From Little Town to Little Town: An Interview About Two Small Towns

So today I wanted to share an interview I had with my grandpa about the small town where he grew up. It was a little town called Mulgrove in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. We live in the same small town now and I found it interesting to hear about the some of the differences between where he used to live and where he lives now. I hope you enjoy!

What was the religious situation in your town?

In my little town of eleven-hundred we had the Anglican Church of England…the Catholics…And the Presbyterians. And the united church of Canada. When I was a kid…there were five churches. Now there is only two left I think.

Which churches are left?

[There are three left] That would be the Catholic...United Church and the Anglican Church. They’re just hanging on by a thread. There’s not too many left. And that’s what we need back, we need our churches back and religion.

So were most people religious?

They were. It’s such a small community and it’s hard to keep three churches up with eleven-hundred people. We have the LDS church there now, but you have to travel a little ways and I imagine you’ve got other religions too that [have] come in.

So were all of the churches located in the town at that time?

Yeah, they were separated. Wherever the most members were, they built [a church]. There was a catholic section in town and that’s where the church went. [There was also] Protestant and other [churches] like that, they did it that way.

So was there ever conflict if you were one religion versus another or was everyone ok with each other?

There [is]  now, but time has changed. Then I was on a hockey team. It was run by the Catholics. The baseball was likely run by the other churches so we all intermingled in sports. [There] used to be a little hard feelings but it’s gone away. I guess we grew up a little more and matured a little on that kind of foolishness.

So you were Catholic when you grew up?

Well it was Church of England. It was a break off of the Catholic Church.

So what would you say are some of the biggest differences you have noticed living here in [our town] versus growing up in your town as a youth?

Well in my little town it was a seaport. And here it’s in the mountains. It’s altogether a different scenery. Both places are beautiful. I was one of the blessed people that lived in one part of the country or continent and then come out here to the mountains. It’s really spectacular. And it would be to someone going back there and seeing the ocean ships going by. The climate is much different. It is much colder.

Do you notice a lot of religious differences here in Mapleton?

Well, being LDS here, most of your friends are all LDS. Because there are so few of another religion you don’t make contact with anybody unless you’re in a larger area. And they do have Catholics and Protestants. When I was a kid there were more hard feelings about other religions but now it’s kind of changing. You don’t argue or fight about religion as much.