The Smith From Topsham
Lewis Town
Lord of Hill's Town
James Christie
Crime
Punishment
The Devil and James Christie:
John Hill and the Founding of Alberton
Transcribed from 'The Island Magazine'. Spring/Summer 1992:31
By: John Cousins
The old community of Alberton presents two prospects to the world. One faces outward across the wide bay on which the village sits, to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. At its heart is the fishing village that has focused the community's activity since the early 1800s. The other visage, Alberton proper, is a mile or so away. The town is newer, more land centered, and draws its life from the good broad farmlands that surround it.
The fishing village on Cascumpec Bay, now called Northport, is by far the older of the two. In its time as a lumbering, shipbuilding, shipping, and fishing community, it has seen more than it's share of tragedies. One of the most notable took place when the community was still young. It concerns the burning of a store belonging to the powerful merchant-land-lord John Hill. The event shaped Alberton's future.