The Arras Branch
Legion Branch 059
On May 30, 1918 a branch of the Great War Veterans’ Association was organized in Antigonish. They met in various locations in town and county; in restaurants, in community halls, and any other place where they could be accommodated.
These veterans of the Great War, representing many branches of the service and practically every section of the county, remained strong and active for many years.
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How We Got Here
Our Branch’s Story
Eventually, on May 12, 1930, this group of Veterans were chartered as “Antigonish (Nova Scotia No. 59) Branch” of the Canadian Legion.
During the years between the Great Wars, the Antigonish branch, gained the honour of being referred to as “Arras” after one of the major campaigns of World War I. It continued to do an impressive amount of work for the benefit of local veterans, kept alive the spirit of remembrance, and in partnership with the Antigonish Highland Society, took the first steps toward the erecting of “a memorial to the soldier dead of this county”.
The beautiful original Cenotaph was erected at the intersection of St Ninian Street and Main Street before being relocated to Chisholm Park, where it was unveiled on November 11, 1937. After a move from Chisholm Park to Columbus Field, the Cenotaph was re-dedicated on October 24, 2020.
Veterans returning home at the end of World War II gave a further stimulus to the Legion. In 1946, when the greatest number of Veterans returned home, a drive for funds was started to build a more suitable meeting place. A building was erected on Brookland Street and it served the purpose until the Celtic Hall on Main Street was purchased.
The Celtic Hall was destroyed by fire in 1962. Unfortunately, many of the records, history and artifacts of the Branch were lost in that disastrous fire.
Saint Ninian Street School, 1872-1968
Undaunted, Branch 59 (Arras) arose Phoenix like out of the ashes and a new brick building was erected to stand proudly on the site of the former Celtic Hall at 294 Main St.. It was occupied on November 22, 1962.
Over the years providing services to our community has seen contributions to numerous and varied agencies. There are far too many to mention, but they include charitable, health related, athletic, music, education, and youth organizations.
Noteworthy is our co-sponsorship, with the Antigonish Highland Society, of the Antigonish Highland Pipe Band. Later, our very own Antigonish Legion Pipe Band went on to win top awards across Canada, the United States, and Scotland.
Laudable as all these projects have been though, there is no doubt that the outstanding achievement of the Legion in Antigonish was its sponsorship of the Antigonish Arena and its organization of a fundraising campaign to make the arena possible. Our group of Legionnaires provided the impetus for a campaign that raised more than $500,000 for this project. The Legion itself provided $25,000 of that amount. The new Antigonish Arena, which is dedicated to “Arras Branch Royal Canadian Legion”, officially opened on February 7, 1970.
Branch 59 (Arras) continues to sponsor and/or support the Antigonish based 285 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps, local track and field athletes, academic scholarships, various charitable events, ‘Comfort Station’ services in extreme weather events, and are partnered with EMO to provide ‘Emergency Shelter’ services in cases of local disaster.
Of course, none of the activities of the Branch 59 (Arras) throughout the years would have been possible without the incredible, dedicated help and support of the Ladies’ Auxiliary (LA). Since records were lost in the 1962 Celtic Hall fire, no accurate history of the Ladies’ Auxiliary Branch 59 (Arras) is available. Newspaper articles report though that in 1956 a ‘re-organization’ of the dormant LA occurred and a new LA Executive was formed. That Ladies’ Auxiliary served Branch 59 (Arras) continuously until very recently, when we made the move to our current St Ninian Street location.
Branch 59 (Arras) now sits on land that was the site of the former Saint Ninian Street School. Classes at the school ran from 1872 until 1968.
For a short period after the school closed the building was occupied by the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) Antigonish while their own facility was being built for them. CACL Antigonish is a not-for-profit organization that provides vocational programming for people with disabilities. The previous CACL Antigonish facility is directly across Kirk Street from Branch 59 (Arras) and now houses the Family Resource Centre and the Highland Community Midwives.
When the Saint Ninian Street School building was demolished, the National Philatelic Centre was built on the site. It operated from 1984 until 2004, when it was closed as a physical location and moved to virtual operations.
The idea to expand our Legion facilities and allow us to improve our services to veterans, their families, and our community lead to a partnership with CACL Antigonish to acquire the former National Philatelic Centre.
The building is now known as the East Coast Credit Union Social Enterprise Centre and houses both Branch 59 (Arras) and CACL Antigonish.
With the tremendous support of various levels of Government and the East Coast Credit Union, Branch 59 (Arras) and our CACL Antigonish partners were able to move in, and thrive, at our current location.
Opened to the public on January 31, 2018, our ‘Grand Opening’ happened on November 18, 2018.
Branch 59 (Arras) remains dedicated to supporting veterans and their families, honouring those who sacrificed for our country, and providing essential services within our community for many, many years to come!
Antigonish, Nova Scotia • 1905 – 1962
Celtic Hall
The old Celtic Hall, on Main Street in Antigonish, built in 1905 was the local venue for dances, sports events, plays and musicals, and so much more. It had a theatre with a stage, balcony and seating for 500. In the early 1940’s, it had three bowling alleys & a pool room in the basement. The Celtic Hall was lost to fire in January of 1962. It was located at 249Main Street, the location of the former Antigonish Legion Hall.
– Gerard MacDonald, Facebook
Celtic Hall, 1905-1962
The Celtic Hall, constructed in 1905 by the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association, was a popular landmark on “The Main”. The building, with its mansard roof, served as a forum for social gatherings, elections and Royal Canadian Legion activities. The Celtic Hall boasted a movie theatre as well as one of the “best known dance halls in the area.” It was destroyed by fire in 1962.
– The Celtic Hall c. 1910
For more information about how sites of Antigonish have changed over time, visit Vanished and Changed Landscapes of Antigonish.