Guysborough County is a historic

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

Canadian province Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. The area was first inhabited by the indigenous

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

, and was colonized by France in the 17th century. Following the defeat of France in North America, the area was settled by

loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The county was created when it was split from Sydney County in 1836. Guysborough County was divided into two administrative districts with separate councils and courts in 1879: Guysborough and St. Mary's. The town of Canso was incorporated in 1901, followed by Mulgrave in 1923. Canso was dissolved as a town in 2012. While there has been no county administration since 1879, Guysborough County exists as a census subdivision. As of 2021, Guysborough County had a population of 7,373, down from a peak population of 18,320 in 1901. The largest communities are Canso, Mulgrave, Sherbrooke, and Guysborough.

History

The

were the first inhabitants of the areas, having a seasonal settlement near Cook's Cove, and are known to have frequented other sites like Canso and the St Mary's River.The Mi'kmaq name for the region was Eskikewa'kik, meaning "skin dressing place". European fishermen and fur traders first visited the area in the 16th century, with the French establishing a colonial presence in the 17th century. The area came under the control of the British after

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) or the Third Indian War was one in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Gr ...

, and most of the Acadian population left in the 1760's. From 1720 to 1759, the British establishment at Canso was a highly contested strategic location for the colonial wars against France. Present day Guysborough County was first part of Halifax County, established 1759. Sydney County was divided from Halifax County in 1784, and comprised present day Antigonish and Guysborough Counties. That same year, the community of Guysborough was founded by

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

, named for Sir Guy Carleton By the mid 19th century, Guysborough County was organized into multiple townships: Guysborough, Manchester, Wilmot, Stormont, and St Mary's. Map of Antigonish and Guysborough Counties 1878

Map of Antigonish and Guysborough Counties 1878

Guysborough County was created when Sydney County was divided in 1836. The new county took it's name from the Township of Guysborough, which became the county seat. What remained of Sydney County was renamed to Antigonish County in 1863. Guysborough County has had a large Black population since 1784. The Black Nova Scotian community in Guysborough is unique in that they descend almost entirely from

Black Loyalists Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with Loyalist (American Revolution), Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. In particular, the term referred to men enslaved by Patriot (American Revolution), Patriots who served ...

. In 1872, there were 918 residents of African ancestry in Guysborough. In 1840, Guysborough County was subdivided into two districts for court sessional purposes – Guysborough and St. Mary's. In 1863, the boundary between Halifax County and Guysborough County was altered and a polling district was added to Guysborough County. In 1879, the two districts were incorporated as district municipalities. In 1901, Canso was incorporated as a town with its own municipal government, Mulgrave followed suit in 1923. Canso was dissolved as a town in 2012 and merged into the Municipality of the District of Guysborough. The last racially segregated school in Canada closed in 1983 in Guysborough County.

Municipal Government

The district is divided into eight electoral districts, each of which elects a local councilor. The Warden of the Municipality is selected from among the council, by the council. The current Warden is Paul Long, councilor for district 1. The Chief Administrative Officer is the head of the administrative branch of the municipal government.

Demographics

As a

census division Census divisions, in Canada and the United States, are areas delineated for the purposes of statistical analysis and presentation; they have no government in and of themselves. The census divisions of Canada are second-level census geographic uni ...

in the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Guysborough County had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. Population trend Mother tongue language (2011) Ethnic Groups (2006)2006 Statistics Canada Census Ethnocultural Portrait of Canada: GuysboroughCounty, Nova Scotia
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Communities

;Towns * Mulgrave ;District municipalities *

Municipality of the District of Guysborough Guysborough, officially the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, is a Canadian List of district municipalities in Nova Scotia#District municipality, district municipality in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia, Guysborough County, Nova Scoti ...

* Municipality of the District of St. Mary's

Access Routes

Highways and numbered routes that run through the county, including external routes that start or finish at the county limits:Atlantic Canada Back Road Atlas Pages 56, 70–73, 83 *Highways **None *Trunk Routes ** ** ** *Collector Routes: ** ** ** ** ** ** ** *External Routes: **None

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Photographs of historic monuments in Guysborough CountyMelford International TerminalAuthentic Seacoast Properties
{{Authority control 1836 establishments in Nova Scotia Counties of Nova Scotia