Harbour Grace: Located on the west side of Conception Bay, Harbour Grace is the anglicized version of the name of the French port "Havre de Grâce", now know as Le Havre, and as such can be referred to as a "transfer name".

The town has a long history, having been founded by the French king, Francis I in 1517.

Citing the research of E.R. Seary written in 1971, according to the material presented in the ENL, the town has had a number of names throughout its history, including the following: Harbor de Grace John Guy, 1612); Harborgrace (the Blathwayt map, c. 1630-1640); Carolinopole (Hayman, 1630, in D.W. Prowse: 1895, p. 137); harbour grace (Robinson's map, 1669); Haver de Grace (Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series, 1677); Havre de Grace (Abbe Baudoin, 1697), and Harbour Grace (Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series, 1681).

According to W.A. Munn (1933, cited in the ENL) the community was named by "fishermen from the English Channel, who knew well Le Havre de Grace, the seaport town of Paris at the mouth of the River Seine."

It was an important site for migrant fishermen through the 1500s and in 1580s fishermen were starting to remain year-round and a permanent settlement began to be established. Even though it was a site of many skirmishes between the French and the English, the town grew in size and by 1771 the population was 5,800.

The population peaked in 1921 at 11,458 however, over time as is the case in most towns in Newfoundland, the population has suffered a slow decline over time. A couple of the most memorable events that have occurred in Harbour Grace date back to the early 1930s.

From Wikipedia: - The first flight by a Canadian from North America to England embarked October 9, 1930, in the plane Maple Leaf (aka Columbia), piloted by Capt. J. Erroll Boyd (1891-1960) and was navigated by the American, Lieut. Harry Connor.

This flight was also notable for transporting mail bearing a surcharged stamp as a commemorative overprint. The aviators borrowed a Webley & Scott flare pistol to carry during the flight from Edward Langdon Oke, a former Sergeant with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in WW1.

The aviators had the gun engraved to mark the historic flight and it resides in the collection at the Conception Bay Museum. Amelia Earhart took flight from Harbour Grace on May 20, 1932, to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.

The early transatlantic flights from the Harbour Grace airfield were designated Events of National Historic Significance.

Unfortunately, as towns go, Harbour Grace has had a terrible string of bad luck. From the town's website come stories of three different fires that flattened the city - 1832, 1858 and 1944: 1832: The town's prosperity encountered a serious setback at 3 p.m. on August 18th, 1832 when fire erupted. Flames were spread quickly by the wind, soon reaching a building which had gun-powder in the loft. The explosion which followed sent embers in all directions causing fires to break out in several other locations. This fire was devastating and it almost totally destroyed the business community as only three mercantile establishments survived. Also claimed by the fire were several retail stores, the Episcopalian Church, three hotels, a dozen public houses, and 100 homes. Over 600 people were left homeless.

The town, however, rebuilt from this fire and in addition to building new houses and businesses they widened the streets to 60 feet. By the mid-1800's there was once again considerable mercantile activity. Cod was still seen as the only real source of wealth, the seal hunt and shipbuilding became sources of pride and rivalry.

1858: The now thriving community was once again devastated by fire as on April 12th, 1858, "Toussaint's Fire" (named as such because the fire originated at Toussaint's Hotel) broke out leveling "all houses on Water Street from the corner of Le Marchant Road to Victoria Street." This fire burnt for 3 hours. Fifty families were left homeless and many of the mercantile establishments which gave supplies to the fishery were demolished.

1994: The fishery showed no signs of improvement during the 1930s and 40s. Then, when it seemed things could not get any worse, fire struck again. The fire siren sounded at around 1:30 p.m. on August 17th, 1944, as fire broke out in the vicinity of the waterfront. The immense heat caused several gasoline filled drums to explode. Flankers, driven by a strong breeze, ignited other sections of the waterfront, causing troubles for the firefighters who had to decide what section to concentrate on. Firefighters from other communities arrived around 4 p.m. to assist in the battle. Men passed water filled buckets along the waterfront in an attempt to combat the flames. Finally, six hours after it began, the fire was extinguished, leaving in its wake destruction in the range of two million dollars. This wiped out the majority of the business firms and for nearly 20 years the community struggled to make a comeback.

Present day Harbour Grace is described as follows in Wikipedia: Today, Harbour Grace continues its tradition as a fishing and fish processing centre. In addition, because of its rich history and many historical buildings, including the 1870 customs house, now the Conception Bay Museum, a small tourist industry is emerging.

The Gordon G. Pike Railway Heritage Museum and Park (c. 1881-84) was designated a Municipal Heritage Building in 2006. The Census of 2016 reported that there were only 2,995 citizens (a decrease of 4.3% since 2011 when there were 3,131 residents).

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/HarbourGrace