Communities in Digby County, Nova Scotia - Digby, Nova Scotia (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 182. Not illustrated. Chapters: Digby, Nova Scotia. Excerpt: Digby, Nova Scotia - Digby, Nova Scotia in 1906.The area was settled in June 1783 by the United Empire Loyalists under the leadership of Sir Robert Digby. The town developed a sizable shipping fleet in the 19th century. One famous Digby vessel was the brigantine Dei Gratia, which discovered the famous mystery ship Mary Celeste in 1872. The town became an important regional transportation centre in the 1890s with the arrival of the Dominion Atlantic Railway. Trains connected with a series of steamships such as the City of Monticello and later the SS Princess Helene. Digbys economy is still based largely on the fishing and tourism industries. The annual Scallop Days Festival, held the first week of August annually, brings the two industries together to showcase the towns history and heritage to the tourists. The festival offers a variety of themed activities for all ages, including scallop shucking contests, a parade, and an exhibition of local artists. Since 2004, Digby has become the destination for a major regional motorcycle rally, the annual Wharf Rat Rally. It attracts many times the town's population, up to 17,000 motorcyclists, so many that schools and some roads have to close for the day due to crowds and motorcycle traffic. The Wharf Rat Rally event is generally held the week of Labour Day in September each year. The area is also widely known for the enormous Bay of Fundy tides that sweep the coastline boasting some of the highest tides in the world. The town's history is preserved and interpreted by the Admiral Digby Museum, located in a historic home facing the harbour. Tourism has played an important role in Digby during the 20th century beginning with the establishment of railway and steamship links that opened the town and surrounding communities as an-eas...