Springhill
Springhill is a town of 2,700 people (2016) in Nova Scotia. It had a large coal mining operation and is the birthplace of Canadian singer and songwriter, Anne Murray.
Understand
The community was founded as "Springhill Mines." Coal mining lead to economic growth, with its incorporation as a town in 1889. The mines in the Springhill coalfield were established in the 1870s. All coal mining had ceased in the area by the early 1970s. The community is famous for the Springhill Mining Disaster and being the childhood home of international recording star Anne Murray, who is honoured by the Anne Murray Centre, a popular tourist attraction.
There were three mining disasters in 1891, 1956, and 1958 in different mines within the Springhill coalfield. The third and final disaster in 1958 accelerated the closure of the largest mines when what was known as a "bump" occurred. The underground upheaval can be described as a bump due to a seismic jolt stemming from the collapse of one or more support pillars within a mine.
In 2015 the mine properties, among the deepest in the world were filled with water and provide Springhill's industrial park with geothermal heating. Geothermal energy from the waters of the abandoned mines are capable of providing heating and cooling for large buildings through the use of heat pumps. Because the water in a mine circulates by convection, shallow wells produce water of a temperature significantly higher than groundwater of the same depth.
Get in
By car
Springhill is on Highway 2 about 20 km south of Amherst and 50 km northeast of Parrsboro. It is connected to the Highway 104 (Trans-Canada Highway) by Highway 142 (exit 5).
Springhill is 1 hour and 52 minutes driving distance from Halifax, and approximately 45 minutes from Moncton, New Brunswick, both of which have international airports.
By train
- See also: Rail travel in Canada
- 🌍 Springhill Junction station, Station Street (Located 6 km north-west of Springhill along Highway 2.). Stops at this station on request. Train operator:
- VIA Rail Canada, toll-free: +1-888-842-7245. Operates train routes across Canada. Operates The Ocean route between Halifax and Montreal, including stops in Moncton and Sainte-Foy (near Quebec City). Operates three trips per direction per week. A shuttle between train stations in Sainte-Foy and in Quebec City is available for The Ocean trains, but must be reserved in advance.
See
- Anne Murray Centre, 36 Main St, ☏ +1 902 597-8614. Mid-May to mid-Oct: 9AM-4:30PM. Museum dedicated to Anne Murray with displays of awards, photos and memorabilia. Murray is a pop, country, and adult contemporary singer who has sold over 55 million albums, received four Grammy awards, 24 Juno awards, 3 American Music Awards, and 3 Canadian Country Music Association Awards. The centre offers a mini-recording studio to record your own duet, a gift shop, memorabilia and other artifacts. $5-6.
- Miners' monument on the main street of Springhill honours the lives of miners and their families. The statue is near to Miners' Hall, on the corner of Main and Pioneer Street.
- Springhill Coal Mining National Historic Site and Springhill Miners' Museum, 145 Black River Rd at the corner of Industrial Park Drive and Memorial Crescent (a short drive from downtown), ☏ +1 902 597-3449. Jun-Sep: 9AM-5PM. Tour the depths of a Springhill coal mine, hear stories of the disaster of 1891, the 1916 subterranean fire which raged through the galleries, the loss of 39 men in the 1956 explosion and the major “bump” in 1958 which killed 75 men. The Miners’ Museum displays unique artifacts of the history of the town and its remarkable industrial heritage. There is a gift shop and picnic area on the site. There is a song The Ballad of Springhill, about the 1958 disaster, which has been recorded or performed by many artists including Peter, Paul & Mary, U2, and husband/wife duo Ewen MacColl and Peggy Seeger.
Do
- Cumberland Trail. “The Great Trail” or Trans-Canada Trail System includes an arm of the Cumberland Trail stretching from “The Junction” at Fisher Road passing northwest of Springhill near Lisgar and Queen Street near Springhill Lion's Park and traveling southwest toward Lagoon Road. This leg of multi-use trail travels southwest toward Parrsboro passing Newville and Gilbert Lakes. Local trails are groomed and maintained for approximately 200 km between the Trans-Canada Highway and Southampton in winter months and actively used by snowmobilers.
- Springhill Centennial Golf Club, 2770 Pleasant Valley Rd. Facilities are in operation from May to October. The course offers 9-hole, par 36, 3000 yd., a large driving range, a putting green, as well as a large clubhouse that was originally a farm house.
- Naz MacDonald Walking Trail. A 1.8-km outdoor walking trail in that circles the park adjacent to the community centre. This fitness trail provides an opportunity to experience the beauty of various species of shrubs and flowers of the park.
Buy
Springhill is a haven for people who are tired of being dragged through shops by their spouses. There's a Foodland supermarket on Main Street, a couple of pharmacies, and the gift shop in the Anne Murray Centre. And that's pretty much it for shopping
Eat
- Sociables Pub & Eatery, 25 Main Street, ☏ +1 902-763-3100. M Tu 11AM-8PM, W 11AM-9PM, Th 11AM-11PM, F 11AM-10PM, Sa 9AM-10PM, Su 9AM-8PM. Pub food, seafood, occasional love music.
- Jade Palace Restaurant & Lounge, 2 Fir Street, ☏ +1 902-597-3009. Tu-F 11AM-8PM, Sa Su noon-8PM. Chinese.
- Paizanos, 40 Main St, ☏ +1 902-763-7777. M-W 11AM–midnight, Th-Sa 11AM–1AM, Su 4PM–midnight. Pizza and donairs.
Sleep
There are no hotels in Springhill, but Amherst (Nova Scotia) and Parrsboro aren't far away.
Go next
16 km east of town on the Trans-Canada Highway is the small town of Oxford, which hosts a wild blueberry festival every year for two weeks in late August: live music, community picnics, teas, suppers and pancake breakfasts, farmers markets, pie eating and baking contests, quilt fairs, exhibitions, children’s activities, U-Picks, processing tours, blueberry wine fest, beer gardens, and kitchen parties.
| Routes through Springhill |
| Moncton ← Amherst ← | W E | → Truro → New Glasgow |
| END ← Amherst ← | N S | → Parrsboro → Truro |