Westville, Nova Scotia
Westville Geography
- Official Name: Westville
- Gaelic Name: Baile An Iar
- Geographic Feature Type Category: Populated Place
- Geographic Feature Type: Town
- Latitude / Longitude: 45.55632, -62.715396
- Area: 14.23 km²
Westville Maps
- 1:50k Topographic NTS Map: 011E10
- 1879 Pictou County Atlas Map: Section 23 / 1879 Westville North Map / 1879 Westville South Map
- Nova Scotia Land Grant Map: NS Land Grant map 092 & NS Land Grant map 093
- Nova Scotia 1:10k Topographic Maps:1045550062700 (Westville) / 1045500062700 (Westville) / 1045500062600 (Stellarton)
- Other Maps:
Westville is one of five towns in Pictou County, it is located south west of Stellarton. The area was originally known as Acadia Village but was renamed to Westville in 1868. The demand for coal fueled the Westville and for many years it was the backbone of the town’s economy.
When a public meeting was held to establish a name for the community. Many Scottish names were proposed, the favorite being” Ayr” – a name of the Scottish birthplace of several people that settled in the area. The meeting was deadlocked until the name Westville was proposed. It was approved, and became the name of the community, mainly because it was west of the Albion Mines (what we know as Stellarton).
Coal was discovered in large quantities in 1866, and in 1868, and the Intercolonial Coal Company began developing land that they bought from John Campbell. The Acadian Coal Company began operations in 1866 and the settlement that sprang up around their works was named Acadia Village in February, 1868. In 1873, an explosion at the Drummond Colliery killed sixty miners. Over the years there were several other incidents that resulted in miners deaths.
As the town grew there was an increased need for water, and while nearly ever family had a well, water supply was still poor. Water sold for a cent a bucket and was measured very carefully. The need for water was a large reason that people voted for incorporation.
The town was incorporated in August, 1894. A new water system was installed in 1895.
Many of the towns streets are named after families of early settlers in the area, including Cowan, MacKay, Irving. Duff, Clish, Oliver, Grant, Picken, MacQuarrie and Purvis avenues.
Eventually three companies worked the seams of coal with 1910 being the year of peak prosperity. By 1959 about one hundred men were working Drummond collieries, numbers one and two in a dying industry. Open-pit mining was carried out throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
A school-house was built in 1869. Another new school was completed and opened in 1875. In 1924 a modern eight-room school was built on Church Street and a four-room school built in the Black Diamond district.
A railway was built to join the mines with the Intercolonial Railway in 1867. A railway built to loading docks on the Middle River was opened for use in 1871.
In 1899, Westville had the largest skating rink east of Montreal. The rink was burnt down in the 1920s and was never rebuilt. In 1910 a curling rink was built.
An electric tramway connecting Westville, Stellarton and New Glasgow was under construction in 1904.
One of the Westville baseball teams was crowned Maritime champion in 1927 and the
Westville was very popular for sports, and won several championships. In 1927 a Westville baseball teams won the Maritime championship. Legendary Babe Ruth visited the town in 1936 and even hit a ball over the center field fence.
At one time the town had a thriving business district with many different types of merchants operating, a movie theatre, and even two large and prosperous hotels. These days, public service industries and a few small retail outlets comprise most of the town’s commerce.
Celebrating Our Heritage The History of Westville, is 208 page book that provides a good historic overview of the town of Westville covering all aspects, including a variety of topics discussed in detail, including; the mining industry, transportation, early businesses, churches, schools, sports, culture and entertainment. It includes lots of historic photos, stories and even a few maps. This book combined with the brief history of Westville written by Andrew Roy helps provide the story of how Westville has become the place we know it.
Both books are available to read online for free.
Westville Population Over Time
Population in 1875 was about 2500.
Population in 1901 was 3,471.
Population in 1911 was 4,417.
Population in 1921 was 4,550.
Population in 1931 was 3,946.
Population in 1941 was 4,115.
Population in 1951 was 4,301.
Population in 1961 was 4,159.
Population in 1981 was 4,522.
Population in 1991 was 4,228.
Population in 1996 was 3.976.
Population in 2001 was 3,879.
Population in 2016 was 3,628.
Population in 2021 was 3,540.
For many years, the Town of Westville hosts one of the largest Canada Day celebrations in Nova Scotia. The year 2007 marked the 100th anniversary of Westville’s Canada Day celebrations
Using the crowd sourced Find a Grave app, you can search for names, details, and photos in Westville Cemeteries: 
[Sources: Nova Scotia Place Names – T. Brown / Places of Nova Scotia – C. Bruce Fergusson / The History of Westville – Andrew Roy / Pictou County’s History – James Cameron / History of the County of Pictou Nova Scotia – George Patterson / Population and dwelling counts in Nova Scotia – George Patterson / Statistics Canada / Celebrating Our Heritage: The History of Westville – Westville Heritage Group ]
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