Our History
To get a clear understanding of the history of Beaver Harbour, also called Penn's Field Colony, Pennfield Colony and Bellevu (or Belleview), one should go back to earlier days and find why and how people came to settle there.
At Mariner's Reach the owners have maintained the integrity of the original land grants for 12 Grantees from New England in the 1700s. Among those whose names are still seen on some of the old hand-drawn maps are Joshua Knight, Nimrod Woodward, Thomas Buckley, Caleb Paul, Jesse Lawrence, William Holmes and John Harris. Many descendants of these original settlers still live and work in the area and some street names such as Quaker Lane reflect their origins.
The village of Beaver Harbour has a rich and unique past. It was founded by descendents of a group called the "Society of Friends of Quakers" who refused to take up arms against the Catholic King James of England. They suffered much persecution and imprisonment for their loyalties. Many fled England for Pennsylvania during the Monmouth Rebellion.
Years later "Loyalist" descendents of these same people were fleeing Pennsylvania because they would not swear allegiance to the United States of America against England. In 1783 one group led by Joshua Knight made arrangements to go to Canada. A man of prominence from Arlington, Pennsylvania, he organized a group of Quakers to make their way to Canada and settle there, escaping further persecution from the U.S.
The place they chose was Beaver Harbour, where they built the town with its deep-water port. They suffered many hardships during the first winter. However, there were 15 streets and 800 residents when the town was incorporated June 4th, 1785. For more on the history please visit Beaver harbour history.
In a more modern context, Beaver Harbour was the site of part of the filming of the movie, "Children of a Lesser God starring William Hurt, Marlee Matlin and Piper Laurie. In her debut role as Sarah Norman, Matlin won the 1986 Academy Award for Best Actress. Almost completely deaf in real life, she is the youngest actress to have received an Oscar for Best Actress. The film also garnered many more Academy Award nominations.
Fictional ferry landings and miniature weather-washed buildings transformed the already beautiful beachfront land of Mariner's Reach into the approach to an isolated site for a school for the deaf. Please see details at Children of a Lesser God.
Click here to see our available lots
There are a number of beautiful lots available for purchase. Mature woodlands provide beauty and privacy in a pristine, natural environment. The deep water port nearby is undergoing a multi-million dollar upgrade and provides for mooring, launching and docking of sailboats or yachts of any size. The sunrises over the water are spectacular. Lobster, cod, mussels, kelp, periwinkles, mackerel and scallops are freshly harvested nearby.
View our lots here.
