Petty Harbour: Located just south of St. John's on the Avalon Peninsula in a cove known as Motion Cove, Petty Harbour site has been continuously occupied since 1598, making it one of the earliest European settlements, predating the arrival of the Mayflower in the USA.

It is believed by most that "Petty Harbour" is the anglicized of the French name "Petite Havre", which translates into "Small Harbour". Originally a seasonal base for Basque fisherman, by the 1600s the English had settled in, and the name was changed.

By 1675 records show there were 5 planters, 3 wives, one child and 39 servants; as well as 10 boats, 4 stages, 3 vats (large box-like troughs in which whale blubber, cod livers, etc., are placed to render oil) and 6 cattle.

During King William's War (1688-1697), the village was raided by French forces in the Avalon Peninsula Campaign. During that conflict 23 communities along the coast of the Peninsula were raided in a three month period that extended from 1696 to 1697 by land (led by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville) and by sea (by Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan).

One of the best known folk songs, The Petty Harbour Bait Skiff ever written in Newfoundland honors the sailors that lost their life in a horrific marine disaster that occurred in the June 1852.

Written by John Grace of St. John's it recalls the "crying and lamenting in the streets" that occurred when people heard the news.
Petty Harbour Bait Skiff

A Newfoundland Folk Song attributed to John Grace, a St. John's Fisherman

Ye people all both great and small, I hope you will attend

To those few simple verses that I have lately penned.

They are concerning danger which our poor seamen stand,

While sailing on those stormy waves by the shores of Newfoundland.

This happened to be in the summertime in the lovely month of June,

When fields were green, fair to be seen, and valley were in bloom;

When silent fountains do run clear that's sent by heaven's rain,

And the dewy showers they fall at night, to fertilize the plain.

We bid adieu unto our friends and those we held most dear,

Being bound for Petty Harbour in the springtime of the year

The little birds as we sailed on sun o'er the hills and dales,

As Flora from her sporting groves sent forth a pleasant gale.

On Saturday we sailed away being in the evening late,

We were bound into Conception Bay all for a load of bait;

The sea-gulls flying in the air and pitching on the shore,

But little we thought 'twould be our lot to see our friends no more.

The weather being fine we lost no time until we were homeward bound,

The whales were sporting in the deep and swordfish swimming 'round;

Where Luna bright shone forth that night to calm amidst the sea,

And the stars shone bright to guide us right upon our rough pathway.

When we came 'round the North Head a rainbow did appear,

Every indication of a storm was drawing near;

Old Neptune riding on the waves to the wind'ard of us lay.

You'd think the ocean was on fire in Petty Harbour Bay.

We shook our reefs and trimmed our sails, across the Bay did stand'

The sun did rise all circlized with streams down o'er the land.

The clouds lay in the atmosphere for our destruction met,

As Boreas blew a heavy squall our boat was overset

But Douglas Chafe that her brave and champion on that day

He boldly launched his boat with speed and quickly put to sea;

He saved young Menchington from the wreck, by his undaunted skill,

His offers would be all in vain but for kind beave's will.

When the sad news arrived next day to dear old St. John's town,

There was crying and lamenting on the streets both up and down;

Crying and lamenting, crying for those they bore,

In the bottomless waves they found their graves whom they never shall see no more.

Out of that fine young crew you know, there was one escaped being drowned,
He was brought to Petty Harbour where good comfort there he found;

He's now on shore and safe once more with no cause to complain,

He fought old Neptune up and down whilst on the stormy main.

John French was our commander, Mick Sullivan second hand,

All of the rest were brave young men, belong to Newfoundland.

Six brave youths to tell the truth were buried in the sea,

But Menchington spared by Providence to live a longer day.

Your heart would ache all for their sake if you were standing by,

To see them drowning one by one, and no relief was nigh;

Struggling with the stormy waves all in their youth and bloom,

And at least they sank to rise no more, all on the eighth of June.

In a case of too little land, and a large number of settlers (including a wave of folks from Ireland) looking for land, the community of Petty Harbour expanded first to Maddox Cove and later to Goulds (see listing on Goulds).

By the turn of the 20th century, according to information presented in Wikipedia, the area started to undergo monumental changes to the community: The turn of the century saw changes in the community's economy and character.

In 1898 the Reid Newfoundland Company built Petty Harbour Generating Station Newfoundland's first hydro-electric generating station. It began operation on April 19th, 1900, delivering power for St. John's streetcar system and commercial lighting.

This brought alternative employment to the area, as well as relatively cheap electricity, but controlling the water supply created practical difficulties and health problems. At this time, with the Goulds woodlands depleted, the sawmills at Petty Harbour closed.

The 1909 rail link between St. John's and Trepassey increased contact with St. John's, and the 1932 road made feasible daily commuting to the city for wage work - a practice that has grown in importance to the community.

From the town's website: Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove is still an active fishing community with fishers involved in the cod fishery and snow crab fishery. The rolling green hills which envelope the Town and the ocean sprawled ahead of it has contributed to Petty harbour-Maddox Cove being the most photographed Town in Newfoundland.

The research team was not able to determine how Maddox Cove got its name, however, it is probably likely that an early settler was a "Maddox". The population of Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove (as the community has been called since they were incorporated in 1969) was 960 in 2016.

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/22975.html