As the Black Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia, a number of separate communities were established. These communities were generally located on less desirable land near a white settlement. There seems to have been a conscious policy of segregation of blacks into communities that would be out of sight, but still useful as a pool of cheap labour.

Birchtown

Birchtown was the largest of the Black Loyalists' communities. At it's peak, the population might consisted of half of Nova Scotia's Black Loyalists.

Preston

Preston has been used as a place to settle poor blacks and to some degree other poor people for hundreds of years. Located just west of Dartmouth, Preston has been repeatedly resettled with blacks.

Brindley Town

Located near Digby, Brindley Town has a sustained history of black settlement since the days of the Black Loyalists.

Little Tracadie

This was the only major Black Loyalist community that was not envisioned as a satellite community for the convenience of a larger white town. Little Tracadie was also the only Black community that was not substantially depopulated by the Sierra Leone exodus. Most of the blacks in the area today are direct Black Loyalists descendants.

Some of the Black Communities in Nova Scotia.

Story: Arrival

Birchtown

Other Communities