Postcard photo of the Sea Dog Site on Jan 10th 1910

The History of the Sea Dog

The Sea Dog Saloon is located in the historic town of Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Nestled on the third finest natural harbour in the world and was once the fourth largest community in North America when, in 1783 about 3000 United Empire Loyalists arrived in ships from New York City and the population quickly grew to more than 10,000. As a result of this migration, nearby Birchtown became the first free black settlement in Canada. The United Empire Loyalists, who maintained allegiance to the British Crown during the American Revolution, created an instant boom town in the wilderness. The population, which had grown so quickly, then decreased within twenty years to a few hundred, as the loyalists moved to other destinations.

The waterfront Heritage District retains an aura of the 18th century. The Ross-Thomson House, which has the oldest restored store in North America; the Shelburne County Museum, which has the oldest fire pumper in North America; the Dory Shop, where the art of dory-making is demonstrated each day during the summer; the Coyle House, where Tottie's Crafts sell their wares, and the Muir-Cox Shipyard, where the time-honored craft of wooden boat building is on display daily and where the shipbuilding heritage of the community is portrayed.

The waterfront was the setting in 1994 for the movie "The Scarlet Letter" starring Demi Moore, Gary Oldman and Robert Duvall. Part of the movie set remains for tourists with an authentic historic market square. When the movie was finished the cast and crew held their WRAP (as in, it's a wrap) party at the Sea Dog, The Poor Boys, one of our local bands played for the crowd.

The Sea Dog Saloon is located in the middle of all this history. The establishment has a seating capacity of 170 with two floors and harbour side deck. It is the prime location for viewing Shelburne harbour and numerous local and visiting yachts. Some famous visitors have been "The Bounty", "The Matthew" and "The Bluenose".

The Sea Dog is located on the site of the original Shelburne Yacht Club (land purchase Sept 4th, 1904) and was named Bruce's Wharf. The Wreck Room, our upstairs lounge was originally named McGowans. Both names originate from family's that owned the land as far back as 1888.

The structure of the building is loosely based on the Original Yacht Club. The original club was disbanded after the club house on Dock Street fell victim to the effects of Hurricane Edna in 1954.

The current building was built in the mid 70's and has continued uninterrupted service since.

Nova Scotia History

Two groups of Algonquian-speaking indigenous peoples, the Abnaki and the Micmac, were in Nova Scotia when the first Europeans arrived. Vikings may have been the first Europeans to explore Nova Scotia, but the first recorded exploration was made in 1497 by English explorer John Cabot. French claims were established by Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 and by Jacques Cartier ten years later.

In 1604 Pierre du Guast sieur de Monts, Samuel de Champlain, and Baron de Poutrincourt established a colony at Port Royal, but in 1607 the colony was abandoned. Poutrincourt returned in 1610 and established the first successful settlement of Europeans in what is now Canada. In 1621 King James I of England changed the area's name from Acadia to Nova Scotia. Eight years later groups of Scots settled at Charlesfort, near Port Royal, and at Rosemar, on Cape Breton Island. Throughout the 17th century the English and French battled over control of Nova Scotia.

The Peace of Utrecht in 1713 confirmed British control of Acadia, although the French retained Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island. During King George's War in 1744, the French and British again battled over Nova Scotia. The British decided to make Nova Scotia British by bringing in more settlers. Halifax was founded as a fishing port and naval station, and other towns were planned. During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the French settlement of Fort Beauséjour fell under an American attack, and Fort Gaspereau fell to the British.

After the war Governor Charles Lawrence ordered more than 6000 Acadians deported to the American colonies, but about 2000 escaped. By 1763 Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick were joined to Nova Scotia, although Prince Edward Island was separated from Nova Scotia in 1769 and Cape Breton Island and New Brunswick were detached in 1784.

Cape Breton Island was re-annexed in 1820. In 1758 Canada had its first representative assembly election, in Halifax. During and after the American Revolution (1775-1783) about 30,000 United Empire Loyalists (American colonists loyal to Great Britain) migrated to southwestern Nova Scotia, which later became the province of New Brunswick. By the 1860s plans for the unification of all the Canadian colonies were being proposed.

Nova Scotians generally disliked the idea of entering the union, but Sir Charles Tupper, the Nova Scotia premier and later prime minister of Canada, agreed to the terms of the Québec Conference of 1864. Nova Scotia entered the Dominion of Canada in 1867. At that time, Nova Scotia was in economic turmoil, as its shipbuilding industry was diminishing. Trade and industry lagged after the American Civil War ended in 1865, and large numbers of Nova Scotians migrated to western Canada and the United States.

The demands of World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945), however, improved the economy. After 1950 the province made significant gains, as mining and manufacturing began to play a vital role in the economy. As the 1990s began, however, living standards remained low in Nova Scotia by countrywide standards.