At one time, Sydney Mines was called "Lazytown." A map of 1863 actually showed the area as "Lazytown".
This less than flattering name came from local farmers who would arrive in town in the morning to find a few people up and about. This was due to the shift work employed by the local mines. The coal miners and their wives would wake at dawn and get ready for the day shift. After the men went off to the pits, the wives would return to bed for some extra sleep. No one was awake to greet the farmers coming to sell their milk, eggs and produce.
Sydney Mines grew up around the rich coal fields of Sydney Harbor and one pit - Princess Colliery - operated continuously for 100 years, from 1875 to 1975. In that time, Princess produced 30 million tonnes of coal.
The first mining took place in 1766 along the exposed seams of the harbour cliffs. When the General Mining Association took over Cape Breton coal mining in 1827, the area was simply known as "The Mines." Sydney Mines' first house, owned by R. Brown, dates from this era (1829) and still stands at 32 Brown St.
By the turn of the century, Sydney Mines was one of the top coal producing communities in North America. Workers came from Italy, Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Austria, England, Scotland and Wales to work in the mines.
A steel plant opened in 1902 and much of the town's infrastructure - sewer, water, electricity, paved streets - was established at that time.
In 1932, Sydney Mines' population peaked at 10,000.
There are no coal mines operating in the town today, but many of the workers at nearby Prince Mine at Point Aconi live in Sydney Mines.
The town has downtown shopping area with grocery stores, pharmacy, bakery, banks, restaurants, service stations, town police and library.
A sport's complex on Brown St. has ballfields and tennis courts. There is an undeveloped beach at the end of MacLean St. fronting Sydney Harbor.
A miners' monument located on Main St., pays tribute to the men who perished at the local collieries, including 22 miners who were killed by a runaway man-rake (train) in 1938.
The town's most visible artifact is a red, sandstone town hall, built on a downtown corner in 1904 as a federal post office. The building was renovated in 1989 and registered as a provincial heritage property.
Another Sydney Mines landmark is Gowrie House, a two-storey, wooden mansion on Shore Rd., overlooking the harbor, built in 1834 by Samuel Archibald whose family and descendants maintained residence for a century and a half. Marble fireplaces, extensive grounds and outbuildings reflected the prosperity of the family. Gowrie House is
now a four-star country inn, offering accommodations and gourmet meals year-round. In 1990, international recording artist and performer Rita MacNeil filmed a television special at Gowrie House.
Sydney Mines' best known athlete is Johnny Miles - a grocery store clerk - who won the Boston Marathon in 1926 and 1929, and who won a bronze metal in the marathon for Canada at the Commonwealth Games of 1930. Sydney Mines celebrates Colliery Days every summer in August,
when local athletes continue the road-racing tradition.
JOHNNY MILES ROAD RACE
The spirit of Nova Scotia's best-known long-distance runner will be present when Sydney Mines hosts The Johnny Miles Road Race as part of its "Last Call for Summer" celebrations in the fall.
Johnny Miles was a skinny, 22-year-old store clerk fron Sydney Mines when he won the fabled Boston Marathon in 1926. He shaved four minutes off the course record, then returned in 1929 to win the race again.
Ever since, road-racing has been a popular sport in Sydney Mines. The Johnny Miles Race attracts the best runners from the local area.
The "Last Call for Summer" festival also features a little league tournament, children's track and field events, community corn boil, horseshoe tournament, outdoor bingo, craft fair, dance and free entertainment.
Most of the activities take place at the Miners' Memorial Park on Pitt Street.