This chronological list of events was compiled by local historian Ron Wallis.
Select Period: 1800 - 1899
1800
An immigrant ship from Scotland is believed to have brought a noxious weed known as "stinkn willie" into Pictou Harbour. When the weed is eaten by cattle, it may cause illness and sometimes death.
1801
Hugh Denoon's first boatload of settlers arrived on the "Pigeon". Most of these settlers were Catholic and settled in Antigonish and Cape Breton.
1803
Rev. Thomas McCulloch arrives in Pictou as missionary-minister of the First Presbyterian Church and eventual founder-principal of Pictou Academy.
1804
The frame for the First Presbyterian Church in Pictou was erected.
1806
Ferry service between Pictou and Pictou Landing was introduced by John Foster Jr.
1808
Rev. Thomas McCulloch opened a grammar school in his own home, which eventually became the Grammar School for the Pictou District, after the government passed the Grammar School Act in 1811.
1811
James Dawson arrived in Pictou from Scotland and became a prominent shipping businessman. James' son, John William Dawson, was appointed Nova Scotia's first superintendent of education in the 1840s. Sir William was offered the first Principalship of McGill University in 1855 and retired from that position in 1893. Sir William's son, George Dawson, spent his younger years in Pictou prior to moving to Montreal. George was a pioneer geologist of western Canada with the Geological Survey of Canada, where locations like Dawson and Dawson Creek were named after him.
1812
A Post Office was established with Postmaster U.R. Masters.
A battery for defense was built on Battery Point for protection from Fenian raiders.
1813
The first courthouse was built.
1816
An Act granting a charter to the Academy at Pictou was passed in the Assembly.
In this year, mail service from Halifax to Truro was extended to Pictou.
1817
The Pictou Academy opened in a private home with 23 students enrolled.
1818
A grammar school was built in June, in which Patrick Connelly taught for the first six months.
The original Pictou Academy building on the western end of Church Street was completed.
1819
Norway House was built by Edward Mortimer.
1820
A Divinity Hall within Pictou Academy was opened this summer.
1822
A public subscription library was established this year and lasted for thirty years.
Public floggings were suspended.
1823
A wooden church was erected for St. Andrew's Kirk Church.
Father James Grant encouraged the small group of Catholics living in the Pictou area to build a chapel. Construction began this year, but the following year, the chapel was destroyed by fire.
1824
The first flax mill in Nova Scotia was constructed.
1825
The building of St. James Anglican Church began.
A regular packet run between Pictou and Charlottetown began.
D. Fullerton and Son began a planing mill and made sashes and doors for over a century.
1827
The construction of St. James Anglican Church was completed.
"The Colonial Patriot" began publication on December 7th, with William Milne as editor.
The Catholic Church was completed; the first resident Priest was an Irishman named Father Boland. The Pictou Parish was first named St. Patrick's and for a short time, was known as St. George's.
1829
St. James Anglican Church was consecrated on August 16th.
1830
In February of this year, there were 1500 residents in Pictou.
Steam boat "Richard Smith", was put on the run between Pictou and Prince Edward Island.
Joseph Howe visited the town on a journey that brought him through parts of eastern Nova Scotia. He would report about his visits in his Halifax newspaper, the "Nova Scotian". His report of his arrival at Pictou stated, "The Lord only knows whether we may live to come out, but here we go merrily in- we may be burned by the Antiburghers, or eaten without salt by the Highlanders".
This was the year of "The Big Election" or "Brandy Election," with the main agenda being the collection of customs duties on brandy, interwoven politically with the Academy debate. The Tory supporters were the Highlanders, who came into Pictou armed with sticks, ready to do battle with the opposition. A group of sailors arrived, and more voters arrived. When arguments erupted, there was fighting in the streets and taverns. The violence lasted for several days, in which one man was killed. In the end, the liberals won the election.
1831
"The Pictou Observer" started publication on May 11th; editor Rev.J.K. McKenzie; published by W. Gossip.
1832
"The Juvenile Entertainer" started publication on August 6th; the editor was William Milne.
1833
The famous American naturalist John James Audubon arrived in Pictou on his way to the U.S. from Labrador. He visited with Rev. Thomas McCulloch, where he viewed McCulloch's collection of bird and rock specimens. McCulloch gave some specimens to Audubon, which Audubon didn't have.
A stagecoach service began between Pictou and Antigonish.
The "Royal William", the first steamship to cross the Atlantic under its own steam, bunkered-up in Pictou, before leaving on its historic crossing on August 17th.
1834
A lighthouse was built at the entrance to Pictou Harbour on Cole Point.
1835
The "Pictou Bee" had its first publication on May 27th, by J. Stiles.
1838
"The Mechanic and Farmer" had its first publication on May 23rd, by J. Stiles.
"The Presbyterian Banner" was first published on May 28th by J. Stiles and Fraser.
A census this year reported that 1744 people were living in the Town of Pictou.
1840: George Hamilton began a bakery here in this year, and remained until 1955 when it was purchased by Westoms Ltd.
1841
The brig "Lady Gray", brought typhus to the town among her passengers. There wasn't any hospital to receive the sick. In the same year, cholera and smallpox were also brought in by immigrant ships.
1842
An infant school was established.
