Before the arrival of
European settlers, Parrsboro was a portage point for
Mikmaq travellers along the Minas Basin and Cumberland County river systems. The native inhabitants called the region "Awokum," meaning a 'short-cut' or 'passing-over point.' The first European settlers were the
Acadians in 1670 at the western mouth of the
Parrsboro Harbour, near
Partridge Island. After they were
expelled in 1755, they were replaced by
New England Planters. The centre of settlement gradually shifted from Partridge Island to the sheltered estuary of the Parrsboro River where a harbour and surrounding mills grew. The settlement, at first named Mill Village, was renamed Parrsboro in honour of
Nova Scotia Governor John Parr in 1784, and the town was incorporated on July 15, 1889. Parrsboro thrived in the mid 19th century as the hub of a string of shipbuilding communities from
Economy to
Advocate collectively known as the "
Parrsboro Shore". The town became a port of registry in 1850 for over 115 locally built schooners as well as giant square riggers, culminating in the largest, the
ship Glooscap in 1891. In its peak years of the 1890s, over 1646 ships arrived and departed annually. The
Springhill and Parrsboro Railway began service to the town from the coal mining town of
Springhill on July 1, 1877; Parrsboro became a coal shipping port for the Springhill mines, primarily serving
Saint John, New Brunswick. Railway service to Parrsboro was abandoned on June 14, 1958, following several years of declining shipments, several months before the
1958 mining disaster. Throughout the late 19th century and first four decades of the twentieth century, Parrsboro saw daily
ferry service across the
Minas Basin to the
Annapolis Valley ports of Kingsport and
Wolfville. The 13th and final vessel in this service, operated by the
Dominion Atlantic Railway, was the
MV Kipawo, which is now permanently beached at Parrsboro and incorporated into the Ship's Company Theatre performance centre. A
Handley Page V/1500 named
Atlantic made a forced landing in Parrsboro July 5, 1919. When the starboard engine failed the pilot,
Major Brackley saw the lights of the town during the night and landed. After three months, the aircraft was repaired and departed for
Greenport,
New York, Parrsboro's sister town. The local
Air Cadet Squadron, 689 Handley Page, is named after this event. On April 10, 1984, Parrsboro resident
Eldon George located the world's smallest dinosaur footprints at
Wasson Bluff, a series of cliffs to the east of Parrsboro Harbour. The prints are now on display at the Parrsboro Rock and Mineral Shop and Museum, owned by George. ==Municipal governance==