Historic Chester, Nova Scotia - Then & Now

Historic Chester, Nova Scotia - Then & Now A glimpse of Chester Nova Scotia years ago vs today. Please share old photos of Chester if you have

Who is the soldier on the Chester cenotaph?Chester residents are familiar with the ever-watchful gaze of "the Highlander...
11/11/2025

Who is the soldier on the Chester cenotaph?

Chester residents are familiar with the ever-watchful gaze of "the Highlander" standing atop the cenotaph at Parade Square. But did you know that the sculpture was modeled after a Chester resident?

After the first world war, Massey Rhind (1860-1936), a well-known Scottish-American sculptor, leased a home in Chester, NS known as the Quarter Deck. While staying here he developed a love for the area and decided to design and donate the War Memorial Monument in memory of the 54 Chester area residents who laid down their lives in WWI. Known as 'The Highlander,' the bronze figure was valued at $6500 when it was dedicated on August 4,1922. The statue was cast in New York.

Russell Zinck was chosen to model for the Highlander as he was perceived to have a face representative of the people of the area. Russell Zinck enlisted in his hometown of Chester in June 1916. Born in 1897, he was a teacher by trade and had just celebrated his 19th birthday two months earlier. He joined the 193rd Nova Scotia Highlanders and was eventually sent to the Royal Highlanders of Canada (42ndBattalion).

The 42nd Battalion saw considerable action in France all throughout 1917. Russell would have seen action at Vimy Ridge, he was again appointed to Lance Corporal the following month in Arleux. Hill 70 and Passchendaele would round out the year for Russell and as others in the battalion fell in battle, Russell remained. Twice he would take leave in December, returning to the battalion without issue.

Russell and the 42ndbattalion would take part in the Battle of Amiens, Arras, Canal du Nord, Cambrai, and Mons. Through almost two full years of frontline service Russell had made it through without so much as a single visit to a field hospital and in March of 1919 Russell demobilized back home.

Russell returned to Canada to enroll at McGill University graduating from medicine in 1924. In 1926 Russell opened his own practice in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia where he worked for 54 years until his death in 1980.

CHESTER — "WISTERIA" (Circa 1769)"Wisteria" is probably the oldest home in Chester remaining from the colonial period. I...
12/11/2024

CHESTER — "WISTERIA" (Circa 1769)

"Wisteria" is probably the oldest home in Chester remaining from the colonial period. It is built on the site of, and on part of the foundation of the early blockhouse overlooking the harbour, and first appears on a map dated 1769. Sometime before 1782, the blockhouse was given to Dr. Jonathan Prescott for use as a residence. According to tradition, Prescott's original home on Zink's Point, two miles away, had been burnt three times by Indian raiders, and he received the blockhouse as compensation (Note: Zink's Point is the site of the present-day Chester Golf Club). Following Prescott's death in 1807, the house passed to Mr. George Bethune Mitchell, who modified the residence considerably.

In 1878, the property was sold to Mr. John Wister of Philadelphia, in order to settle the Mitchell estate. Wister was a member of one of Pennsylvania's original "iron families," and was the first to promote Chester as an American summer colony. Under the Wisters' direction, a kitchen was added to the home, but the house was otherwise unaltered, except for the introduction of plumbing and electricity during the late 1920's. Following World War I, the muzzle-loading cannon which decorated the lawn was removed. (It is believed these are the same two cannons at the Chester Legion today. I wonder what happened to the other 18 cannons?).

In November 1969, "Wisteria" was considerably damaged by a fire which entirely destroyed the kitchen porch addition. The house was restored, however, and this summer marks the 100th anniversary of the Wisters' annual visits to Chester.

Does anyone know what the original part of the house is, and which part is the later extension? I would assume the right part facing the harbour is the oldest part based on ideal view of the harbour, the central chimney, cellar, and the location of the front door.

It's possible the cellar/foundation would show some evidence of the original blockhouse.

