Windsor (Nova Scotia)

Windsor is a town of 3,600 people (2016) in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. Windsor is one of several places that claims to be the "birthplace" of hockey. Hockey is an inextricable part of Windsor’s heritage and culture.

History
Windsor was settled in 1685 by the Acadian French, who built a network of dikes along the rivers. Windsor has always been a meeting place, first for the Mi’kmaq First Nations (Indigenous) people, then the Acadians, and later the English gentry.

Windsor became a permanent English settlement in 1749. Its strategic location prompted the British to build Fort Edward. The Blockhouse is the only structure remaining from the original fort and it is the oldest structure of its kind in North America. Fort Edward is a National Historic Site.

Windsor quickly became a favourite locale of the British gentry, particularly with those living in Halifax. The area’s growth and prosperity was heavily affected by this influential collection of politicians, merchants and military officers from Halifax. In fact, Windsor was such a popular “get-a-way” for people in the provincial capital that it became known as “the Athens of Nova Scotia”.

Shortly after the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists from New England in 1783, Kings College was established in Windsor, in 1788. Kings College was the first independent school in Canada, and today is a world-renowned co-educational preparatory school.

Windsor was for many years a bustling seaport and shipbuilding centre. Between 1840 and 1890, shipbuilding was the most prominent factor in the economy of Windsor. In his book Attache, Windsor’s own Thomas Chandler Haliburton, generally regarded as the father of North American humour, alluded to a form of hockey being played by the students of King’s College, now King’s-Edgehill School.

The passage from the Haliburton book, which deals in part with memories of his days at King’s in the early 1800s, is believed to be the earliest written reference to the game we now know as hockey, and goes as follows:


 * “... the boys let out racin’, yelpin’, hollerin’ and whoopin’ like mad with pleasure... with games at base in the fields, or hurley on the long pond on the ice....”

The students from King’s-Edgehill School today still play hockey at the Cradle of Hockey on the Dill Family Farm. There have been many re-enactments of games of hurley-on-ice, “back of the college woods” on the pond. The students at King’s still use the same path today that their predecessors would have used in the early 19th century.

It’s also known that the British troops stationed at Windsor’s Fort Edward in the early 1800s took up the game of hurley-on-ice, which evolved into the great Canadian game of hockey. In fact, it’s said that a Colonel John Hockey served at Fort Edward.

Tourist information

 * Windsor tourist information

Get in
The closest airport to Windsor is Halifax International Airport in Halifax.

Windsor is approximately 45 minutes by car from Halifax. To get to Windsor from Halifax, take Highway 101 West and get off at exit 5A or exit 6. (The Visitor Centre is at exit 6.) Windsor can also be accessed via Highway 1, also known as the Evangeline Trail, which goes right through the centre of town.

There is no longer a local bus service servicing the town of Windsor, however across the Avon river in nearby Falmouth there are two daily buses (one in each direction) offered by Maritime Bus heading to Halifax in the morning and Kentville in the evening (as of Apr 2024). The Falmouth stop is a flag stop meaning it must be booked at least 3 hours in advance.

Get around
Windsor is fairly walkable with sidewalks on most streets.

There is no public transit around Windsor, as Kings Transit no longer serves the town.

Do
Golf at Rosevale Par Three Family Golf Course, minutes from Windsor, just off the Chester Rd. Great golfing for learners, kids, and anyone looking to have fun and enjoy their day off! contact--rosevalepar3@hotmail.com


 * Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Festival — at the Windsor Waterfront and Exhibition Grounds, or, Mid-October. This festival includes a number of pumpkin-related activities, but the highlight is the Pumpkin Regatta: contestants make boats out of giant pumpkins and paddle or motor them around Lake Pesaquid, often in silly costumes. Free.

Go next

 * Continue along the Evangeline Trail (Hwy 1) to Grand Pre and Wolfville. Further along are Annapolis Royal (Port Royal) and Digby.
 * In winter, take Highway 14 to Ski Martock for cross country and downhill skiing/snowboarding.