Birchtown’s Last 2 Houses

Birchtown, now known as Princedale, established in the early 1800s by Black Loyalists and their descendants.

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Birchtown, Annapolis County, was established in the early 1800s by Black Loyalists and their descendants who had been living in Brinley Town. There were several “Birchtowns” in Nova Scotia where formerly enslaved people were given land grants and most consisted of mainly African Nova Scotian families.

Birchtown, which became known as Princedale, was not exclusively African Nova Scotian families. Several white families also lived in the area and worked with, lived with, and socialized with the descendants of Black Loyalists.

Although the Beeler house was reported as built in 1861, the Beelers were here long before that. Waldec soldiers from Germany fought for the British during the American revolution. After the war, they arrived in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, in 1783 at the same time Black Loyalists here anglicized their names from Buehler to Beeler.

The Mott family also built a house in what was known as Birchtown. This house was on the other side of Saunders’ Meadow from the Beeler House. There were African Nova Scotian Mott families along with white Mott families. The Mott family has been recorded as being in the Clements area as early as 1820.

Contemporary picture of the 2nd remaining original Birchtown home.

It is believed that this house was built by one of the members of the Mott family as early as 1853 and still looks very much the same in 2024.

Our thanks to Brenda Thompson for this story and the pictures. Find more stories about heritage homes in Annapolis County at our storymap here. More about Black Loyalists of Annapolis County at our storymap is here.