The Chester front harbour around 1900.
12/06/2024

The Chester front harbour around 1900.

Always nice to find a 'new' old photo of Chester. The front harbour in the early 1900s looking at the White Cottage, The...
12/06/2024

Always nice to find a 'new' old photo of Chester. The front harbour in the early 1900s looking at the White Cottage, The Mulgrave Hotel, and the Lovett Hotel + Annex.

A view of Chester's Front Harbour in the early 1900s vs today. Certainly a much calmer day than today with Hurricane Lee...
09/16/2023

A view of Chester's Front Harbour in the early 1900s vs today. Certainly a much calmer day than today with Hurricane Lee. Stay safe everyone.

Did you know that electricity only came to Chester in 1925? We can thank Forman Hawboldt for his lobbying efforts to bring power to Chester.

"The power would come from the East River Falls property he and Cottnam Smith had purchased years earlier. He gained sufficient support for his plan and the Chester Light and Power Company was incorporated in 1924 by F.C. Hawbolt, Carrol Manning, J. Roy Hennigar, Harold Hilchie, Owen Zinck and Eugene Publicover."

Forman Hawboldt History:
https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/forman-hawboldt-entrepreneur-inventor_inventeur/story/backyard-mechanic/

A view of Nauss Point, Chester in 1885. It appears to be all farmland. The present-day photo isn't quite at the same spo...
05/03/2023

A view of Nauss Point, Chester in 1885. It appears to be all farmland. The present-day photo isn't quite at the same spot as the view is obstructed today. The original photo was likely taken from the upper floor of the Lovett Hotel Annex. The house on the left is the White Cottage.

View of Chester circa 1907 from Lightfoot Tower (Zoe Valle library property today). This one is pretty special as I had ...
04/18/2022

View of Chester circa 1907 from Lightfoot Tower (Zoe Valle library property today). This one is pretty special as I had to do some serious digging (and photo merging) to get this view. I have never seen it before so I hope you enjoy it.

You get the expansive view overlooking the Hackmatack Property and annexes. I count about 30+ buildings with only ~9 of them remaining today.

Freda's Point, Chester, NS, in 1931 (Also known as “the Peninsula”). Prior to the 1900s, the Peninsula was primarily far...
02/09/2022

Freda's Point, Chester, NS, in 1931 (Also known as “the Peninsula”). Prior to the 1900s, the Peninsula was primarily farmland with few trees.

In the distance, you can see the original farmhouse that became the clubhouse for the Chester Golf Club which was only a 9-hole course at the time. (Courtesy: NS Archives)

Did you know that there was a second fort/blockhouse in Chester? Yes! A newly unearthed survey map from the NS Archives ...
02/08/2022

Did you know that there was a second fort/blockhouse in Chester? Yes! A newly unearthed survey map from the NS Archives reveals that the British built a fort at the tip of the Peninsula to keep a watch over the town in the mid-1700s. A map from the mid-1800s shows the 'fort' and stone wall still standing at the highest point of the property.

View of Chester in 1931.
02/08/2022

View of Chester in 1931.

A historic Chester landmark on the waterfront is being torn down this week.The old boathouse at Ripple Wharf was a famil...
11/18/2021

A historic Chester landmark on the waterfront is being torn down this week.

The old boathouse at Ripple Wharf was a familiar sight for anyone who lived in Chester. A structure can be seen in photographs as early as the 1850/60s however, it may well be plenty older than that. It's impressive that it lasted as long as it did given it was subject to the harsh elements on the waterfront. It was built to last.

In the original town layout of Chester in 1764, there is a wharf in the same location titled "Green's Slip"(sp?). It had another orientation originally, so it may have been pivoted at the turn of the century, or pulled apart and reassembled. It had at least two different extensions over time that were damaged in storms and eventually removed in the 1970s/80s.

Here are some old photographs of the boathouse spanning from the the mid-1800s to 1935. Present-day photos are courtesy Jim Barkhouse.

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92 Duke Street
Chester, NS

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