HISTORY OF MULGRAVE
IN
GUYSBOROUGH COUNTY
Submitted to Mr. MacPhee
Submitted by: Emma Einarson
November 22, 1979
Mulgrave is situated on the western coast of the Strait of Canso. It was
named in honor of the Earl of Mulgrave, Lt. Governor of Nova Scotia in
1859. It was incorporated as a town in 1923 and the first mayor was E.
A. Loggie.
The first permanent settler in the Mulgrave area was Cohn(Colin) McNair
who received a land grant of six hundred and ninety acres. One source
says he received the land from a Mr. Turnbull, another quotes a Dr.
Harris and still another says he received it himself. McNair was a
United Empire Loyalist who fought with Wolfe at Quebec. It is possible
that he received his land grant for his faithful service as a
non-commissioned officer of the 71st Regiment. The land on which he
settled was called McNair's Cove. This area today is referred to as
"around the point". The telephone book refers to that street as McNair's
Cove.
The first group of settlers were more Loyalists from the Carolinas as
well as Irish immigrants. Many of these settlers arrived in this area in
1788 and 1789. The later group had names such as Peebles from Northern
Ireland. Other names consisted of the Shermans, Moores, Clancys and the
Keatings. They all left Ireland because of economic hardships or
religious persecution. The name of Hadley arises in the 1790's. The
families of Wallaces, Careys and Hatties trace back to around 1800. The
Hatties are my ancestors, as was Cohn McNair. Shortly after 1800, many
settlers arrived from Scotland. Many families today have the names of
the above settlers.
There is a settlement two miles southeast of McNairs Cove called Pirate
Harbor. John Paul Jones, a noted American privateer is reputed to have
sought safety from a British man-of-war in Pirate Harbor in 1775. This
harbor was supposed to be a place of rendezvous for pirate ships. There
are legends of murder, rape, and buried treasure connected with this
sheltered cove. There is an island in Pirate Harbor where it is believed
buried treasure may be buried. Many have tried to find it but none have
succeeded.
The early settlers were involved in inshore fishing and the building of
small boats, and later larger ships. This was during the Reciprocity
Treaty with the United States. At this time, there were ten or more
firms with large wharf accommodations for doing business in outfitting
the American fishing fleet. Mulgrave was then a flourishing area. This
lasted until the end of the Reciprocity Treaty in 1866. Before the close
of the Reciprocity Treaty, there were as many as five hundred vessels in
the Strait at that time. One man as known to have made over one hundred
thousand dollars from his business in the run of one year.
The fishing industry was the main reason for continued settlement in the
Strait area. Men made their livings from inshore fishing of cod,
haddock, and lobster. With the use of larger vessels, they were able to
catch herring and mackerel. During the winter months, when it was not
possible to do much fishing, men worked as coopers, that is, made
barrels.
The population of Mulgrave in the 1830's and the 1840's had arisen to
approximately five hundred persons. Therefore there arose an increasing
number of shops, ship suppliers, small hotels, as well as numerous
establishments where rum could be bought cheaply. There places were
common in many seaport settlements, Travel before this time had always
been by water. In the 1840's work was done on the main highway leading
to Antigonish, which is approximately 40 miles from the town of
Mulgrave.
When Nova Scotia was concerned about the Fenian Raids in 1866, they had
no reason to fear. Mulgrave, at that time, was well equipped with a
naval volunteer company comprised of one hundred and twenty men ready to
fight off the offenders.
The first church to be built in the town of Mulgrave was an Anglican
Church which was built in the year of 1854. A new one replaced the old
one in 1902. The book I received this information from also stated that
the old Methodist Church was built in 1827. I am not sure which one is
printed wrong. The new Methodist Church was built in 1911. It is
possible that this church burnt down because we no longer have a
Methodist Church in our town. The Roman Catholic Church was first built
in 1858. It burnt down in the 1900's though I am not sure of the year.
