scotland in particular to mobilize immigrants. The first group of Scots reached the port of Pictou in 1773 on board the "Hector". The sailing ship on which they crossed the Atlantic has now been reconstructed and can be visited today. There is also a visitor center that presents the Scots' crossing on board the sailing ship.
Looking at the dense forests that cover huge parts of Nova Scotia away from the villages, I realize that the beginning in these regions could not have been easy. The Scots were already not favored by fate in Europe. They had many reasons to look for a living in the New World. They were hardworking people who were used to struggle. Thus, they set out to make Nova Scotia what it is today. A land of fishermen, farmers, and artisans who created their life out of the wilderness.
Information on the "Hector" and the first Scots can be found here
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The McCulloch House in Pictou NS
An immigrant from Scotland, Reverend Thomas McCulloch, also left his mark in Pictou. He left for Canada in 1803, a few years after the arrival of the “Hector”. Originally, he and his family had planned to travel to Prince Edward Island. There he wanted to work as a priest in a Presbyterian congregation. However, the people of Pictou quickly recognized that he was a learned man. They convinced him to stay in their town. McCulloch spent the rest of his life in Pictou.
He was a priest, educator and reformer, and liked to assert his modern views against the resistance of the power apparatus. McCulloch built a house in Pictou where he and his wife Isabella raised their family. To give his children and the children of Pictou an education, he set up a school in his house. This was soon too small. A school house was built to accommodate the number of students.
This burned down and was rebuilt. In 1816 the Pictou Academy opened its doors, the first non-denominational college in Nova Scotia. Classes also took place here in a private house until the academy got its own building in 1818.
Thomas McCulloch was a well-read man, interested in natural history and ornithology. We can see part of his bird collection in his home. There we also learn that he was friends with John James Audubon, the ornithologist.
Information about McCulloch House can be found here
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The Northumberland Fisheries Museum in Pictou
We are also visiting the Northumberland Fisheries Museum because we still have some time in the city. We are very interested in fishing on the Atlantic coast. The museum is located next to the Hector Heritage Quay. It includes a lobster breeding pond and a lighthouse museum.
Are you traveling with a motorhome?
- Do you want to rent a motorhome? Then you will find information and a selection in these booking options.
- Check our packing list for campers to see whether you have packed everything for your motorhome tour.
- There are several campsites in the Pictou area. One is Harbor Light Campground, 2881 Three Brooks Rd, Pictou, NS B0K 1H0, Canada. This is only minutes away from the ferry to Prince Edward Island.
The museum offers an insight into fishing on the Northumberland coast: we see lobster traps, ship and boat models used to catch fish and marine animals. Among them is a huge lobster claw that must have come from a lobster that was over a hundred years old. There is a fishing hut, lobster buoys, a swordfish on the museum wall that gives us a scare, and a shell collection that shows us the different types of shellfish in comparison. The exhibition makes it clear that not only life on land was difficult for the Scots. Life at sea was and is even more so.
Information about the Northumberland Fisheries Museum is available here
These attractions are open from May to the end of September
In any case, the Scots in Nova Scotia did not find an easy life in their new home. Even so, it was better than what they had as tenants in their home country: control by the landlord, no real estate and being driven out of their stone cottages in which they lived. Freedom is a seductive good when you don't have it. And if you are also promised your own land, the incentive to venture into a new world increases. The Scots in Nova Scotia built their world according to their own ideas, including hard life and freedom.
Events in Pictou
- Pictou Lobster Carnival: This annual festival takes place in early July and celebrates the end of the fishing season. It includes a variety of activities such as concerts, parades, and lobster dinners. You can find information about current dates and the program here.
That has to be in your suitcase for a trip to Pictou
- Wear comfortable shoes, because in Pictou you will be walking a lot.
- A backpack, in which you have utensils and a jacket for a day
- Also use our packing list for the vacationso that you don't forget anything.
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Do you know this?
- The Hector in Pictou brought the first Scots to Nova Scotia
- Pictou Nova Scotia - Dinner with a view
- That's how the Scots lived in Nova Scotia
- Cape Breton in the footsteps of the Scots
- The Cabot Trail Nova Scotia
- America's most popular coastline
- Discover Old Quebec: what's the best way to experience Old Quebec
Source: On-site research supported by Tourism Nova Scotia. However, our opinions remain our own.
Text: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos © Copyright MonikaFuchs and TravelWorldOnline
