Discover Port Maitland

Port Maitland brings together historical details that reveal themselves in different ways: a stone cattle pound, an abandoned cemetery, and local crafts in a Victorian house. They each tell a different story—how stray cattle were handled, a Calvinist Baptist church history, and colorful works from Nova Scotia. For travelers seeking local history and culture alongside scenery, Port Maitland offers several tangible points of interest; the wider destination of Yarmouth County adds its own nature and cultural attractions.

A cattle pound with an unusual purpose

The Port Maitland Cattle Pound is a small, square enclosure made of a stone wall, built around 1871 in the village of Port Maitland as a pound for stray cattle. It was built on a small piece of land expropriated in equal parts from the two adjoining properties. The stone enclosure measures about thirty feet on each side; there is an opening with a gate on the side parallel to the road. Cattle pounds of this kind were usually built beside a stream or another water source. The enclosure served to hold stray cattle temporarily until their owners had paid a fine and collected the animals. The Port Maitland Cattle Pound may be the last surviving cattle pound in Yarmouth County.

Cemetery and local memory

The Calvinist Baptist Cemetery was established around 1859, when a Calvinist Baptist church was built on the site. It is one of three abandoned cemeteries in the Port Maitland and Beaver River area that have been taken over by a local cemetery preservation society. The cemetery offers a different way to explore local history than the cattle pound: its establishment is connected with the construction of the church, while the pound served a practical purpose related to stray cattle.

Local crafts in a sea captain’s house

Hubert and Belle’s Art Shop sells colorful paintings, carvings, pottery, and specialty goods from Nova Scotia. The shop is located at the back of a sea captain’s Victorian house dating to around 1879. The combination of local crafts and the historic house provides a distinctive setting for the works on offer and offers a different focus from the stories of the cemetery and cattle pound.

Yarmouth County: nature and Acadian culture

In the wider destination of Yarmouth County, a 1.5-kilometer trail in Ellenwood Lake Provincial Park winds through traditional Acadian forest. The park also offers opportunities for swimming, boating, and fishing. In the off-season, the park grounds and trail are suitable for walking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing; the buildings and summer facilities are closed then. This distinction is useful when planning: in the off-season, the trail and park grounds are available for their own activities, while the buildings and summer facilities remain closed.

Another cultural site in Yarmouth County is Le Village Historique Acadien de la Nouvelle-Écosse in West Pubnico. It includes an old Acadian cemetery and five 19th-century buildings. The visitor reception center features interpretive exhibits about Acadian history and culture in Nova Scotia and other areas, as well as a gift shop with items made by local artisans.

Acadian Skies & Mi’kmaq Lands in Yarmouth County was the first destination in North America to receive Starlight certification. Chebogue Meadows is an interpretive educational trail in Yarmouth County.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Yarmouth, Pubnico, Argyle, Tusket, Kemptville.

See the overview of the wider destination: Yarmouth County.