| Parish/Township | Digby |
| County | Digby |
| Signifigance | Historical |
| Total Area | 1 hectare |
Map of New France Settlement courtesy of Paul Stehelin
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Map of New France Settlement courtesy of Paul Stehelin | |||||||||
| Between two lakes on the banks of the beautiful Silver River are the remains of New France, known as "Electric City". Only a few foundations are left to tell the fascinating story of the French settlement built in the late 1890's that entertained visitors from around the world. In 1892 Jean Jacques Stehelin of France arrived in Nova Scotia to establish a settlement. He was soon joined by his family and by 1895 the settlement had a substantial lumbering operation with a sawmill, mill pond and a dynamo (generator) run by hydroelectric power. | New France soon had electric lights like the town of Digby, long before the rest of Digby County. Stehelin also built a "pole" railway (with rails made of wood) between New France and Weymouth to carry lumber to port for shipping overseas. Though culturally rich, the community was short lived. By the beginning of World War I lumber prices had declined and the younger generation did not wish to take over the business so the Stehelin family sold the land (some 4000 hectares). The remains of the city were torn down in the 1950's. | |||||||||
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