PIHS · Historical Atlas
Pictou Island Through Time
Explore the original 1879 atlas and 1953 topographic maps, then follow their names and features into the Island’s histories.
1953
National Topographic Series · first edition
Zoom in to read original labels. Scroll or swipe horizontally and vertically; keyboard users can focus the map and use the arrow keys.
Original-resolution island crop · displayed as a facsimile, without geographic alignment. Published 1953; mapping information from 1945 and 1947. Choose Complete East sheet for the original legend and scale. No landmark coordinates are inferred from the old illustration.
1834 archival reference
Read the maps with care
These maps were made for different purposes. A printed line is not proof of a current property boundary, a public route or historical land cover. No present-day satellite forest is shown beneath the historical maps.
Factory Road is the current name. North Shore Road is documented on the MacCallum map; New Factory Road is attributed to Ron MacDonald’s recollection. Their sequence is unresolved. Campbell Lane’s exact historic alignment and access status remain uncertain. Josh & Julia Way is modern and private. The Lobster Island is an exhibit title, not a recovered place-name.
Explore the 19 landmarks
These links open the established PIHS place histories, with their People and source relationships. They span different periods; inclusion here does not mean a feature existed on every map. Legacy illustration positions have not been transferred to archival maps.
19 of 19 landmarks
- West End Lighthouse
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- Southside Lighthouse
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- Pioneer Cemetery
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- School / Community Centre
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- The Hall
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- East End Lighthouse
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- Pictou Island Wharf
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- Sutherland Memorial Church
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- Church Cemetery
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- John MacCallum Park
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- John Dans Cove
Current feature; Lobster Factory Cove is the historical name associated here through Ron MacDonald’s local identification.
- New Factory Cove
Historical/local cove identity; keep separate from John Dans Cove and individual factory sites.
- Roger Point
Current feature; precise position of the original 1921 cable landing remains unconfirmed.
- East End Fish Shanties
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.
- West End Cannery
Historical locality; exact operator footprints remain unresolved.
- East End Cannery
Approximate historic shore area; distinct from the surviving fish shanties.
- Asadalia Reef
Approximate locality from local fishermen’s knowledge; no surveyed boundary.
- East End Reef
Possible historical Seal Rock correspondence; primary confirmation remains open.
- East End Breakwater
Existing PIHS place history; no new surveyed position asserted.