The village of Somerset

The village of Somerset, located just north of Berwick in what was known as West Cornwallis in the days of township government, was settled in 1790, when Matthew Fisher of Canning accepted a mile square land grant, cleared enough of it to build a log house and married a Miss Pineo of Habitant.

It was several years before other settlers came to the region but, finally, the following names became familiar in the village: Woodsworth, Morton, Crocker, Morse, Thomas and Pineo. Other names associated with the early days were Pierce, Steadman, Beckwith, Brennan, Kinsman, Parker and Rand.

Before roads were laid out, the settlers blazed trails through the woods from house to house. The first road was laid out between what is now Berwick and the present crossroads of Brooklyn and Pleasant Valley roads. Later, Brooklyn Street was constructed to Weston. The road to Harbourville was built in 1842.

The mails were brought by courier on horseback, who met the Halifax-Annapolis stagecoach on the Post Road. The first mail courier was James Hamilton and the first post office was kept in a store about 1860.

The first school was in a log cabin and was followed by a large barn-like structure. The first teacher was Mrs. Hinkle, who taught small children. Other teachers were Miss Currie, Guy Morton, Matthew Fisher, son of the founder; Miss Selena Parker and John Carmichael.

The present school building was erected in 1864. William Somerville taught the advanced department and Miss Selena Parker the primary department.

Somerset continued to be the education centre of the county for a period of over 50 years, with highly educated teachers like Rev. Dr. Steel and Robert Somerville teaching higher education. Students came from long distances to attend this school. There was also a boarding school for girls, of which Miss Elvira Bent was principal.

The Baptist church opened in 1828 near Morses Corner and was attended by people from all parts of West Cornwallis. A new church was built in Berwick in 1858 and the old one was torn down.

Somerset was the scene of much military training between 1860 and 1870. A drill shed was built and local volunteers drilled under the command of instructors from Halifax and England. Over the years, there were many military parades, with soldiers coming from different towns accompanied by bands. The drill shed was later used for other purposes.

By the 1870s, Berwick had a new school, where students in the area went for higher education. The railway chose a route through that village and, with a strong commercial background, Berwick began to pull ahead of Somerset in many ways and eventually became a town.