Formal Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land

Heritage Value

Red Head has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of Harbour Breton because of its scientific, cultural and aesthetic value.

Red Head has scientific value due to its unique geology. The hill was probably named Red Head due to the red hue of the materials it is composed of. The dominate mineral in this granite cliff is feldspar, which is red and pink in colour. The red granite of Red Head is Late Proterozoic and was formed around 570 million years ago, making it an example of some of the oldest granite on the Connaigre Peninsula. The granite formed as a melt of crystal mush several kilometres beneath the surface of the Earth’s crust. It cooled very slowly and ultimately solidified forming large crystals. Tectonic processes over the millennia caused uplift and erosion which exposed the granite to the Earth’s surface. The current surface of the Red Head is a product of relatively recent events over the past 10,000 years – such as erosion by the sea – beginning with the last ice age and continuing today. Over the years, rocks from Red Head have been used in Harbour Breton to support road sides, to fill caging and as barriers to support shoreline areas. Some red granite rocks are found in the walls of an old Newman and Company root cellar and are believed to have come from the Red Head area.

Red Head has further scientific value as archaeological surveys have revealed evidence of prehistoric occupation at the site. Some evidence of Dorset Palaeoeskimo occupation has been discovered in the form of chert flakes and fire cracked rocks, suggesting tool finishing activities and the use of hearths by the early aboriginals.

Red Head has cultural value for Harbour Breton residents because of its continued use by the community. Several houses were built in this area during the late 1800s by families from nearby Sagona Island – the hill providing shelter in northerly and easterly winds. For generations nearby Red Head Pond has been a popular destination for trouting, swimming and campfires. School children sometimes visit the hill to study granite samples and identify minerals. The community’s annual folk festival, known as “Red Head Rocks,” is generally held in the Red Head area.

Red Head has aesthetic value as a recognized landmark in the community of Harbour Breton. It has been valued for its natural features for centuries and remains an important component of the community’s landscape.

Source: Town of Harbour Breton Regular Council Meeting Motion #09-094 December 9, 2009.

Character Defining Elements

All those elements which represent the scientific, cultural and aesthetic value of Red Head, including:

– the name Red Head;

– unobstructed view planes to and from Red Head;

– continued public access to Red Head, and;

– the untouched, natural landscape of Red Head.

Community

Harbour Breton

Municipality

Town of Harbour Breton

Civic Address

Deadman's Cove Road

Construction (circa)

2009 - 2009