It was later rebuilt across from the site of the first church. There was
also a Presbyterian Church in Mulgrave around the time that the first
churches were built. At the present time, Mulgrave has a Roman Catholic
Church, an Anglican Church, and a Trinity United Church. The majority of
the population attends the Roman Catholic Church.
The fish plant, known as the A&R Loggie Firm was established in 1895.
This company employed a large number of people in the town. The building
was destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1915. As far as I can remember
there was a strike or protest concerning the fish plant in 1970. Soon
after this, possibly within the year, the fish plant burnt down for the
last time. This firm provided alot of employment and with the burning of
the plant, many people started to leave Mulgrave. Many of the fishermen
left to go to Newfoundland or British Columbia.
The most significant event in the town's history happened in the 1880's
with the building of a railroad through to Cape Breton. That is, the
railway came into Mulgrave and the cars were transported to Cape Breton
on ferry boats. The railroad became a big industry and provide many
people in Mulgrave with work, whether on the trains or on the ferries.
My grandfather worked for over thirty-five years on the railway between
Truro and Mulgrave. The railway remained an important industry for
Mulgrave until the building of the Canso Causeway in 1955.
Scows were used to transport early trains across the Strait. They are
boats with flat bottoms and square ends. The first steam ferry-boat was
the S. S. Norwegian. It later burnt at the docks. In 1894, the S. S.
Mulgrave was built to transfer passengers and it was capable of towing a
wooded barge which carried four freight cars. In 1902 the S. S. Scotia
went into commission to transfer the passengers and freight cars. In
1914 the S. S. Scotia II replaced the Scotia I which was used for a time
as a relief boat.
Steam ferries replaced the scows in transporting cars because of the
increased number of people wishing to cross the Strait to Cape Breton.
In 1926, the Pont de Canseau" was built. It was capable of carrying ten
cars. 1927 was the year that the "Breton" was introduced for night
service between Cape Breton and the mainland. In this year, these boats
transported a total of twelve thousand, six hundred and seventy-one cars
across the Strait. Bigger ferries were built later but this is a far as
the records are given in this particular book concerning the ferries.
As in many other towns in the province of Nova Scotia, Mulgrave had a
large fire which destroyed much valuable property and took the lives of
three people. This unfortunate occurrence happened on February 28th of
1928.
I felt that schools should be discussed last as it is a very important
topic. Teaching in Mulgrave started in halls and drill sheds. The first
school built in the town was McNairs School which was named after the
first settler. It was built by William Hattie, my Great Grandfather in
1867.
There was a great number of teachers that taught in the Mulgrave School
in the first few years. The first teacher was P. A. MacDonald, known to
many as Dr. Pat. Also teaching at this time was Mary Peebles. Some
teachers to follow were: Dr. Somers of Boston, Joseph Gihhies of Sydney,
Dr. Chisholm, a lawyer from Port Hood, and a Dr. Jack MacDonald.
I had thought that since Mulgrave was so small that no one coming from
there would do anything of any importance. It seems that I'm wrong on
this account. In a yearbook for 1928 , I found a listing of people who
graduated from Mulgrave. A few had done some things that were
interesting. Here are some examples: Jack Shanahan became Supervisor of
International Correspondence School of Washington State. Two of the
Keating sisters became nuns. Two people from Mulgrave were employed in
the civil service in Ottawa. In 1920, two men from Mulgrave were killed
by bandits on the Mexican border. Another person became a member of the
Legislative council. I was surprised to find out that someone from
Mulgrave had been an actor in Hollywood, World War I took the lives of
four men from Mulgrave.
The Mulgrave High School was remodeled in 1927. It was said to be:" It
is neatly finished and the new model desks of the classroom add to its
pleasing appearance." Before this, high school had been taught at both
Loggie's School and at McNair's. The first High School teacher was Miss
Elizabeth MacNaughton of Salt Springs.
