J.A.D. McCurdy

and the Silver Dart: Canada's 'First Aerial Navigator'

In 1892, Alexander and Mabel Bell embarked on construction of their 32-room house summer castle "Beinn Breagh", Gaelic for beautiful mountain. Mr. Everett, senior partner of Cabot, Everett & Meade of Boston and New York, was the architect. Nova Scotia's Rhodes, Curry Company was the builder. The Bells moved into their "summer castle" the following year and then spent the winter there! J.A.D McCurdy noted in "Story for the Sun Life Company" that when Bell and his family first visited Baddeck they were "much charmed by the Scottish hills and Scottish people who reminded him so much of his birthplace. He acquired a piece of property, built himself a house and returned to Baddeck every summer for a great many years, his annual stay becoming longer and longer as time went on, until Baddeck finally became his real home." [2007-058/001/#177]

Date: 1920s

Photographer: anonymous

Reference: J.A.D. McCurdy Nova Scotia Archives 2007-058 vol. 003 no. 181