Conception Harbour, a quaint town nestled on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, is a treasure trove of history, culture, and natural beauty. This charming town, part of Division 1 on Conception Bay, is easily accessible via Newfoundland and Labrador Route 60. It encompasses the former communities of Bacon Cove, Cat's Cove, Kitchuses, and Silver Spring, each with its unique history and charm.
Before 1870, the area was known as Cat's Cove. Conception Harbour was officially incorporated as a community in 1972. The town's economy has been primarily centered around fishing, thanks to the nearby protected harbour. A lobster factory was even established in the early 1900s. However, the decline of cod in the area led fishermen to seek work in the northeastern United States, primarily Boston and New York City.
In New York City, immigrants from Kitchuses and Bacon Cove, known as "fish," worked as ironworkers in groups of seven. This led to the rise of ironworkers in Conception Harbour, with the town's first ironworkers union chartered in 1955.
The town also has a history of whaling. However, with the decline of the whaling industry, several whalers were brought to the town to be scuttled in 1959. In 1968, the S.S. Charcot ran aground near the town, leading to the discovery of several wrecks of the scuttled ships. These shipwrecks have become a significant part of the town's history and tourism.
Conception Harbour's economy is diverse, with industries ranging from ironworking and fishing to tourism. The town's St. Anne’s Roman Catholic Parish Church, built in 1904, is a significant landmark, replacing a church built between 1857 and 1861.
According to the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Conception Harbour had a population of 624 living in 280 of its 330 total private dwellings. This was a change of -8.9% from its 2016 population of 685. With a land area of 21.47 km2 (8.29 sq mi), it had a population density of 29.1/km2 (75.3/sq mi) in 2021.
The town includes the former communities of Bacon Cove and Kitchuses. Bacon Cove, a fishing and farming settlement southeast of Bay Roberts, had a population of 124 in 2012. Kitchuses had a population of 169 in 1940 and 131 in 1956.
The town is conveniently accessible via Newfoundland and Labrador Route 60.
In 2022, a significant discovery was made in Bacon Cove. Researchers from Heidelberg University, Anne Hildenbrand and Gregor Austermann, found cephalopod fossils in a 522 million-year-old layer of rock. This discovery potentially backdated the origin of cephalopods by 30 million years to the early Cambrian period, marking a significant milestone in the study of multicellular organisms' evolution.
