Whitman Wharf House Bed and Breakfast, Canso, Nova Scotia

On this page:

Early History of Canso, Grassy Island & Louisbourg
History of the Whitman family in Canso
Whitman Wharf House
Commercial Cable Company and the Titanic
Sherbrooke Village
Nova Scotia Lighthouses
MacAskill House Museum

Canso, Grassy Island & Louisbourg

The earliest settlement of Canso was on Grassy Island dating back to 1604. At the time of its destruction by the French from Louisbourg in 1744 it had been a flourishing fishing community. The early history of the settlement is depicted at the Grassy Island Interpretive Centre and through descriptive plaques on the trails at Grassy Island.

Competition for fish stocks led to international rivalries between the British and French as each tried to secure the lucrative trade in cod: Fish, preserved by salting and drying, was an important foodstuff in Europe. The destruction of the Grassy Island settlement under British protection in 1744 was followed a year later by retaliation and the sacking of the French Fortress of Louisbourg in Cape Breton. The old fortress is now a significant tourist attraction and provides a rich historical account of the significance of the cod fishery and the rivalry between the French and the British interests.

More on the Fortress of Louisbourg, from history to visitor information

The importance of the Canso Islands area to the British cod fishery trade eventually led to the resettlement of the area on the mainland. The town of Canso developed as the cod fishery trade grew in importance and a trading triangle between Canada, Europe and the West Indies developed. Cod from the rich fishing grounds of the Grand Banks was landed at Canso and dried before export; the fish was salted and laid out to dry on wooden stages which lined the beaches.

Canso harbour is depicted in early photographs and illustrations as harbouring up to two hundred fishing and trading vessels which traded between the Caribbean and Europe. [top]

History of the Whitman Family in Canso

Three generations of the Whitman family are linked to the history of Canso. The first generation of the Whitman family in Canso originated from Boston. The second-born of three brothers and the last surviving brother of the third generation, A. Whitman was the last member of the Whitman family to run the family business, A.N. Whitman and Sons, in Canso. The business was located on Whitman's Wharf.

A rich tapestry of stories and documented genealogy of the Whitman family can be found at whitmania.com. [top]

History of Whitman Wharf House

The house is believed to have been built circa 1885 for the Whitman family. Many of the interior architectural details of WHITMAN WHARF HOUSE are very similar to those of the WHITMAN HOUSE MUSEUM next door, particularly the high quality of the joinery of the doors which reflect the Whitmans' shipping interests. [top]

History of the Commercial Cable Company and the Sinking of the Titanic

The Cable station at Hazel Hill, near Canso, was an important link in relaying news of the Titanic sinking from Cape Race, Newfoundland, to New York. The cable station building still stands, now abandoned and in some disrepair but structurally the exterior looks much as it did in 1912. A display at the Whitman House Museum in Canso houses artifacts and early photographs from the cable company.

The Cable Station at Hazel Hill, Canso, and the Titanic

More information about the Titanic is available from the Maritime Museum of the Altantic in Halifax, which houses an exhibit of Titanic artifacts as well as the wireless log recording of the distress calls from the Titanic, the night of April 14-15, 1912. The exhibit examines the relationship between Halifax and the Titanic in The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax.

View online The Wireless Log of Titanic distress calls kept by Robert Hunston, a wireless operator at Cape Race, Newfoundland. [top]

Sherbrooke Village

Sherbrooke Village depicts a typical Nova Scotian village from 1860 to pre-WW1. With approximately 80 buildings, over 25 of those open to the public, it is the largest Nova Scotia Museum site. Sherbrooke is a two-hour drive from Canso, including an enjoyable ferry ride across Country Harbour. [top]

Nova Scotia Lighthouses

Nova Scotia Lighthouse Interpretive Centre, and Lighthouse Beach Park at Port Bickerton makes for an enjoyable car drive from Canso: on route #316 you take the Country Harbour Cable ferry. The centre houses information and memorabilia on the lighthouses of Nova Scotia. A detailed account of Nova Scotia's 150 lighthouses is provided by the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society. Many of the significant lighthouses on the Eastern Shore, the North Shore and on Cape Breton, are within easy driving distance from Canso. [top]

MacAskill House Museum - Photography

Wallace R. MacAskill (1890-1956) has been called the world's best marine photographer. His photos portray the Nova Scotia landscape, the seas along its rocky coast, ships and mariners' life. A collection of his photos are displayed in a museum in the restored house in which he was born, in St. Peter's, Cape Breton. [top]