Spencer's Island
Spencer's Island is a rural community in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, located at the western end of Greville Bay on the Bay of Fundy. The community is named after a small island of the same name located offshore from nearby Cape Spencer. According to local oral history, the island, cape and community trace their name to a man named Spencer who is buried on the island. However the name more likely comes from Lord Spencer, a British statesman at the time the community was settled. Spencer's Island was used seasonally by the Mi'kmaq who called it Wochuk, meaning small kettle island. The first recorded settlement was by the Spicer families in 1778. Spencer's Island became an important shipbuilding centre during the latter days of the Age of Sail. The first large vessel from its shipyards was the Amazon built in 1861 and later to become famous as the Mary Celeste. Many larger vessels followed including the full-rigged ship Glooscap in 1891, the largest ship built in Cumberland County and the last square rigger built along the Parrsboro Shore. The former shipyard area is now part of the Old Shipyard Beach Campground. The community is located at 45º21'16"N, 64º42'54"W, with the