The first school was built in Cuslett in 1901 - prior to this school was held in a private house. There is no longer a school in Cuslett and the children are now bussed to school in St. Bride's.
By the early 1900's a large business was operated in Cuslett by Walter Manning, grandson of the original settler. People came from Barasway to Branch to purchase supplies from his store and his business operated until the early 1960's.
History
Schooling
Saw Mill
Around 1903, a ship called the Palermarina went aground in a dense fog on the north point of Cuslett. The iron that was salvaged from this wreck was used to build a saw mill - owned and operated by Tom Jim Coffey. The lumber from this mill was used in all types of construction in Cuslett.
About
The community of Cuslett is situated in a small valley east of Placentia on the Cape Shore. It was first settled in the early 1800's by Sweetman’s firm. Like other communities on the Cape Shore, it was settled as a farming area. The name Cuslett is French, probably coined by the French fishermen, who were there before any permanent settlement took place.
The first permanent settler to this community was Walter Manning. Although no definite date has been found for his arrival, it most likely was early in 1800. He married a girl from Angel's Cove and they raised their family in Cuslett. The census of 1891 showed Cuslett as having a population of 62.
During the early days, the residents of Cuslett spent most of their time farming and clearing land. They raised cattle, sheep, and horses and grew vegetables. Around 1857, the residents of Cuslett began to fish.
In 1999, the community of Cuslett partnered with St. Bride’s to host the Cuslett /St. Bride’s Come Home Year Celebration which was a great success with people returning home from all parts of the country for the event. For the following few years the group was sponsored by the Cape Shore Folk Arts committee.
Cuslett currently has a population of 31 as of this year 2017.
lobster Factory
In 1901 a lobster factory was built at Cuslett. The factory employed about eighteen people. Wages were $ 0.20 an hour, a good wage at that time. Approximately twenty dories with crews from the neighboring settlements placed pots in the water from Point Bireme to Island Head and nineteen hundred cases of lobster were landed the first year. They were boiled in huge vats, canned, crated and then shipped abroad. By 1911, the lobster factory had unfortunately ceased to operate.
