The area now known as Kemptville was first settled in 1820 and named later after Sir James Kempt.  Sir James Kempt was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1820 - 1826 and provided assistance after a large fire swept through the area.  The granting of land by the Nova Scotia government was a big draw for settlers, especially free land on the east side of the Tusket River,  now known as East Kemptville.  Initially, subsistence farming and logging provided the main means of survival and income.  Timber was harvested and floated down the Tusket River to the village of Tusket where much of it was used in the shipbuilding industry.  Many sawmills sprang up to saw logs into lumber for local use and for export.  Logging has been a mainstay for virtually the entire period since the first settlers arrived.  Horses and oxen played a major role in forestry and farming until motorized equipment took over.

As the community of Kemptville grew through the late 1800s and early 1900s, the richness and diversity of wildlife drew many 'sports' to the area to fulfill their desire to bag large and small game and catch speckled trout.  A hotel, rooming houses  and camps to house sportsmen, primarily from the US, were opened.  Many local residents worked at the camps and hotel or found work as guides over the years.  Birchdale is the best known of the camps.  This local industry continued into the 1960s, but with dwindling numbers of sportsmen and guides.

Gold was discovered and mined in the late 1800s.  The Cowan Gold Mining Company operated a mine in North Kemptville from 1886 to about 1902.  This and other gold mines provided much economic benefit to the community.  In 1984 Rio Algom began operating an open pit tin mine in East Kemptville.  The tin mine closed prematurely in 1992 due to low tin prices.  In recent years, another mining company, Avalon, has indicated it is working toward opening a mine  to extract tin, indium and zinc.

Our bicentennial heritage logo, shown on the home page and created to mark the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the first settlers to the Kemptville area, encompasses many of the elements that helped shape this community over the last 200 years.