Loggie's School was built in 1893 and first consisted of one room. In
1903 the second part of the school was added onto this room. In 1920 the
High School was added onto this and, as said before, then remodeled in
1927.
This is as far as the written history of Mulgrave has gone. Since this
time, much has changed in our town. Many thought that Mulgrave would
some day boom. As yet, that has not happened, though some day it might.
The main downfall in people's spirits started with the building of the
Canso Causeway in 1955. This took much industry away from Mulgrave, and
today still is, as any industry promised to Mulgrave is given instead to
Port Hawkesbury, across the Strait. It is hoped that
Mulgrave is soon given an industry of some kind, otherwise it may become
a ghost town.
This poem, written about Mulgrave by Gerusha, was found in the Scotia
Sun on May 24, 1978. It is a fairly accurate description of our town,
though many buildings on Main Street are torn down.
1955 - It's Been A Long, Long Time - 1978
Rip Van Winkle came to Town
Just to take a peek
To see if anything had been done
In the twenty years he did sleep.
He shook his head and these words said:
Poor little town beside the sea
How still we see thee lie,
Neglected by the powers that be,
Scoffed by the passer-by.
I walked thru town all alone
In the middle of the street,
I dared not use the sidewalk
E're building stumble at my feet.
I spied a sign The Barber Shop"
Well, methinks, I'll have a shave.
The door was locked, the window barred,
The barber long in his grave.
At a building near, I found men at work,
A face lifting as they say,
As I passed by a chap proudly said
The mail comes here each day.
Ah how I hunger for a snack
No place in town to eat,
And if stranded here this night
I'll find no place to sleep.
No drug store to have prescriptions filled,
And I'm badly in need of pills,
No V.O.N. to help out
If a chap were taken ill
No dentist to fill the cavities
Nor ease an aching tooth,
It sure is one down-trodden town
That, no one can dispute.
No special care for the aged,
If ill, does anyone care,
If they have the needed comforts
In their declining years.
No transportation in or out
Folks must go far to buy
With a pension check that does not stretch
No matter how one tries.
I have a special wish today
Ill not be too late,
I've longed dreamed of a visit
To the John Shaheen estate
Where millions of tax dollars flowed rapidly
Like water, thru a sieve
Another Guysboro Railway Baby
Born, but short lived,
I'm sad, footsore and weary
Its been a long, long day.
I cussed, I wept and cussed somemore
Now I must be on my way.
With bowed head these words were said:
"Poor little town beside the sea
How sad to see thee die
While a politicians come and go
With a "Hello and Good-bye"."
The following poem was written by Mrs. Lillian Williams, of Mulgrave,
Nova Scotia. The poem refers to some problems in the town. It was
printed in the Scotia Sun. in August, 1979.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
It's back to the country I say, says I,
Where taxes are lower and benefits high.
Don't wait to be taxed out of our homes.
Stand up and be counted, let it be known.
If you are dissatisfied, should we stand idly by,
While water rates soar double to what they were and more.
Thus after giving much water away
For someone's mistakes we pay and pay.
True, grants come this way, where do they go?
Twenty-seven homes upgraded yet records show only ten on the books,
Now someone must know, Who are the culprits?
Rumors are we see them each day, they go to church, they kneel and pray,
and sing Hosannas bug and long , and louder vow they've done no wrong.
Ah, with troubled minds, someone some day, will surely give the rascals
away,
Then bit by bit it shall be known,
Where records are of seventeen homes,
So it's back to the country I sayss,
Says I, where taxes are lower and benefits high.
Don't wait to be taxed out of our homes.
Stand up and be counted, let it be known.
If you are dissatisfied.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Eta Sigma Yearbook, Mulgrave High School, June, 1928
History of the County of Guysborough
Papers: History of Mulgrave Mulgrave
Some early Mulgrave History ( Scotia Sun) August, 1973
Town of Mulgrave Plan Appendix.
