Prepared in 1841, the original, prepared by Deputy Surveyor John Gauld and drawn on cotton with ox gall ink, shows the area from Seafoam to Tatamagouche indicating land grants and their owners.
Prepared in 1841, the original, prepared by Deputy Surveyor John Gauld and drawn on cotton with ox gall ink, shows the area from Seafoam to Tatamagouche indicating land grants and their owners.
Likely to be of interest to genealogists, local historians and anyone interested in the early settlement of the area, The Plan of the Settlement of River John and Vicinity was originally in the possession of Clifford Carruthers until his passing, then put up for auction in the 1980s.
Worried this rare piece of Nova Scotian history would end its days in a private collection, community member Janice Murray Gill quickly contacted nine others in the local area, who pooled their funds and purchased the piece for over $1,500.
After being housed for several years in the community museum, it was given to the River John Community Access Program (CAP) Society for safekeeping. Working with the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library and with River John CAP funds, the Plan was sent to Zwickers Art Gallery in Halifax to be reframed to museum standards. While in Halifax, the Public Archives of Nova Scotia made a digital scan for the library as well.
The Plan of the Settlement of River John and Vicinity is now back home and will be permanently displayed in the public library in River John. The River John CAP Society is hosting an unveiling for the general public on March 24 at 1 p.m. in the library. Everyone is welcome to attend and light refreshments will be served. They will also be selling a limited number of reproductions of the plan, and the electronically scanned version will be available on the Regional Library’s digital collection website, NovaStory.ca found at www.parl.ns.ca.