Legacy

An important objective of the Anniversary Society was to leave a lasting legacy with the events. The legacies took on a number of forms, but all elements focused on telling the Causeway story for years to come. The legacy includes the following elements:

Video Kiosk
An attractive video kiosk was developed and is currently housed at the Visitor Information Centre in Port Hastings. A key project of the Education Committee, the kiosk included an informative video telling the Causeway history.

Virtual Museum
The Anniversary Society contributed financially to a web-based exhibit on the Causeway history that was developed by the Port Hastings Historical Society as part of the Canadian Heritage Information Network and the Virtual Museum of Canada. The site is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the Causeway. We encourage you to visit this site at: http://www.virtualmuseum.ca.

Kitchen Parties
A number of "kitchen parties" were held in areas around the Strait Area to record stories and memories about the Causeway or related to the Causeway history. The initial kitchen parties were recorded in audio by 101.5 The Hawk and a selection of valuable memories were later recorded on video.

Promotional Video
A promotional video was developed on the history of the Causeway. This video incorporated some of the stories from the kitchen parties. The video was shown in the Causeway office throughout the week of the Anniversary and attracted great interest from visitors.

Recording the Re-enactment
The Official Re-enactment of the 1955 Opening Ceremonies was an historically significant event that will hold great interest for years to come. As a result, it was decided to record the event on video and documented so that the story may be told in future years.

Photography
The Anniversary was captured in photographs, both by a professional photographer hired by the Anniversary Society and by a photographer hired by the Port Hastings Historical Society. These images captured many of the individual events of the Anniversary and many photos are available in the photo gallery.
View our Photo Gallery >>

Song Contest and Causeway CD
A contest was held requesting original songs that were written about the Causeway. The top three entries were recorded on a CD, which was sold to the general public. Also on the CD was an entry of a song by a grade 3 class from the Literary Arts Contest and a pipe tune composed for the Anniversary by Harold MacDonnell, the honourary pipe major for the Re-enactment.

Interpretive Signage
An informative interpretive sign was developed and placed outside the visitor information centre in Port Hastings. The sign includes a number of interesting facts about the Causeway.

Commemorative Plaques
A series of brass plaques were developed and mounted on large rocks that were taken from Cape Porcupine. The plaques commemorated various aspects of the Causeway history, including the rail ferries at Point Tupper, the rail and car ferries at Mulgrave, and the construction of the Causeway at Balhache Point.

Commemorative Stamp
Canada Post issued a series of commemorative stamps to honour a number of significant bridges in Canada, including the swing bridge that is part of the Causeway. The stamp was issued after a substantial proposal had been submitted and a lengthy advocacy process. The stamp was unveiled at a launch ceremony at the Strait Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College.

Historic Event Designation
Another detailed proposal was developed and submitted to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) to have the construction of the Causeway designated a National Historic Event. After extensive advocacy efforts, it was announced at the Re-enactment Ceremony that the construction of the Causeway was being recognized as an Historic Event. A plaque will be erected at a location on the Causeway at a later date.

Quilt Contest
A quilted wall hanging contest was introduced and produced a number of attractive pieces that were inspired by the Causeway. The wall hanging entrants were auctioned off during the Anniversary.

Archiving the Causeway Research and the Entire Anniversary
The final component of the legacy is the proper archiving of the 50th Anniversary records and plans. The Project Managers have compiled key documents, copies of marketing materials, copies of media clippings, etc. that may be useful in serving as a guide for other community events or for future anniversaries.

You can view the archives at the following locations:

Port Hastings Historical Society
9 Church Street
Port Hastings Nova Scotia
B9A 1N5

Point Tupper Heritage Association Museum
165 Henry Paint Street
Point Tupper, NS
B9A 1Y7

Eastern Counties Regional Library
390 Murray Street
Mulgrave, Nova Scotia
B0E 2G0