|
| Ross Farm Museum |
Come to Ross Farm Museum to explore 60 acres of rolling farmland and discover what life was like on a Nova Scotia family farm over 100 years ago.
An authentic, living heritage site, much of the farm remains the same as it was in the 1800s. From historic Rose Bank Cottage where the Ross family lived, to daily activities such as wool spinning, candle making, and ox shoeing, the museum gives visitors the chance to experience yesterday’s traditional farming methods, while learning sustainable ways of living for today.
Chat with costumed interpreters, hike the scenic nature trail, take a wagon ride or winter sleigh ride, and meet the animals who live and work on the farm as you connect with Nova Scotia’s rural heritage. Whether you’re milking a cow or enjoying the site’s natural beauty, Ross Farm Museum provides a unique glimpse of life in the 19th-century. |
| Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic |
Come and explore life at sea, up-close and personal at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in the UNESCO World Heritage Town of Lunenburg.
Learn about Rum Running, whales and August Gales. Meet lobsters, flounders, cods and more in our aquarium. Have a yarn with old salts and enjoy Bluenose memorabilia. Walk the docks, visit our wharf-side vessels and refresh in the salt air as you take in one of the best maritime moments in the world.
Visit the Salt Store Gift Shop or dine at the Old Fish Factory Restaurant. Come rain or shine and discover something for all ages in one of Nova Scotia’s most celebrated fishing communities! |
| Wile Carding Mill |
From 1860 to 1968, this water-powered mill lightened the workload for Nova Scotian farm families by carding a week’s worth of wool in one hour! See the very machine that revolutionized carding in the area and imagine the clatter as it prepared wool for bedding and spinning. Step outside and picture the line of ox carts that would wait patiently as women operators processed loads of sheep fleece.
Wile Carding Mill’s overshot waterwheel still turns in its tranquil setting on Sandy Brook, a reminder of a once vibrant industrial centre. |
| Perkins House Museum |
Every day for over 40 years, Simeon Perkins recorded details in his diary about life, family and business in Liverpool. From mentions of ships’ captains, to notes about goods coming and going, to remarks about his house, American privateers, children
being born and even the threat of the smallpox epidemic of 1800, Simeon’s observations provide a personal perspective on life in Nova Scotia from 1766 to 1812.
Discover the nooks and crannies of Perkins’ historic home. Step into the parlour and picture this merchant and community leader seated in an elegant mahogany wing chair, dipping his quill in ink as he captured the details of daily life. |
| Ross-Thomson House Museum |
Travel back to 1780s Nova Scotia and the recently settled townof Shelburne. Here, thousands of Loyalist refugees began new lives after the American War of Independence. In this historic store, seasoned merchants George and Robert Ross carried on an international trade in tea, coffee, rum, port and wine, while offering both necessities and luxuries to the town’s residents.
Greet the clerk and step up to the counter stocked with the kind of goods the Ross Brothers once bartered and sold. Spend some time inside their living quarters, furnished in the sparse but elegant style of the period, and visit the Militia Room above the shop where you might meet a 1780s militia guard. |
| The Dory Shop Museum |
Step into this authentic harbour-side dory factory to discover the historic Shelburne Dory and enter the world of the famous Grand Banks fishery as it existed from 1880 to 1971.
Learn how Shelburne dorymakers rivaled their Lunenburg competitors by using the dory clip. Find out why the reliable dory was the backbone of the east coast fishery and the most popular small craft in the Atlantic Provinces for almost a century. |
| Barrington Woolen Mill |
Discover how this busy, local industry of the late 1800s saved Nova Scotian women endless hours of washing, spinning and weaving their wool at home. See the machinery that transformed raw fleece into yarn and cloth and listen to stories about the lives of the mill workers.
Imagine the steady rhythms of the spinner, twister, skeiner and loom that were once powered by the river’s rushing water. Spinners are always welcome and schools are invited to call to reserve space for September visits. |
| Old Meeting House |
| Among the oldest in North America, this meeting house was a building-in-progress for its first hundred years. Built by Congregationalist fishermen and farmers from Cape Cod, called Planters, the windows, doors, box pews, and a pulpit were added by the mid-1800s. People have gathered in this building for both township business and religious worship for two centuries. Inside, see period “graffiti” and listen to the resounding acoustics as you read a historic sermon. Outside, on gravestones in the cemetery, discover the stories of some early settlers. |