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Within a year from the arrival of the first fleet of Loyalists, the population which had swelled to 10, 000 included Disbanded Soldiers, Regimental Units and a truly varied cross section of society. With this diverse group of individuals came their professions and trades- the foundation upon which the town would be built. Among them were highly skilled craftsmen, carpenters, cabinet makers, iron workers, master mariners, doctors, merchants, sawyers, tailors, brewers, bakers, and periwig makers to name but a few.
One of the earliest craftsmen was Isaac Hildreth; an architect and master carpenter who arrived in 1783 from Charlestown, South Carolina. Joining with fellow Loyalist Aaron White, together they founded the firm of "Messrs Hildreth and White", and proceeded to design and build the first Anglican Church in Shelburne, completing the structure in 1789.
In the early 1790's Mr. Hildreth left Shelburne and went to Halifax where he was engaged by the Nova Scotia government as the architect in charge of building "Government House" in that city. This beautiful Georgian stone structure still stands and is in daily use - a testament to his outstanding architectual abilities.
Shelburne still boasts an 18th century built heritage that is second to none in Canada. Original wooden built homes from that period still grace the town's streets and stand side by side with Victorian and later structures. Strangely, the most representative streetscape of 18th century homes remains on Dock Street, once the most industrial area of the town where boatshops and shipyards turned out thousands of vessels and the sound of caulkers' mallets rang through the air. By 1785 a large number of industries were in operation. Some were small,employing but a few men; however, others had reached larger scale proportions especially the lumbering, shipbuilding and affiliated trades.

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Christ Church, Shelburne, Nova Scotia
1789
Shelburne, Nova Scotia,Canada


Credits:
Collection of The Shelburne County Museum

3

McGill House
1784
Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada


Credits:
Collection of The Shelburne County Museum

4

The 'David Nairn House'
1787
Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada

5

Barrel Factory, Shelburne, N.S.
5 September 2003
Dock Street, Shelburne, Nova Scotia, Canada


Credits:
Collection of The Shelburne County Museum

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1. Storyline
2. Christ Church (Anglican), Shelburne, Nova Scotia
3. Home of Loyalist Blacksmith, David McGill
Shelburne, Nova Scotia
4. Home of Loyalist Cooper, David Nairn, now the Shelburne County Museum
5. Site of the original J. Chandley Smith, Barrel Factory, now the Shelburne Barrel Factory, Shelburne, Nova Scotia