Historic District of Annapolis Royal

For the main article on the town, see Annapolis Royal

The Historic District of Annapolis Royal is the historic centre of the town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Annapolis Basin is the location of the earliest permanent European settlement in North America north of St. Augustine, Florida. The land on which the Historic District itself is situated has had permanent European habitation since at least 1629.

The Historic District was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on 5 June 1994.

History
In 1605, France founded Port-Royal on the Annapolis Basin. This colony was raided by the English in 1613 and was the site of a short-lived Scottish colony at Charles Fort from 1629. By 1630, urban structures existed to the east of the fort. The area was ceded back to France in 1632. The principal thoroughfare, Saint George Street, was distinct by 1686. After numerous attacks, claims of ownership and changes of control, the town was finally ceded to the British in the Peace of Utrecht of 1713. The town was renamed Annapolis Royal and served as the capital of the colony of Nova Scotia until it moved to Halifax in 1749. Subsequently, the town drew its living from ship building, brick making and forestry.

Having experienced a peaceful existence since the American Raid on Annapolis Royal of 1781, the town has conserved structures from all its periods with the exception of the years 1605 to 1707.

Architecture
The town presents a vast sample of maritime and Canadian architecture of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries. Considered one of the oldest inhabited in the country, the town has preserved its fortifications as well as the old cemetery, the oldest in the country. The district itself includes 135 heritage buildings. The historic district is divided into five sub-districts.