History

In 1810, the first settler to arrive in the Berwick area was Benjamin Condon. The cross roads of present day Main St and Commercial St became known as Condon’s Corner. The settlers that followed in the ensuing years were mainly United Empire Loyalists and many of their descendants are still living in the town.

From its early beginning until the1850’s the town had other names such as Pleasant Valley, Currey’s Corner and Davison’s Corner. In the 1850’s a Temperance Hall was opened and at a meeting of the local residents the name Berwick was chosen for the town. Most of the commercial community at that time was situated on Main Street and included a blacksmith shop, tin shop, two general stores, a shoemaker and a carriage factory.

In 1856 the stage couch from Annapolis to Halifax began and in 1867 the Windsor to Annapolis railway was opened thereby creating better transportation links for the town.

Being in a primarily agricultural area the community flourished over the years as the agricultural industry grew. The agricultural service industries that developed created a viable village. Several notable achievements can be attributed to the Berwick Fruit Company. This organization operated the first fruit warehouse in Nova Scotia that ventured into cooperative packing, an event which occurred in 1907. In 1923, the Berwick Fruit Company opened, what was then, the largest and most most modern warehouse in the Maritimes.