Over 400 people have died mining for coal under the town of Springhill. This is the stirring account of two explosions, a “bump” and two major fires. Pieced together from interviews, diaries and newspaper files.

Southern Cumberland County, with Chignecto Bay on one side and Minas Basin on the other, has been identified by its geography: great cliffs, eroded Appalachian mountains, lush inland valleys, and the sea. Over a century ago, the area was a veritable “land of plenty” busy with the activity of settlement and work. Extensive coal fields fed a successful coal mining industry, while the fertile valleys sustained farms and lumber mills, and the Parrsborough Shore supported a busy shipbuilding industry.

Historic Cumberland County South revisits the various communities that have grown out of theis rich past tapping into an equally rich photographic heritage. Cumberland County comes alive through stories of its communities and the events, activities, and industries that shaped their development. Although many of the industries have gone into decline, the spectacular beauty of the region and its rich fossil deposits continue to make it “a land of promise.”