Digby, George: see Bristol, George Digby, 2d earl of.

Digby, John: see Bristol, John Digby, 1st earl of.

Digby, Sir Kenelm, 1603-65, English author and man of affairs. In 1628 he conducted a highly successful privateering raid against a French and Venetian fleet at Scanderoon (now Iskenderun, Turkey). A royalist, Digby was imprisoned by Parliament in 1642. On his release he went to France and became chancellor to Queen Henrietta Maria. In 1645 he tried unsuccessfully to gain papal support for Charles I. Allowed to return to England in 1654, he became an agent for Oliver Cromwell for the purpose of securing rights for Catholics. After the Restoration (1660) he remained chancellor to Henrietta Maria but was forbidden at the court. Digby conducted scientific experiments and wrote various scientific, literary, and religious treatises; but he is best known for his publicizing of the "powder of sympathy," which was supposed to heal wounds without direct application.

Digby, Kenelm Henry, 1800-1880, English author, b. Ireland. He converted to Roman Catholicism after his graduation from Cambridge. His principal works are The Broadstone of Honour (1822; enl. ed., 4 vol., 1826-27) and Mores Catholici (11 vol., 1831-40).

Part of a series about Communities in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Towns & Villages
Digby
The scallop capital of the world
Community Statistics
Main Industry'	Fishery, Tourism
Area	3.15 km²
Population	2,092 *
Population_Density	667.0 /km²*
Average_Earnings	$CDN 31,260 +
Latitude	44° 37′ 20″ N
Longitude	65° 45′ 38″ |W
Elevation	Sea level to 152 Meters
Founded	1783
'Government
Mayor	Frank Mackintosh
Governing Body	Digby Town Council
Date Incorporated	February 28, 1890
Other Information
Website	http://www.townofdigby.ns.ca/
Time zone	AST
Postal Code	B0V 1A0
Telephone Exchange(s)	902 - 245
Footnotes
* According to StatCan Census Year 2006
+ Average Household Income

Digby is a town in western Nova Scotia which lies on the Annapolis Basin of the Bay of Fundy. Digby is the shire town and commercial hub of Digby County. The town is famous for its scallop fishing fleet.

The area was settled in 1783 by the United Empire Loyalists under the leadership of Sir Robert Digby.

The town became an important regional transportation centre in the 1890s with the arrival of the Dominion Atlantic Railway. Trains connected with a serious of steamships such as the City of Monticello and later the SS Princess Helene.

Tourism has played an important role in Digby during the 20th century following the construction of a large resort on the town's outskirts named The Digby Pines. Built in 1905 and then purchased in 1917 by the Dominion Atlantic Railway, the resort provided a focal point to the local tourism industry. Continuously expanded, it was purcahsed by the Government of Nova Scotia after the Dominion Atlantic sold its hotels.

Fishing has been an essential economic activity since the town's settlement. Digby's schooner fishery reached its peak in the early 1900s, documented by the famous Canadian historian and photographer Frederick William Wallace. In later years, trawlers, especially those harvesting scallops became the mainstay.

Digby’s economy is still based largely on the fishing and tourism industries. The annual Scallop Days Festival brings the two industries together to showcase the town’s history and heritage to the tourists. The festival offers a variety of themed activities for all ages, including scallop shucking contests, a parade, and an exhibition of local artists. Another attraction for the tourism industry is the annual Wharf Rat Rally which attracts mortorcycle enthusiasts from afar to enjoy a weekend of events. The area is also widely known for the enormous Bay of Fundy tides that sweep the coastline boasting some of the highest tides in the world. The town's history is preserved and interpeted by the Admiral Digby Museum, located in a historic home facing the harbour.

Access to Digby is primarily by Highway 101 and by the M/V Princess of Acadia ferry service to Saint John, New Brunswick (operated by Bay Ferries Limited).

Public library

• Isaiah W. Wilson Memorial Library; Digby

External links

• Town of Digby
• Digby County GenWeb
• Capt. Marty Welch of Digby
• Western Counties Regional Library
• Admiral Digby Museum
• Nearby Brier Island on Digby Neck in the Bay of Fundy
• Digby Nova Scotia