|
Placentia, NL, Town, pop 3898 (2006c), 4426 (2001c), inc 1945. Placentia is located on PLACENTIA BAY on the west coast of the AVALON PENINSULA. The site, called Plaisance by the French, was a BASQUE fishing station in the late 1500s. The name the Basque had for the site, Plasencia, may derive from Plentzia, a Basque seaport on the Spanish coast. After the French claimed Newfoundland in 1627, Plaisance became the first official French colony on the island (founded in 1662 as a GARRISON TOWN). It remained the French capital of Newfoundland, guarding French fishing activities, until the Treaty of UTRECHT, 1713. It was defended by a number of forts and was the base for French raids on English settlements on the Avalon Peninsula in 1696, 1705 and 1709. After the Treaty of Utrecht, Placentia became a British stronghold and further fortifications were erected until the garrison was withdrawn in 1811.
With its wide beaches and strategic location, Placentia grew as an important fishing and trading centre in the 1800s; but it later became heavily dependent upon employment at the nearby ARGENTIA Naval Base, built 1940-41. With the phase-down of the US base in 1969 and 1974, employment depended on the fishery. The town’s economy was hit hard with the collapse of the COD fishery in 1992 and the resulting closure of fish processing plants, followed by the completed decommissioning of the American base in 1994. This resulted in Placentia merging with the towns of Jerseyside, Freshwater and Dunville, and the former naval base to create one municipal entity (1994). In addition to attracting new industries, Placentia is focusing on tourism. Attractions include the town's historic buildings, including O'Reilly House (1902), which is now a museum, and Castle Hill National Historic Site (designated in 1968).
Placentia
Author
JANET E.M. PITT AND ROBERT D. PITT
Links to Other Sites
Placentia: The Early Years
Excellent site devoted to the early settlement of Placentia, Newfoundland. From Library and Archives Canada.
Castle Hill National Historic Site of Canada
This Parks Canada site is dedicated to the Castle Hill National Historic Site in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. Includes an interesting commentary about the Treaty of Utrecht and British and French territorial disputes in North America.
Placentia
The website for the Town of Placentia, the former French capital of Newfoundland.
Church Affairs During the French Settlement at Placentia (1662 - 1714)
An essay about early attempts to establish religous institutions under French colonial rule in the Placentia region. From the website "Roman Catholicism in Newfoundland and Labrador."
The French Settlement of Placentia
About the early French colonial settlements in the Placentia region. From the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website.
Thalour du Perron
A brief profile of Thalour du Perron, governor of Plaisance (Placentia.)From the website "Government House: The Governship of Newfoundland and Labrador."
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Time waits for no man… and neither do trains... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sir John Alexander Macdonald, lawyer, businessman, politician, first prime minister of Canada (b at Brunswick Place, ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Créditistes, Québec party involved in federal politics. For nearly 2 decades before its 1958 formation ... |
|
|
| Julia Verlyn LaMarsh, "Judy," lawyer, politician, broadcaster, novelist (b at Chatham, Ont 20 Dec 1924; d at ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Canadian Music Festival Adjudicators' Association. An informal movement during the 1930s, its chief aim was to promote, encourage, and assist Canadian adjudicators, thus counterbalancing the predominance of British adjudicators ... |
|
|