That name dated back to the 18th century and supposedly it referred to a massacre of a family of 11 by Beothuk natives that were living in the area at the time.

A few years later, the town was renamed to Glovertown, its current name, after Sir John Hawley Glover who served as the governor of Newfoundland from 1876 to 1881 and from 1883 to 1885.

Then in 1869, the population jumped up to 80 and Glovertown started to become a thriving center for the fishery, boat building and lumbering industries.

Separate settlements had been established by that time in the Saunders Cove to Northwest Arm area.

On July 2, 1913, one of the sawmills located at Rosedale exploded and six people were killed.

Two schools, several businesses and 150 square miles (390 km2) of timber were also destroyed during the fire.