Past Lives: New Horton

A tiny red building with a sign saying "New Horton School 1934-1961" stands near Provincial Highway 915 in Albert County, about an hour's drive north of Moncton.  New Horton and its sister community Upper New Horton are located between the marshes on the west shore of Chignecto Bay and New Horton Lake.

The area is believed to have been first settled in 1798 by people who migrated from Horton, Nova Scotia.  (The township of Horton NS no longer exists as such; its approximate location is in the vicinity of Grand Pré and Wolfsville, King's County.) 

Following the Acadian Deportation of the 1750s and 1760s, both shores of Chignecto Bay were quickly populated by Loyalists from New England and Irish immigrants.  Farming settlements sprang up as more land became available; by the mid-1800s the area around New Horton supported a population of about 150 people, and the town itself boasted a post office and church.  Historical maps show that at one point, much of the acreage west of the town was owned by two men: Robert Dickson and Jesse Converse.

Like so many of its contemporaries, the community dwindled as farm automation made menial workers unnecessary, families became smaller, and people moved elsewhere in search of better opportunities.  Today the area comprises a few farms, cottages, a bird sanctuary, and campgrounds.  A great deal of the farmland has returned to forest, and a kilometer-long body of water noted on maps as Long Marsh Lake is now mostly dry - likely a casualty of climate change-related drought.


* Photo courtesy of Andrew MacDonald, 2019

Doing One's Best

My father passed away on March 31st.

One of my happiest childhood memories of him is bacon and eggs.  On Sunday mornings he was frequently the first out of bed and he would make bacon and fried eggs for the family. (One of the few meals he could cook well.)

A favourite TV character said that we might think we're the heroes in our own story but the reality is that there are no heroes or villains, just people doing the best they can.  Dad did the best he could with what he had.  He overcame a difficult childhood and applied himself to every decision and career move that he made.

He worked on the Saint Lawrence River Seaway, something he was always proud of despite the menial job that he occupied: cutting and threading steel rods for construction.  He joined the Air Force, but after three years he recognized his limitations and chose to become a teacher instead; a career at which he excelled.

Despite his success he never forgot the people around him.  Family and friends were important.  He went above and beyond for his students, many of whom would in later years describe him as their favourite teacher.

And he would push me to do my best as well.  When I was eleven years old he took me out to the back yard one day and "introduced" me to the lawnmower, giving me precise instructions on how to operate it and how I should care for the yard.  I took that to heart: I mowed the grass regularly right up until the day before I was married.

People who have the ability to bring out the best in others are rare.  My father was one such.  He will be missed dearly.