Large Scale Mining Operations at Lingan Started in 1852, However, the First Tangible

NEW WATERFORD

The village of Lingan (its name is a corruption of the French word "l’indienne") is one of the area’s earliest settlements. In the early 1700s, French explorers from Fortress of

Louisbourg settled there and extracted coal from cliff side seams at the ocean’s edge.

Large scale mining operations at Lingan started in 1852, however, the first tangible

signs of community life did not appear until the period 1907-1911 with the opening of four collieries at New Waterford. Over the years a total of 11 mines have been in production. Today there is only the Cape Breton Development Corporation’s Phalen Colliery. Phalen is highly mechanized and produces a daily average of 10,000 to 12,000 tonnes of coal with a work force of about 900. Its working face is located out under the Atlantic Ocean, about 5½ km offshore.

DAVIS SQUARE

Davis Square is located on Plummer Avenue in the town’s business sector. It is dedicated to the role which trade unionism played in New Waterford's history and is

named for Bill Davis, a miner killed by coal company security forces on June 11, 1925.

The company was attempting to support its unstable financial structure by the imposition of a wage cut. A vicious strike followed. In retaliation, the company cut off the town’s water supply. The community responded with a march on the water pumping station at Waterford lake to try to restore services. During a resulting confrontation, Mr. Davis was shot and instantly killed. Since that day, June 11th has been known as Davis Day. The collieries are not worked and the day is observed as a civic holiday in the mining towns.

A monument in the square tells the story of the 1925 strike. Other monuments are the town’s War Memorial and a monument to the memory of the 65 miners who were killed in an underground explosion in No. 12 colliery on July 25, 1917.

COLLIERY LANDS PARK

Colliery Lands Park is located on the site of two abandoned coal mines, Nos. 12 and 16.

A mine fatality monument serves as the focal point of the park and remembers some 300 men who met their deaths in the New Waterford area collieries. Their names are inscribed on eight granite tablets, which are centered by a large mural depicting a scene associated with a fatal mine accident. To the rear are 15 national flags representing Canada and the victim’s countries of natural origin.

Also on the site is a memorial to coal miner Earl Leadbeater who is entombed in No. 12 Colliery, trapped there by an underground fire in 1973. Another display features seven rail hopper cars which were used to haul the coal to market. A representative mine slope, complete with man rake cars and coal boxes, is located near the original mine entrance.

The New Waterford and District Historical Society’s offices are located on the grounds. The society maintains an excellent collection of photographs, documents and artifacts related to the area’s history.