The port of many tragedies

It is difficult to connect tragedy with the quiet little seaport of Harbourville, whose waters of the Bay of Fundy rise to gigantic tides and wash the sand and rocks off the beaches of the little village.

In bygone days, the population of the community was more than double the number of residents of today.

When Harbourville competed with other Bay of Fundy ports, there was much activity, as boats made regular visits to the harbour loading cord wood and potatoes brought over the North Mountain from the Annapolis Valley. Oftentimes, wagons and teams were compelled to stand in a line a half-mile back along the mountain road as farmers took their turns loading their produce bound for markets in Halifax, Saint John, Boston, New York and the West Indies.

The railway came to the Valley in 1869, but many tragic accidents still occurred involving seafarers from the Bay shore. Shipbuilding continued in the Harbourville shipyards and on the “flats,” even after the boats lost business to the railways.

The existence of the railway did not bring shipping by water to a sudden end in Harbourville. Among the craft launched in the Bay of Fundy at the port, many have been sunk and mystery shrouds the disappearance of others.

One vessel with a Harbourville crew missing for many years was the “Albert.” The Hector and the Harvest Queen sank in the Bay and their crew of Harbourville boys never again saw the home port. The Fred H. Parker, built in Harbourville, capsized in the Gulf Stream, her crew miraculously escaping. Curiously, this vessel, loaded with lumber (which prevented her sinking), was discovered a year later adrift only four miles from the scene of the disaster. The “Pearl,” sailing from Halifax to the West Indies, sank on the trip and brought tragic sorrow to one Harbourville home – five Ogilvie brothers being among her crew.

One of the saddest tales is the destruction of the King of Avon in the early part of the 20th Century. The vessel was owned by Berwick Sharehold and captained by “Jimmy” Morris of Harbourville. Captain Morris, with the intention of setting up a residence in the south, was accompanied by his wife, three children and his sister. While at anchor, a cyclone struck Mobile Bay and the captain with his precious family and crew perished when the ship went down.