Work Through Time: Cape Breton Stories of Land & Sea

Mrs. Edith Jessie Archibald.
The Cape Breton Miners' Museum

The Gowrie Mine of Port Morien, owned by the Archibalds of North Sydney, was one of the most successful mines in nineteenth century Cape Breton. It operated from 1861 to 1893 and was managed by Charles Archibald.

Edith Jessie Archibald, wife of Charles, was a force in her own right. At the turn of the twentieth century and beyond, she was regarded as a person of national prominence. Born in 1854, Edith Jessie came from privilege – her father was the Attorney General of Newfoundland and later the British Consul General in New York.

In the burgeoning mining community of Port Morien, the Archibalds occupied an elegant house on Sandbar Road, overlooking the upper reaches of Morien Bay. Ken MacDonald, in his history of Port Morien, describes their dwelling as a “beautiful, pillared mansion” that the Archibalds named Seaview.

It is believed that the Archibalds maintained an orchard on their Morien property, along with a tennis house and courts. This sporting facility was as large as most ordinary homes. The property was fenced and the Archibalds used ballasts discarded by boats loading coal to construct a rock garden.

When Charles Archibald sold his mine to the Dominion Coal Company in 1893, he accepted a position as Director of the Bank of Nova Scotia and moved with Edith Jessie to Halifax. He was 47 years old at the time and she was 39. He eventually became president of the bank.

When leaving Port Morien, the Archibalds took with them a piece of the community. Although the home was torn down, it is alleged that the marbled mantle pieces and handcrafted stair rails were stripped and transported to their new home on Inglis Street in Halifax. Charles Archibald maintained a cottage in Margaree where he fished annually and in 1927 stated that their years in Port Morien where among their happiest.

Mrs. Edith Jessie Archibald. June 1928
The Cape Breton Miners' Museum

Edith Archibald is described in one publication as “a woman of varied interests, of splendid achievement and great usefulness.” But it was in Halifax that she showed her greatest benevolence. As a woman of privilege, she felt an obligation to marshal support for women’s causes, to extend her influence within the community. Under her leadership, women in Nova Scotia nearly acquired the right to vote as early as 1893. In fact, a bill to enfranchise women failed by one vote on second reading. The right to vote would not be granted until 1917.

This remarkable woman embraced other causes. She headed Halifax’s Local Council of Women and served on the national executive of this body. It seemed that many of Edith’s causes were national, as she also worked to establish the Victorian Order of Nurses. Other interests included the Halifax Ladies Musical Club and the Children’s Hospital.

In addition to her community activism, Edith Archibald had literary talent. She wrote a history of the Red Cross during the War, a biography of her father, and a play entitled, “The Token,” about the seriousness of religious values, such as Holy Communion in the Presbyterian denomination. “The Token” was performed in Port Morien in 1995 during the Morien Memories celebrations.

This sketch of Edith Jessie Archibald was provided to us by LeRoy Peach of the Port Morien Development Association. LeRoy Peach is a poet, retired educator, community activist and columnist from Port Morien. You can read more of his reflections on Cape Breton Island's history and culture in his weekly column in the Cape Breton Post.

© 2009 LeRoy Peach, Port Morien Development Association