White Head Island

{{Short description|Island in New Brunswick, Canada}}

{{hatnote|Not to be confused with Whitehead Island, nor with the minor "White Head Island" only a few kilometres North near Cailiff Islandhttps://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2022/mpo-dfo/Fs74-13-2021-12-eng.pdf}}{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox islands

| name = White Head Island

| image_name = File:White Head Island 1855.png

| image_size =

| image_caption = An 1855 chart showing White Head Island.

| map = Canada New Brunswick

| map_width = 220

| map_caption = Location in the Bay of Fundy

| label_position = top

| coordinates = {{coord|44|37|52.6|N|66|42|28.63|W|display=it}}

| location = Bay of Fundy

| archipelago = Grand Manan Archipelago

| area_km2 = 6.17

| country = Canada

| country_admin_divisions_title = Province

| country_admin_divisions = New Brunswick

| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = County

| country_admin_divisions_1 = Charlotte

| country_admin_divisions_title_2 = Parish

| country_admin_divisions_2 = Grand Manan Parish

| population = 162

| population_as_of = 2011

| population_footnotes =

| density_km2 = 26.3

| elevation_m = 59

| elevation_footnotes = https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2023/mpo-dfo/Fs74-48-2023-9-fra.pdf

| module = {{Infobox lighthouse | qid = Q33416380 | embed=yes

| foundation = concrete base

| construction = concrete tower

| shape = quadrangular tower with balcony and lantern rising from the fog signal building{{cite ngall|110|2015|}}

| marking = white tower, red lantern

| fogsignal = 2s. blast every 20s.

| managingagent = Canadian Coast Guard{{Cite rowlett|nb|accessdate=2017-03-23}}[http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=1208 Long Point, NB] Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 23 March 2017

}}}}

White Head Island is located east of Grand Manan in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick. In 2011 the island had a population of 162. White Head Island was governed as a local service district{{cite web|title=White Head, New Brunswick. Census Profile|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=DPL&Code1=130102&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=white%20head&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1|website=2011 Census|publisher=Statistics Canada|date=2012}} prior to the 2023 New Brunswick local governance reform.

For approximately four hours surrounding low tide, the island can be reached on-foot from Grand Manan walking across sandbars and ledges through shallow water.Lorimer, John G. "History of Islands and Islets in the Bay of Fundy, Charlotte County, New Brunswick", [https://archive.org/details/historyofislands00lori/page/n5/mode/2up Archive.org copy], 1876

Its economy is based largely around aquaculture and fishing, historically through herring weirs.{{Cite web|url=http://ambleinncottages.com/todo.html|title=...things to do while on Grand Manan|date=September 2018|website=ambleinncottages.com/|access-date=2018-10-17|archive-date=2018-10-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017082212/http://ambleinncottages.com/todo.html|url-status=dead}} There is a series of very small islands marked on charts but typically not appearing on maps, west of White Head Island and north of Three Islands.https://archive.org/details/collectionsofnew113newb/page/n395/mode/2up?q=whitehead

The island has a two-classroom elementary school, and older students take a ferry to Grand Manan Community School. From 1976-2012, the island was serviced by the MV Lady White Head, until it was replaced by Coastal Transport Limited's William Frankland car ferry between White Head and Grand Manan.{{cite web|title=White Head Schedule|url=http://whitehead.coastaltransport.ca/schedule.html|website=Coastal Transport|access-date=3 July 2017}}https://app.pch.gc.ca/application/artefacts_hum/detailler_detail.app?d=AAUK2013.05.01

Until 2022 the community had a small general store.

There is a Baptist church on the island that was completed in 1981. However, there are records of a religious house in use until 1928, when the second of three churches was dedicated.{{cite web|title=White Head Baptist Church|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbgrandm/Church/whiteheadbaptistchurch.htm|website=Ancestry.com|access-date=2017-05-01}}

There are 5km of paved roads circling the northern half of the island, while the southern portion has only gravel roads that are less accessible.{{cite web |title=White Head Island trails |url=https://www.hikingnb.ca/Trails/FundyWest/GrandManan/WhiteHead.html |website=Hiking NB |access-date=19 April 2025}}