It was sometime in the 1850s, when Joshua Dewis, a young aspiring shipbuilder, made his

way from the small coastal village of economy on Nova Scotia down to the shores of West

Advocate.

Searching for a small tract of land to begin a shipbuilding business, he came across the

sheltered, pine-covered cove of Spencer's island, and knew immediately he had found the

right place.

Having succeeded in convincing a few relatives, as well as two local merchants to join him

in his venture, he purchased a thousand acres close to the shoreline and promptly got

to work.

Over the next year, trees were felled and land cleared away, and before long, a boatyard

had sprung up.

Pulling down the surrounding birch, beach, and the maple, Dewis's team worked day and

night, chopping, hammering, and planing, as piece by piece the hull of a vessel began

to take shape.

By the fall of 1860, the hull was complete.

Turning then to the local spruce and pine, they continued crafting away with chisel and

lathe, making masts and cabins until finally the ship was finished.

By spring the following year, the vessel, a brigantine formed of two masts and measuring

a hundred foot long by 25 feet wide, was ready to launch.

The company's very first ship, and its name, was Amazon.

The purpose of vessels like Amazon, was to generate money for their owners as cargo ships,

transporting goods from one place to another.

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