Springhill

Springhill, NS, incorporated as a town in 1889, population 3868 (2011c), 3941 (2006c). The Town of Springhill, located in the heart of Cumberland County on the Chignecto Isthmus, is so named because the hill on which it is situated once contained numerous springs. Once noted for its coalfields, Springhill is now famous as the hometown of pop singer Anne MURRAY, and there is a museum in the town dedicated to her career.

The town was first settled about 1820 by LOYALISTS. Coal was soon discovered and a small mine opened in 1834. Mining began on a large scale in 1872 when the Springhill and Parrsboro Coal and Railway Co Ltd sank shafts and opened a rail line. Several mining DISASTERS have plagued the town, the worst occurring in 1958 when 74 men died in the deepest mine in North America. After this, the DOSCO-owned mines were shut down. Small coal seams have been mined only intermittently since then.

There is high unemployment and little secondary industry here. The Springhill Miners Museum, opened in 1972, and the Springhill Medium Security Institution (1960) provide some employment for residents.