Birchy Bay

Origin of Name: It is believed that the community is named after the abundant local white birch trees.

Population: 760 (1998), Protestant

Early Settlement: 1700s and 1800s fishermen from the nearby Barr'd Islands wintered in Birchy Bay. It was not until the 1850s that the first permanent settlers arrived. Employment: Lumber, cod, salmon and the lobster fisheries were the traditional mainstays of the local economy. Lumber, construction and self employment continue to be the main employers in the region.

Interesting Facts about Birchy Bay

• 1857, Mr. and Mrs. James Mews and Mr. and Mrs. John Canning arrive from Barr'd Islands and become the first permanent settlers of Birchy Bay.
• 1891, Two lobster factories are operational.
• 1900, Birchy Bay Lumber Company (also known as the French Lumber Company) begins operations.
• 1902, Birchy Bay Lumber Company, a shipyard, builds its first schooner.
• 1904, The first Methodist Church opens.
• 1910s, Many local residents are employed as lumbermen by the Anglo-Newfoundland Company of Grand Falls.
• 1911, First sawmill in Birchy Bay opens.
• 1911, Population rises to 127 with four local lobster factories operating in the area.
• 1940, Salvation Army operates local school.
• 1950, First Pentecostal school is built.
• 1974, Birchy Bay is incorporated.