Glendale was believed to have been settled by Scottish Highlanders after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, and more arrived in the 19th century. Many of the area’s family names remain Scottish.

The Glendale parish was established in 1875, uniting the community further. Farming is the traditional industry of Glendale, an inland area. Today some local people work in Port Hawkesbury: at the paper mill, the port, and the gypsum wallboard; while others have moved further away to work. Glendale became central to the revival of Cape Breton fiddling in the early 1970s. A 1971 CBC film, The Vanishing Cape Breton Fiddler, led to the Hundred Fiddlers concert in Glendale, and over time, the training of a new generation of fiddlers.

The Glendale C@P Site is located within the Father John Angus Rankin Cultural Centre, on the 105 Highway. A museum, local art displays, and a gift shop share this space, a focal point in the community. The centre, which opened in 1999, is named in honor of Father John Angus Rankin (1918 – 1995), who promoted the area’s music and Gaelic culture throughout his life.

Today, the Cultural Centre hosts ceilidhs during the summer and fall months featuring both established and emerging talents.