Today, the trip from Chester Basin to New Ross is complete in just a matter of minutes. With modern methods of transportation you can travel the world in mere hours. But not so long ago, even the shortest of trips took days to complete.

A round trip from Chester Basin to New Ross, perhaps the most important land link for both communities, took an average of three days. The trips were made by the locally renowned New Ross Freighters, also known as the Teamsters. Chester Basin was a key entry point from the sea inland to New Ross and to other points along the way.

Using teams of oxen, the New Ross Freighters travelled regularly between the two communities (a 25 kilometre, 15-mile one-way trip) transporting barrels, lumber, ships' timbers, cordwood, farm products (butter, eggs, vegetables, apples), knitted items (socks and mittens) and the like to Chester Basin. These items were either used locally or were shipped out on the many coasters (small sailing vessels which travelled to ports along the coast). In return, the New Ross Freighters transported goods inland, such as furniture, stoves, books, farming tools and many other items. Without the New Ross Freighters, both New Ross and Chester Basin, not to mention other Nova Scotia communities, would have had to do without a lot of the things we take for granted today. As mentioned before, a round trip took about three days, with overnight stops at one of the four way stations (as the inns were known) along the route.

One of those stations, in Chester Grant, now know as Morrison House, was used as a way station in the 1880s. The charge for a room and breakfast, which included housing the animals (usually oxen, but sometimes horses) was 10 cents per night. In an effort to make the trip easier, the route was divided into sections. Those sections were named. They were given such labels as Russell's Burnt Land, Watering Brook Hill at Water Lake, Oak Hill Lily Pond and Hand Wash Brook, Cross, Pratts or Mill Hill, Elliot's Flat and Johnson's Cut.

Chester Basin Celebrates 250 Years, Tuesday, June 15, 2010                                                                                  www.southshorenow.ca