Had this been the original plaque unveiled in 1923, it would be somewhat of a historic site in its own right. This plaque, however, is a replacement for that original, and was dedicated on October 13th, 1984, 61 years after the first was unveiled. Mounted on a low plinth at the Shelburne Visitor Centre, the plaque presents an overview of the story of the Loyalists who landed at Shelburne.
With the onset of the American Revolution those on American soil who remained loyal to the Crown faced, first harassment, then exile from the U.S. Many returned to England while those who could not afford to do that sought refuge in Nova Scotia. The exile of over 80,000 Loyalists from the U.S. as the "
largest single movement of people for political reasons in North American history".
Below is the text from the CNHE plaque while further below is more information on the Shelburne Loyalists.
THE LOYALISTS AT SHELBURNE
During the American Revolution many pro-British refugees gathered at New York. The wealthier class went to England, but most of the less affluent sought refuge in Nova Scotia. Four hundred such families associated to found a town here at Port Roseway, which Governor John Parr renamed Shelburne. Within a year from the arrival of the first refugees in May 1783, the town mushroomed to a population of 10,000. The region, however, could not support so large a settlement, and most of the refugees subsequently moved elsewhere in the province or to New Brunswick, while some returned to the United States.
Older Shelburne monument and plaque, pictured in 1927.
Loyalists at Shelburne NS Plaque
Parks Canada's Commemorative Plaque at Shelburne, Nova Scotia
Parks Canada, on the recommendation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, dedicated a plaque at Shelburne on October 13th, 1984, "to make sure the arrival of a Loyalist in 1783 and their contribution to the cultural life of Nova Scotia will be remembered." This involvement of Parks Canada is explained in its own tribute: "Loyalists were compelled to leave the colonies in order to remain faithful to the crown and traditions. The exile of over eighty thousand Loyalists during and at the end of the War of Independence was the largest single movement of people for political reasons in North American history."
The first major group arriving in May 1783 at Port Roseway (renamed Shelburne) produced a settlement of ten thousand, which was the largest in the province. Thanks to the skills of the Loyalists, the free land, and the substantial support they received, their villages and farms prospered. Half of them came from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, about one fifth from New England, and the remainder from the southern colonies.
Mrs. Marion Roberson, a descendant of the first Loyalists in Nova Scotia unveiled the commemorative plaque which reads:
Determined to remain British subjects, the Loyalists left the United States in 1783 to create new lives in Nova Scotia. They settled on farms or in seacoast villages where their hard work contributed to Nova Scotia's future prosperity. New communities sprang up: for a time, Shelburne was one of the largest towns in North America. Among the Loyalists were 2,000 blacks, many of whom had fought for the British during Revolutionary war. They established an enduring black presence here.
The harassment suffered by the Loyalists during the Revolution made them suspicious of political change. Cherishing the monarchy as a symbol of imperial unity, they strove for a stable society based on British parliamentary traditions.
The Loyalists also enriched Nova Scotia's cultural heritage. They were instrumental in founding King's College, Canada's oldest English-speaking university. Loyalist homes, churches and public buildings still grace the Nova Scotian countryside while Loyalist artisans have left a legacy of fine craftsmanship.
From the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada