Mahone Bay Old School_A Life and Times_Bob Sayer

Ernst Fishing and Shipyard, Kids Fishing, Hide and Seek-Doris Ernst,
Fast Runner
• ‘Next is the big [the biggest in Mahone] Ernst ship yard…. 2 big “Ways” and
four wharves, and they generally had two vessels under construction at one time.
• Across from the Fauxburg Road was the east side of Ernst #2 wharf. Then [moving
towards Maders Cove] open water for 70-80 feet then Ernst wharf #3, a large
store building wharf…This was our fishing wharf. Willis [Ernst] would buy the
flounders we caught…After this was an open dock space so vessels could dock at
the big Ernst 4th wharf. This wharf and large building was the heart of the Ernst
fishing and shipbuilding
• Then a large docking space. Then the long steam box where all the sidings were
steamed.’
The Mighty Ernst Family Dynasty
“The Heart” of Ernst shipbuilding and fishing.
Photo: Courtesy Eizabeth Ernst [Arthur’s daughter]
A wonderful Victorian-Edwardian pose of the family that ran the largest
shipbuilding and fishing enterprises in town, as well as the Ernst Store. They
traced their origins to the very first settlers. Abraham, son of John Jacob, sits
center with his newly wed third wife, Laura Jane Hughes-Ernst. Back Row
[left to right]: Willis, Genevieve, Arthur [later, the town’s first mayor and
school board chair], Florence. Front Row [left to right]: Millie, Selvyn and
Harvey are the children.
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Photo: Courtesy Settlers Museum
The panoramic photo above gives some idea of Mahone with the fleet in.
• ‘Then slipway 1 then slipway 2…..There was no shipyard work done on the harbour
side, except the steaming. Across from the slipways was a big building. Fred
Burgoyne’s office. Blue prints. Zinc works. They galvanized a lot of material there.
• The door of that building was our home base for hide and seek…Piles of all shaped
timbers to hide in….the whole ground area was covered with 2 inches of chips which
was as slippery as hell for us kids to run on. Doris Ernst, youngest of Willis’s three
daughters, could run as fast as any of us boys.• The ships ribs…siding planks..were
carried over to the slipways for erection.’ See photo inside front cover.
Ernst Store, 4th Wharf, Running the Ice Cakes, Swimming
• ‘Ernst’s Store and fourth wharf was on what is now the Government Wharf area.
Abraham Ernst’s fine house [now street no. 688]..then lived in by the Willis Ernst
family..They had seven children…was across the street. Abraham was the son of
Jacob Ernst and the father of Arthur, Willis and Selvyn.
• That was the big store in town. Harry Hiltz was the manager…Selvyn and Willis
had offices..the bookkeeper was Mr. MacKenzie.. an excellent fancy skater.
• The only place where we got on the harbour ice was adjacent to the Ernst Store
and it was exciting [and dangerous?] for us to run [Dennis Zwicker remembers
the youngsters using a pole to propel the cakes and themselves] the ice cakes
at high tide …they built about 10 spaces for the town people to change clothes to go
swimming.’