Petersfield Provincial Park

Petersfield Provincial Park is a fifty-six acre park located in Westmount, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This park is historically and scientifically significant to Cape Breton because there are remnants of four distinct cultural periods visible in the park. These cultural periods relate to a time when some of Sydney's most distinguished residents once lived at Petersfield. These people include: David Mathews and his family (1787-1800), Thomas and Henry Crawley (1826-1894), and J.S. McLennan and his family (1900-1942). During the McLennan family’s tenure at Petersfield, Sydney’s residents were welcomed to a recreation area along Crawley Creek which included a dance hall and canteen from 1915-1942. Vestiges of each family's occupation and usage of Petersfield Provincial Park can be clearly seen in archaeological remains and botanical specimens found throughout the park.

The area which the provincial park now occupies takes its name from Colonel Samuel Peters. He was granted this land in 1787. He left the land undeveloped and it became known as Peter's Field. Eventually, it became known as "Petersfield."


For more information click on an area or name below:

1 - The Mathews Family, 1785-1800

2 - The Crawley Family, 1826-1894

3 - The McLennan Family, 1900-1942

4 - Crawley Creek Recreation Period, 1915-1942