Mulgrave is an incorporated town situated on the Strait of Canso in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community lies along the western shore of the Canso Strait, directly opposite the town of Port Hawkesbury. It is located along the Marine Drive, with Route 344 traversing the community. As of 2021, Mulgrave has a population of 627 and a population density of 35.2 per square kilometre, within an area of 17.83 square kilometres.
History and Name
The community was originally established in the early 19th century under the name McNair’s Cove. In 1859, the name Port Mulgrave was adopted to honour the colonial Lieutenant Governor, the Earl of Mulgrave, and it later shortened to its current form. The town’s early industry centred on ferry service connecting the Nova Scotia mainland with Cape Breton Island, a route that ran across the Canso Strait. Ferry service began in the 1810s, and rail service reached the area in the 1880s, further supporting the community’s role as a crossing point between the mainland and the island.
The Canso Causeway and Economic Change
The ferry services that had long sustained Mulgrave’s local economy continued until the opening of the Canso Causeway in 1955. The completion of the causeway dealt a major blow to the town, as it eliminated the need for the ferry crossings that the community had depended upon since its earliest days. The town has since continued as a small incorporated municipality within Guysborough County.