"Devil's Island. HISTORY - Although Devil's Island today looks desolate and barren of trees, it was once a lush island with a thriving fishing community of twenty-eight families, a lifeboat station, and a manned lighthouse. The lighthouse from the 1920's still stands but nothing else remains except some of the most legendary ghost stories imaginable. From wandering fisherman to crying children to floating grandmothers, Devils Island seems to have a fitting name. In 1711 the island received its first name: Isle Vert, or Green Island, from French engineer DeLabat. It later became known as Wood Island because of its forested landscape, but when a fire devastated the island it left the island barren of trees. The name did not hold. Based on a popular story, the island received its present name from an incident involving a number of sportsmen from Halifax who went to the island and were foced to stay longer than expected due to bad weather. When they finally returned to the mainland, they mentioned the horror of their ordeal and called it the Devil's Island. It is more likely the name came from a French occupant named "Deval" and eventually the name morphed into Devil. A lifeboat station was established in 1882 to help with the rescue operations of ships off the coast. The lifeboat crews, all fisherman, would use large dories and were paid one to five dollars per rescue trip. The island's rescue missions included famous shipwrecks such as the John Wesley in 1882 and the two large schooners the Olivette and Irma in 1898. With the advent of motorized boats the lifeboat station was dismantled in 1937 and rescue operations were moved to the mainland. Fishing thrived on the island for many years. Although the ghost stories and tragedy are now the island's most remembered qualities, the people who lived there remember their lives with great fondness. Kitchen parties and family were part of everday lifes and even though the residents lived without electricity, running water, telephones, or stores, the sense of family was strong. The island is now deserted with the lighthouse as the only structure remaining. Families living on the island eventually relocated to Eastern Passage and their descendants are still part of that community." "GHOST STORY - Henneberry House. Henry Henneberry was a local fisherman living on the island who one day went to sea never to return. Later that day Mrs. Henneberry thought she heard the slosh of his rubber boots as he entered the home. She called for him with no answer. In the hall, footprints of water left by his rubber boots were visible on the floor, but there was no Henry. It was said that at that moment, somewhere out on the cold Atlantic, Henry succumbed to death and drowned. Of course, he had found his way home in spirit. Mrs. Henneberry never fully recovered from the loss of her husband. It was said she would pace the floor of her house and at times see Henry rowing his dory back to the shore. When Mrs. Henneberry passed away, friends and relatives returned to the Henneberry house after the funeral only to find the baby Henrietta sitting dead in her high-chair with no cause of death. Because of the tragic events, the house was boarded up until David Henneberry eventually moved in nine months later. David lived in the house with his brother John for many years and strange events began to take place. Fires broke out unexpectedly on numerous occasions. Strange noises would plague the property from knocks on the door to footsteps to hammering and sawing of wood. The spirits continued for years chilling the bones of all who visited and all who lived there. Descriptions of spirits by people included a man walking the home in oilskin clothing and a young boy who lived there who told of a baby girl, all dressed in white, sitting on his bed. After a description it was noted the baby matched the description for Henrietta. The streak of misfortune continued until the house was finally destroyed and torn down. The island neighbours were glad to see it go and hoped it would rid the island of the spirits. The hauntings continued across the island for years to come. The lighthouse and many of the homes continued to have visits from the past inhabitants of the island and strange occurances were part of life on Devils Island."

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