This document provides a history of the wooden barrel and box making industry in Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia from the late 1700s to the late 1900s. It describes how the early settlers brought coopering skills and how mills and standalone shops produced barrel pieces and boxes that were used for shipping fish and other goods. At its peak in the early 20th century, there were over 30 cooper shops and box factories in the area. However, the industry declined in the mid-20th century due to the Great Depression, introduction of plastic, and decline of fish stocks. The last cooper shop closed in the late 1970s and the last box factory closed in the 1990s, marking the end of this important part of the local heritage

1. Barrels
& Boxes
Presentation by
Hammonds Plains
Historical Society
September 26, 2016

2. The art of Wooden
Barrel and Box
Making is over
2000 years old

3. The Story starts in
Hammonds Plains
with the original
Grants – 1786
Land was full of
Old Growth Forests

4. Area was primed
for forest based
industries to
develop

5. First Mill in Area –
Early 1800’s

6. Early settlers
brought Cooper
Skills to
Hammonds Plains
– Chester Group /
Chesapeake Blacks

7. After 1820, Mills
start popping up in
area
Mason’s Pond
Big Indian Lake
Wright’s Lake
First Lake
Pockwock Lake
English Corner
Cox’s Lake
Lizard Lake

8. Soon mills started
to create by-
products through
stand alone shops

9. First Cooper Shop
believed to be
Allison & Whiley
Cooperage – built
1825

10. Cooper Shop Facts
 Cooper – name of trade to those who made
barrels
 Pieces (staves, tops & Bottoms) for barrels cut
at mill, then brought to shop
 Usually 2-3 coopers in one shop
 Good coopers could make 20 – 50 barrels per
day
 During 1800’s, barrels produced with wooden
hoops (iron hoops came in during 20th century)
 Both dry barrels (apples, potatoes, sugar) and
wet barrels (fish) built

11. Largest Box and
Barrrel
Manufacturer –
Hays Brothers
(Pockwock Lake)

12. During the late
1800’s some of
the mills started
to create box
shops

13. Wooden Boxes
were used for
shipping dried
and salted fish

14. Wooden Box Facts
• Box pieces were cut at both mills
and box factories
• Sides and ends could be grooved
and tongued or straight edged
• Sides of boxes often had painted
company designs on them
• Bottoms nailed on frame
• Tops were sent in packages
• Amount of boxes made per day
depended on machinery used

15. The art of
Coopering and Box
Making was passed
down from
generation to
generation

16. H P Families involved in Making
Barrels & Boxes
• Smith
• Thomson
• Haverstock
• Romans
• Pace
• Eisenhauer
• Melvin
• Frizzel
• Schmidt

17. Upper H P / Kemptown Families
involved in Making Barrels &
Boxes
• David
• Allison
• Whiley
• Marsman
• Jones
• Anderson
• Moran
• Hays
• Wright

18. Barrels and
Boxes hauled to
market via
wagons

20. Early 20th
Century – Golden
age of Barrels &
Boxes
Over 30 shops in
area

21. 20th Century
• New Machinery
Introduced (Nail
machines)
• Motorized vehicles to
haul products
• Move to iron hoops
for barrels

22. New vs Old
Transportation
Methods

23. The 1930’s start the
decline of the Barrel
and Box industry
• Great Depression
• Iron hoops increase
longevity of barrels
• WW11
• Move to plastic
products
• Decline of fish stocks

24. By the 1950’s, the
nature of the forest
industry was changing
leading to cooper
shops and box
factories closing at an
increasing rate

25. Last Barrels
W. G. Haverstock
closes doors – Late
1970’s

26. Last Boxes
Whiley Mill closes
1990’s

27. Barrels & Boxes
Now a lost art &
industry, but is a
huge part of our
heritage