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Our Community History
Learn about Pubnico from past to present
The Roots of Pubnico
In 1653, Charles de La Tour gave Philippe Mius d'Entremont the choice to settle wherever he wished. He chose what was then known to the Mi’kmaq as “Pogomkook.”
Charles de La Tour bestowed the title of Baron upon Philippe Mius d'Entremont and created the first constituted barony in Acadia and the second in all of Canada. The center of the barony was located on the east side of the harbour, not far from its head. It was in this same year, 1653 that Philippe Mius d'Entremont came to live in Pubnico with his wife, Madeleine Hélie, and their daughter, Marguerite, who was born in France and was to become the wife of Pierre Melanson, the founder of Grand-Pré. It is in Pubnico that his four other children, Jacques, Abraham, Philippe and Madeleine, the youngest of the family were born.
Pubnico Origins
Historians tell us that the name “Pubnico” may derive from the Mi’kmaq word “Pogomkook,” meaning "a place where in winter one can go and fish eels in the harbour by cutting holes in the ice.” When the French arrived, the name was pronounced "Pobombcoup", which in turn was shortened to "Pombcoup", and eventually to "Pubnico" with the arrival of the English.
The Pubnico seaside is more than beautiful; it’s a maritime highway from which the community has thrived and grown. Exploring, fishing, settling, shipbuilding, trading – coastal and offshore resources led our ancestors to settle this area, and continues to inspire people to this day. Despite four centuries of change, the sea remains at the economic heart of the Pubnico community. Nature provides the bounty the Pubnico community harvest and safeguard.