Pictou County Books and Literature: 1879 Historical Atlas Of Pictou County
Title: Illustrated Historical Atlas Of Pictou County Nova Scotia
Authors: Meacham, J.H. & Co.
Publication Date: 1879
The 1879 Historical Atlas of Pictou County helps illustrate what early communities of Pictou County looked like spatially in the 1800s, using maps, illustrations, and a brief history.
This was the only county atlas made of a Nova Scotia county. Maps were created in full hand painted color, with relief shown in hachures. Hachures are an antiquated way of illustrating elevation. They demonstrate the direction of the slope, and through the thickness and the amount of them, they give an overall idea of the steepness. Because they are not numerical, they are not as helpful for a scientific survey as contours, but they can still effectively portray exact shapes of the landscape.
A chain was a measuring tool used in land surveying and mapping. It consisted of a series of metal links, each about one foot in length, connected together in a line, typically used to measure distances on flat or gently sloping terrain. The scale of the maps in this atlas were recorded using chains.
It provides an informative overview of the land, and people of the area, beginning with a 9 page Pictou County history summary. It also provides insights of the geography, early settlements, people, population, and industry The detailed maps include names, boundaries, businesses, and basic topographical features. In the appendix, there is a Patrons Directory that included names of businesses, business owners, locations, and where they originated from.
Overall, the 1879 Historical Atlas of Pictou County is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history of Pictou County.
We have provided each map or page of the atlas with its own page on our site, simply click on the links below to you can open up high resolution scan reproductions of the maps found within the 1879 Historical Atlas Of Pictou County.
Pictou County 1879 Historical Atlas
- Section 1 – Pictou Landing
- Section 2 – Caribou River, Town of Pictou, Caribou, Caribou Island, Toney River, Poplar Hill
- Section 3 – Cape John, Seafoam, Toney River
- Section 4 – River John
- Section 5 – West Branch, Logansville
- Section 6 – Scotsburn, Plainfield, Rogers Hill, Six Mile Brook
- Section 7 – Scotch Hill, Hardwood Hill
Section 8 – Loch Broom, Green Hill, Durham
- Section 9 – Brookland, Salt Springs, Six Mile Brook, Watervale, West River Station, Mount Thom, Mount Ephraim
- Section 10 – Millbrook, Gairloch, Mount Pleasant, Pleasant Valley, Limerock, Green Hill
- Section 11 – New Gairloch
- Section 12 – Granton, Abercrombie, Mount William
- Section 13 – Churchville, New Glasgow, Trenton, Stellarton, Linacy, Pine Tree, Frasers Mountain
- Section 14 – Little Harbour, Melmerby Beach, Chance Harbour, Black Point, Sinclairs Island
- Section 15 – Blanchard Road, McLellans Mountain
- Section 16 – Springville, Bridgeville, Sunny Brae, and Blanchard Road
- Section 17 – Hopewell
- Section 18 – Glengarry Station
- Section 19 – Lismore, Big Island, Ardness, Baileys Brook, The Ponds, Knoydart
- Section 20 – Avondale, Piedmont, Barneys River, Lower Barneys River
Section 21 and 24 – Merigomish, Egerton, Piedmont, Telford, French River, Meiklefield, and Woodfield
- Section 22 – Garden of Eden, Moose River, Rocky Mountain, and East River Saint Mary’s
- Section 23 – Westville
- Section 21 and 24 – Merigomish, Egerton, Piedmont, Telford, French River, Meiklefield, and Woodfield
