Loyalists founded Freeport in 1784 establishing fishing and trading industries. Prior to this it had been inhabited by the Mi’kmaq Indians. Place names such as Petit Passage, Grand Passage and the Saint Mary’s Bay can be attributed to the French explorer, Champlain, who first visited the area in 1604. Black Loyalist, Rose Fortune is believed to have lived here in 1795, giving birth to one of her children.