the beach below. The Archaeology of Historic Carbonear Project, carried out by Memorial University of Newfoundland, has conducted summer fieldwork each season since 2011 in the town to reveal its colonial history. So far, it has found evidence of planter habitation since the late 17th century and of trade with Spain through Bilbao, including a Spanish coin minted in Peru. It has found evidence of other settlement through the 19th century. The first summer's work uncovered approximately 1300 artifacts. The Carbonear Heritage Society is developing an interpretive museum exhibit for these and future finds. With the rise of the seal hunt and the Labrador cod fishery, Carbonear became a major commercial centre in the 19th century. More sea captains came from Carbonear for the foreign fishing trade than from any other Newfoundland outport in this era. Violent political riots here in the early and mid-19th century led to the dissolution of the Newfoundland Legislature in 1841 and the suspension of the constitution. Political riots were so common here during this period, especially during elections, that the term Carbonearism was coined to describe the behaviour. Rail service began in 1898 (with a 1st class ticket to St. John's costing $2) and expanded with a new rail station in 1917. It operated until the closure of the rail line in 1984. In the late 20th century, the economy was forced to diversify. The seal hunt and the Labrador fishery had almost disappeared. Carbonear's importance as a shipbuilding centre and international port of trade had much declined. Fish processing continued to be the primary industry until the collapse of the cod fishery in the early 1990s. The fish processing plant has been converted to process crab and most recently seal. To counter these changes, Carbonear is evolving. With two college campuses, a shopping centre, a major hospital, and three long-term care facilities, the town has built on its importance as a regional retail, service, transportation, government, and cultural centre, earning it the nickname "Hub of the Bay". Timeline 1630s - 1640s - Mary Weymouth is listed as running a plantation in Carbonear. 1631 - Nicholas Guy, formerly of Cupids, is settled at Carbonear with his family. 1675 - Census records 11 permanent residents, 16 children, 8 boats, and 30 servants living year round in Carbonear. 1679 – William Downing and Thomas Oxford propose to fortify "Carboniere" on behalf of the residents. 1697 –