Stellarton’s Mining Connections

Like so many things in Stellarton, it has a connection to the area’s mining history: it was funded by coal miners to honour men from the area who died in WWI and WWII.

Stellarton was founded by the General Mining Association, which had a monopoly on most Nova Scotia coal from 1827-57. The town was originally named Albion Mines but the name was changed to Stellarton in 1870. It was named for a kind of soft, oily coal found in 1798 called Stellar coal, or stellarite, which, when burned, gave off sparks resembling stars.

Stellar St. was also named for the coal.

Rundle St. is named for Philip Rundell of Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, the company that owned the GMA. It may also be tied to Mount Rundle, the estate of the GMA’s first manager in Nova Scotia, Richard Smith. It seems the spellings for Rundle and Rundell got mixed up at some point in history. The picture below of “Mt. Rundall Park” also misspells the name.

Stellarton’s library was founded by the General Mining Association In 1830.

Foord Street is named for the Foord coal seam, first mined in 1827. It’s the thickest coal seam in Nova Scotia, 13.4 metres thick in some places.

Samson Trail is named for the Samson, the oldest locomotive in Canada. It was imported from England in 1839 to haul coal on the Albion Mines railway, Nova Scotia's first, from the mines to docks in Pictou Harbour.

Acadia Ave. is named for the Acadia Coal Company which was the main coal producer in Pictou County from 1886-1966.

The Albion baseball field is named for Stellarton’s original name, Albion Mines.

The only coal mine operating in the area today is the Stellarton surface mine which is fixing subsidence issues caused by 200 years of pick-and-shovel mining, including many bootleg mines. The mine is stabilizing the land so it can be used for development, while also creating jobs for Nova Scotians and providing fuel to Nova Scotia Power. Stellarton's water tower and the Pioneer Coal Athletics Field are built on parts of the mine that have already been reclaimed.

Nova Scotia has a long history of mining and the industry still creates jobs and provides essential materials for Nova Scotians today.

The reclaimed Stellarton surface coal mine