Stellarton

Stellarton
Town
Foord Street, Stellarton, NS
Motto: "Spirit, People, Pride"
Stellarton Location of Stellarton in Nova Scotia
Coordinates: 45°33′24″N 62°39′36″W / 45.55667°N 62.66000°WCoordinates: 45°33′24″N 62°39′36″W / 45.55667°N 62.66000°W
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Municipality	Pictou County
Founded	1790s
Incorporated	October 22, 1889
Government
• Mayor	Joe Gennoe
• Governing body	Stellarton Town Council
• MLA	Pat Dunn (PC)
• MP	Sean Fraser (L)
Area
• Total	8.99 km^2 (3.47 sq mi)
Highest elevation	65 m (213 ft)
Lowest elevation	19 m (62 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
• Total	4,485
• Density	498.8/km^2 (1,292/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Stellartonian
Time zone	AST (UTC-4)
• Summer (DST)	ADT (UTC-3)
Postal Code	B0K 1S0
Area code(s)	902
Telephone Exchanges	301, 331, 419, 505, 507, 616, 695, 752, 753, 754, 755, 759, 771, 921, 928, 931, 934, 952
Website	www.stellarton.ca

Stellarton is a town located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is adjacent and to the south of the larger town of New Glasgow. In pioneer times the area was called Coal Mines Station, and from 1833 until 1870, it was known as Albion Mines.^[2] The town was incorporated as Stellarton in 1889 and owes its name to a specific type of torbanite which came to be known as "stellarite" because of the "stars of fire" given off by its sparky flame.^[3]

History

Foord Coal Seam

In the 1790s, coal quickly became a key focus of the local economy. The Foord coal seam (from which the main street of Stellarton derives its name) runs through most of the town and is part of the greater Stellarton Basin/Pictou Coalfield. As part of an area recognized by geologists for its unique oil shales and thick coal seams, the Foord seam is said to be the thickest in the world with estimate of coal seams being as thick as 48 feet.

In the 1820s, the mines were taken over by the General Mining Association which intensified production with new technology including the first steam engine in Nova Scotia for pumping and in 1839 Samson, the oldest railway locomotive in Canada which carried coal to waiting ships.^[4]

Samson is now preserved at the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton.

Major employers

The town is still home to coal mining operations, an open pit mine is operated by Pioneer Coal.

The Canadian grocery chain Sobeys is based out of Stellarton, and its corporate offices and grocery subsidiaries provides a fair percentage of the town's employment. Sobeys subsidiaries based in Stellarton include Big 8 Beverages, TRA Cash and Carry, Eastern Sign-Print and Regional Distribution Centre.

One business that did not work out was the Clairtone factory, the brainchild of entrepreneurs Peter Munk and David Gilmour, encouraged by local businessman and politician Frank H. Sobey.

The Nova Scotia Museum of Industry in Stellarton

Attractions

Stellarton is home to the Nova Scotia Museum of Industry, part of the Nova Scotia Museum system. Stellarton is noted for its painted fire hydrants, each adorned with a costumed representative of a town inhabitant or profession.

Stellarton Memorial Ice Rink

The Stellarton Memorial Rink is a Rink in Stellarton that was made in 1945 to remember the soldiers that died in World War I and World War II that is still used today by the local minor ice hockey club, the Stellarton Royals.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1941	5,351	—
1951	5,575	+4.2%
1961	5,327	−4.4%
1981	5,433	+2.0%
1986	5,259	−3.2%
1991	5,237	−0.4%
1996	4,968	−5.1%
2001	4,809	−3.2%
2006	4,717	−1.9%
2011	4,485	−4.9%
[5]

Notable people

• James Peter Robertson - recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Leo McKay, Jr. - novelist

Navigator

References

1. Census Results 2006
2. "History of Stellarton". Town of Stellarton website. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
3. "Report of Progress - Geological Survey of Canada". Google Books. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
4. • “The Saga Of The Samson: Canada's Oldest Locomotive” Pictou County Historical Society (1968) digitized by Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library
5. I:\ecstats\Agency\BRIAN\census2

External links

• Town of Stellarton