1843
"The Eastern Chronicle", a merge of "The Mechanic and Farmer" and "The Presbyterian Banner" took place under the ownership of Gelgart and Patterson. It was later moved to New Glasgow.
1"The Christian Record" began with Rev. Hugh Dunbar as editor.
"The Little Visitor" began publication.
1844
Pictou Academy was closed in August for two years because of discontent and disagreements between two factions. The government had curtailed the grants for the Academy, after Dr. McCulloch had moved to Halifax as Principal of Dalhousie University; thus his influence as an Academy supporter was sorely missed.
1848
The John Know Free Church opened its doors in May of this year.
Pictou chemist J.D.B. Fraser produced the first chloroform, which was used in Canada for the first time in a Halifax operation.
The First Presbyterian Church was built.
John Logan began a tannery in Lyons Brook, which remained in operation for 75 years. It was destroyed by fire in 1875 and was immediately rebuilt and enlarged.
The "Lazerette" (infectious diseases hospital), was built this year. It was a sandstone building located in the area of Braeshore, overlooking the entrance of Pictou Harbour. It was built three miles from town because of the contagious diseases that were treated here. Most of the patients came from immigrant ships.
1850
A monthly newspaper, "The Missionary Registry", was begun by E.M. McDonald.
Telegraph service was made available to Pictonians this year with the completion of the line from Truro.
1856
"The Christian Instructor", by Rev. George Patterson, amalgamated with "The Missionary Registry".
A new Court House was built.
"The Times Magazine" began publication.
Pictou Iron Foundry began operations.
1857
January 4th, the Evangelical Union Church of Scotland opened its doors.
1858
"The Colonial Standard" was first published on November 2nd by S.H. Holmes.
1860
"The Colonial Prenological Journal" was begun in May by A.B. Parker.
A coal-oil manufactory was built.
A tannery was built at the west end of Pictou; later, the area became known as "Barktown", bark from trees in the area being one of the main ingredients in the tanning process.
1862
A drill hall was erected for the Pictou volunteers.
1864
The building of Stella Maris Church and rectory was begun on June 15th of this year and was consecrated in the following year.
1867
First Masonic Hall was built on Front Street.
1868
The Methodists acquired the Evangelical Church building this year and used it until 1925, when it was sold to the United Church of Canada and used by them until 1937.
1869
A new St. Andrew's Kirk church was opened on January 10th.
1870
The Pictou Gas Works went into operation.
1871
The Pictou Boot and Shoe Company was incorporated.
Canada's first census was taken this year.
1872
The South Pictou school was built.
1873
On August 24th, a gale hit the town and did a great deal of damage. Dozens of vessels were driven ashore, and the bridge at the Gut was destroyed.
The Town of Pictou was incorporated (and is the oldest incorporated town in Nova Scotia).
1876
A new Customs house was completed in April at its present location.
The Stella Maris convent was built.
1879
The new St. James Anglican church building was begun.
A new Y.M.C.A. building was under construction in this year. The ground floor was used as the Post Office until 1895.
1880
The building of the second Pictou Academy commenced on May 24th.
Norway House was purchased by Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona).
Eggs sold for a dime a dozen, butter for seventeen cents a pound, molasses at fifty cents a gallon, roast beef for eight cents a pound and a soup bone sold for five cents.
The Marine Hospital was built for the care of sick mariners and ship passengers. It was located on the site of the later Sutherland Memorial Hospital.
1881
Fire destroyed the St. Lawrence Hotel, the Masonic Hall and other buildings, valued with a $34,000 loss.
The new St. James Anglican Church was opened on June 15th.
The second Pictou Academy was opened on January 9th.
1882
"The Pictou News", the first published in September, published by W. Harris and edited by C.D. McDonald.
1883
The High Street School burnt down in January and was replaced by a new building in November.
1885
A smallpox epidemic hits Pictou.
1886
The second Masonic Hall was built on Front Street.
1887
The Pictou Railway between Pictou, Westville and Stellarton began construction in 1886 and was officially opened on November 28th.
A telephone system was established in Pictou.
1888
The new St. James Anglican Church was consecrated on May 31st.
The ship, "Stanley" began making regular runs between Pictou and PEI.
1890
In November, fire destroyed the jail and twenty businesses.
The "Short Line", which ran between Pictou and Oxford Junction, began construction in 1888 and was opened in this year.
1893
"The Pictou Advocate" first published on December 22nd, with J.D. McDonald as editor.
The first general hospital in Pictou consisted of four rented rooms in the home of Mrs. George Logan on High Street.
St. Andrew's Kirk burned down on November 7th.
1895
The second Pictou Academy was burned down in October.
The new Post Office building at the corner of George and Water Street was completed.
1896
The third Pictou Academy was built this year and completed on December 26th.
St. Andrew's Kirk Church was rebuilt this year.
1898
Production hit an all-time high when 50,000 pounds of Pictou Twist was made this year. Raw tobacco leaf was imported from Virginia and Kentucky. John Harris was the original importer and acquired a partner by the name of Patterson. The Primrose brothers later operated the plant and gave the roughly plaited tobacco its name. The business lasted for 60 years.
1899
A smelter was built on the shoreline near where the Straight-MacKay boatyard existed. The plant processed copper and other ores from Newfoundland and the Maritime Provinces.
Select Period: 1800 - 1899 | 1660 - 1799 | 1900 - 1993
