As part of the 1989 Centennial Celebrations, the Antigonish Centennial
Tartan was created by Ms. Patsy MacMullin of Sydney, Nova Scotia. The tartan design has the following colours and symbolic pattern:
Black - faintly appearing in the design is a black line representative of
the black bear in the Micmac word Antigonish. The black bear also appears
on the new town seal and this line maintains consistency with the seal.
Green - the colour green is a natural green which is produced from the dye
of green vegetation. As Antigonish's economy is tied to agriculture and
forestry, two resource industries, it is natural to have the significance of
these industries represented in an Antigonish tartan.
Blue and White - the colours of St. Francis Xavier University, indicating its
importance to the Town and influence in the life of town's people.
Blue and Grey - the two colours were selected to denote the livelihood of
Antigonish's many fishermen and combined they represent the changing ocean
bordering much of the county as it moves from a blue to grey depending on
its mood.
Grey lines - There are three vertical grey lines and three horizontal grey
lines crossing in the pattern. They are symbolic of the six main roads
entering the town:
1. from Cape George to Main Street
2. from Arisaig down Hawthorne Street
3. the Old South River Road
4. the Trans-Canada from Cape Breton
5. the Trans-Canada from Pictou County
6. from the Lochaber Road
Grey lines - The grey lines are also symbolic of the six counties in Nova Scotia that,
at times, use Antigonish as a service center:
1. Pictou County
2. Antigonish County
3. Guysborough County
4. Inverness County
5. Victoria County (to a lesser degree)
6. Richmond County
