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The History of Glovertown
Glovertown is located mainly around the shoreline to the north and south of the Terra Nova River in Alexander Bay. Originally, Glovertown was called Bloody Bay; a name dating back to the 18th century and supposedly referring to a massacre of a family of 11 by Beothuck Indians known to have been living in the area. The town was renamed Alexander Bay in 1894. In that year, the Reid Newfoundland Company was building a section of the railway in the area. A Scottish man by the name of Alexander Cobb was supervising the construction. The town was renamed a few years later to Glovertown, after Sir John Hawley Glover. Glover served as Governor of Newfoundland from 1876-1881 and again from 1883-1885.
The first settlers appeared in the area in the early 1800’s. The exact date is uncertain, but reports indicate that it was prior to 1834. According to the 1845 census, 12 people resided in the area. This number declined to 10 in 1857 and 8 in 1862. In 1869, the population was listed as 80. Glovertown was becoming a center for both the fishery, boat building and later lumbering. By 1891, the town had expanded to 288 residents.
The first school was built in 1888 and by 1901 there were six different schools listed in the area (Rosedale, Thimble Cove, Angles Brook, Saunders Cove, Glovertown South and Glovertown Centre). Many of the families were engaged in farming, fishing, or lumbering. At this time, there were at least 10 sawmills operating in the area.
By 1911 the population had grown to 408 and several separate settlements had been established in the area from Saunders Cove in the north around Northwest Arm and Alexander Bay to Rosedale in the south. These communities would all become part of Glovertown when it was incorporated in 1954.
The main products at this time were hay, milk, butter, eggs, wool, and gooseberries. Fishing was also important but on a lesser scale. There were approximately 75 local residents involved in the Labrador and inshore fishery, and 20 schooners operating out of the area. Lumbering was also important with numerous sawmills located within the area.
On July 2, 1913, one of these sawmills located at Rosedale exploded, killing six people.
A mill was built by a Norwegian named Storm in 1920 for the Terra Nova Sulphite Company but it never operated and was bought out by the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company. The machinery was dismantled and sent to Bishops Falls and Grand Falls, leaving the 120 ft tower shell. Some reasons given for the collapse of the Terra Nova Sulphite Company included the collapse of the international money market and the refusal of the Newfoundland Government to guarantee the loan.
By 1935, there were 842 residents in the area: Saunders Cove 117, Glovertown North 160, Glovertown Center 325, Angle Brook 53, Glovertown South 24 and Alexander Bay (Railroad) Station 24. The Labrador fishery was still important, but the inshore fishermen had begun catching salmon, herring capelin and cod.
In 1946, tragedy again struck Glovertown. A fire started by sparks from a passing train, destroying 46 homes and leaving 48 families homeless. Also burned in the fire were two local schools, several businesses and 150 square miles of timber. The sawmill industry never recovered from the loss of this timberland.
The Alexander Bay railway station helped Glovertown develop into a service center for the area. Families from Greenspond, Flat Island, and Bragg’s Island, among others began to resettle into Glovertown in the 1940’s and 1950’s. This influx of people brought some new businesses such as mink, dairy and poultry farms and new skilled carpenters.
By 1971, the population had risen to 1,915 and in 1981 the population stood at 2,165. The Glovertown Regional High School was built in 1957 and an elementary school built adjacent to it in 1975. The two schools were amalgamated to become Glovertown Academy in 1998. Today there are 2,163 residents of Glovertown.