Birchtown and the Black Loyalists

When ships filled with United Empire Loyalists dropped anchor at what was then Port Roseway, Nova Scotia, on May 4, 1783, among those on board were 936 free Blacks; in late August of that same year, a further 500 Black Loyalists arrived. These settlers were granted land along the inner reaches of the harbour, in an area that had initially rejected by the earlier group of arrivals. It was called Birchtown not because of birch trees that grew in the area, but in honor of New York Governo r Colonel Samuel Birch, who had not only provided them with certificates of freedom but had also strongly resisted the efforts of American authorities to re-enslave them. 

The ground here was extremely rocky and hilly, with poor prospects for agriculture; it was far from the near-paradise they had been promised before setting out for Nova Scotia. The Black loyalists persevered, though, and used the stones removed from the rocky ground to build fences and stone walls for livestock enclosures and divisions between fields.

The settlers encountered prejudice and outright bigotry from many white Loyalists, and low pay and poor treatment were commonplace. Birchtown's dwellings in most cases consisted of pit houses set below the ground's surface; this development was in response to the burning of houses by white rioters and opponents of the settlement, particularly in the Shelburne Riot of 1784 when out-of-work former soldiers blamed Black settlers for their continuing poverty and lack of employment opportunities.

By the 1790s the Black Loyalists of Shelburne had grown tired of shabby treatment and outright hostility from the area's white population and an exodus took place from Birchtown to Sierra Leone; ironically, the greatest opposition to this move came from some of the people who had been most active in the mistreatment and exploitation of Black workers. Conditions on the ships that carried the Birchtown residents to Sierra Leone, although not as horrific as those on the slave ships many had traveled on years before, were overcrowded and disease-ridden, and many Birchtown Blacks did not survive the crossing to Africa.

A small museum in the old Birchtown school house (top photo) relates the story of Birchtown's Black Loyalists, and plans are under way for a larger and more detailed exhibit.

To learn more about Nova Scotia's Black Loyalist heritage, I recommend Lawrence Hill's remarkable novel, The Book of Negroes (published in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. as Someone Knows My Name).

Coffee at the Flying Fox

A walk around Shelburne, on Nova Scotia's South Shore a little over 200 km from Halifax, led me to an interesting discovery: the Flying Fox Bake Shop on John Street. Water Street is Shelburne's principal commercial street, running parallel to the waterfront and a block away. Dock Street runs along the harbour through the town's restored historic district, and connecting these two streets there are a series of smaller side streets like John Street, lined with handsomely restored older homes. 

 

An interesting sign caught my eye as I gazed down John Street toward the water, and I decided to check it out. It was early afternoon, and I was delighted to see the "Open" sign in the window. Entering the storm porch, I took note of the sign inside posting the hours: Noon to 10 pm. The owners, Julie and Jonathan Shand, came here from the Yukon. They opted for afternoon and evening opening since another coffee shop nearby had a well-established early morning clientele and the Shands wanted to be good neighbours.

 

Inside I was pleased to discover a comfortable room filled with light even on a rainy day. The walls were a soft shade of plum, a cheerful contrast with the calm aqua of the entry hall. Four tables with painted chairs filled the room nicely without crowding. I walked through to the counter to order a cup of their distinctive, full-bodied coffee, fresh from a French press. 

A lighted showcase was filled with a wide variety of sweet treats like mini cheesecakes and confections, and there were cookies and cupcakes as well, beautifully frosted to resemble flowers.

While enjoying my coffee, I took a closer look at the bright, bold paintings on the walls, the work of Holly Everett of Parker's Cove, NS, Artist of the Month for April. The Flying Fox provides gallery space for artists, so the display changes from month to month.

I'm grateful to serendipity for this discovery, and I'm certain that I'll be back to enjoy more great coffee and great art at the Flying Fox Bake Shop -- and next time that lighted showcase will yield up some of its treasure!