Port Wallace, Nova Scotia

Port Wallace
Locality
Location within Nova Scotia
Coordinates: 44°41′53″N 63°32′50″W
Country	Canada
Province	Nova Scotia
Municipality	Halifax Regional Municipality
Community	Dartmouth
Community council	Harbour East - Marine Drive Community Council
District	6 - Harbourview - Burnside - Dartmouth East
Postal code	B2W
Area code	902
GNBC code	CBRRA

Port Wallace is a Canadian urban locality in Nova Scotia's Halifax Regional Municipality.

It is located on the northeastern edge of the community of Dartmouth and lies midway between Lake Micmac and Lake Charles.

Its main street is Route 318 and is named the Waverley Road and Braemar Drive. Shubie Park is a local municipal park which preserves part of the historic Shubenacadie Canal between the two lakes.

The forward sortation area for the community's postal code is B2X.

History

Port Wallace was established in 1861 and is named after the Honourable Michael Wallace, a colonial administrator and former President of the Shubenacadie Canal Company. The canal's eventual completion in 1861 resulted in the present-day community being named after Wallace, who died in 1831 at the time of the canal company's bankruptcy. His legacy continues today with an elementary school in the community being named after him.

After Wallace's death, the name of the community was erroneously changed from Port Wallace to Port Wallis, after Admiral Provo Wallis. The new name was officially approved on 3 December 1953, only to be returned to the present Port Wallace on 18 February 1963.

Port Wallace was home to a Mi'kmaq village, located on the banks of Lake Micmac, close to the eventual location of the canal. Some of the most significant canal work took place around Port Wallace, and many of the canal workers resided in the camp here.