Social anchors of community : church, rink and school in post war Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia

Abstract

Musquodoboit Harbour is a small community on the eastern shore of Nova Scotia. The main purpose of this thesis is to show the ways in which the First United Church of Musquodoboit Harbour, the Eastern Shore District High School and the Eastern Shore Community Centre were social anchors of the community in the post war era. Using a description such as 'social anchors' presumes agreement and consensus but this was not always the case. These institutions were at times 'contested terrain', and reflected the attitudes and values of the time in which they were established in the community.

The years between 1950 and 1980 were ones in which Musquodoboit Harbour experienced a significant number of changes in everything from highway improvements, to the establishment of provincial government offices, to the increase in recreational and educational opportunities as well as the expansion of the local hospital and medical clinic. The community had a small population relative to its local infrastructure and its 'identity' as a link between its own rural hinterland and the urban areas of Halifax and Dartmouth makes it a unique area to examine.