Springfield got its start in 1902 with the building of a saw mill. The owners, the Davison Lumber Company, also built railways lines, operated as the Springfield Railway, so the lumber could be transported out of the area. In 1905, Davison built the first homes, 30 in all, along with a school, office and cookhouse. Now that there were places where families could live together, the mill was becoming quite productive.
In 1914, more houses were added to the mill site, named Hastings after the Pennsylvania owner John M. Hastings. This was followed by a doctor's office, store and a new warehouse. A large clubhouse was then built, including a dance hall, a changing room and a bowling alley. People had a place to play pool, bowl or just socialize.
After a productive run during World War I, as the war ended wood sales went into a slump. After repeatedly cutting back on production and shutting down for periods during the three years post war, the mill shut down for good on July 12, 1921. Springfield's pride and joy, and Nova Scotia's largest mill, was no more. A few years later, in 1928 a fire destroyed the structure as well as 35 of the family homes.
Springfield is now home to some of Nova Scotia's Christmas tree farms. Some, such as Sun Set Acres Farm, use organic husbandry methods and operate pick-your-own-tree lots. The Michelin Tire Plant in neighboring Bridgwater is the area's largest employer. Springfield remains a small town, but it is healthy, supporting a fire hall, a general store, service garages and its own Canada Post Office.
Springfield, Nova Scotia, like the rest of Canada, has two official languages: French and English. Gaelic is also commonly spoken, brought over from Ireland and Scotland by early immigrants. One of the earliest Irish immigrants was Robert Kuessey, who arrived in 1665, while Acadia (Nova Scotia's former name) was property of the French. The name Nova Scotia is actually a Latinized spelling of New Scotland.
