Kings County Museum

08/24/2026

We may have posted this before, but it is an important update and deserves to be shared again . . . https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1M5waD4DcW/

*New online tool makes it easier to explore New Brunswick family history*

Anyone looking to trace their family roots or learn more about the region’s history now have an easier way to search New Brunswick’s historical records.

The Provincial Archives of New Brunswick has launched a new vital statistics search platform that allows users to quickly search historical birth, marriage and death records, track requests and access improved online services.

More than one million historical vital statistics records are currently available online, including birth records more than 95 years old and marriage and death records more than 50 years old.

For many, the online collection can be a valuable resource for researching local ancestors, family connections and the history of communities throughout New Brunswick.

The province has also dramatically expanded its online historical photograph collection, which now includes more than 150,000 images, up from approximately 2,200 less than a year ago.

“The archives continues to preserve New Brunswick's documentary heritage while improving public access to historical records,” said Provincial Archivist Joanna Aiton Kerr.

The Provincial Archives was the first archives in North America to make historical vital statistics records available online in 1998. Since 2008, the service has processed more than 44 million searches.

The new platform was developed through a collaboration involving the Provincial Archives, the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Service New Brunswick. Online payment options are expected to be added soon.

For anyone interested in genealogy, the new platform provides another convenient way to discover the people, families and stories that helped shape the community and the province.

Access the updated online tool here:
https://www.gnb.ca/en/topic/your-gov/data-records/archives.html

Use "Search the provincial archives collection" to discover and explore New Brunswick's public archival collections.

Use "Vital Statistics Search Engine" to view historical New Brunswick births, marriages, and deaths

Photo: Province of New Brunswick

08/14/2026

The Gaol (Jail) is looking great
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JKDvZ8wfM/

08/09/2026

08/06/2026

https://www.maritimesmaven.com/new-blog-1/2026/7/24/kings-county-quilt-barn-tour-a-scenic-road-trip-along-new-brunswicks-barn-quilt-trail?utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1demonp8a8yf9&fbclid=IwY2xjawThtElwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR7gxQGWg1g7F7RQoomftTmxIQBVpcMzIKaBuomrWPivVqzFGwjf5tmtbWqkzA_aem_sUZp4bUumIqqQRuYq4JUOg

Discover the Kings County Quilt Barn Tour in New Brunswick. Explore 24 colourful barn quilts, scenic backroads, local shops, and hidden gems over a memorable two-day road trip.

08/01/2026

This week we are celebrating the many covered bridges across the province, those still supporting our travel and those that have been lost over time. New Brunswick once had over 300 covered bridges at once in the 1950s, and over 1000 that have been built across the province. NB also holds the longest covered bridge in the world, standing at 1282 feet long in Hartland, Carleton County. Kings County is known as the Covered bridge capital of Atlantic Canada, with over 100 covered bridges that stood throughout it’s history, and 15 that still stand today. Come celebrate covered bridge week with us by taking a walk through history in our indoor covered bridge!!

08/01/2026

"Cool" Sussex story . . .
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BhkjK23Zv/

🍦 The ice cream cone is claimed to have been invented in Sussex, New Brunswick by a man named Walter Donnelly — entirely by accident.

He was just a young man working a summer job in a Sussex bakery when he badly messed up a batch of dough.

Likely taking his cue from a hyper-local 1899 food fad in the Miramichi region called a “cornucopia” — which basically was a modern ice cream cone filled with whipped cream, strawberry jam and sliced fresh strawberries — the quick-thinking Donnelly made his bad baking batch of flat dough into “cornucopias.”

However, he still needed someone to actually buy his cones.

Right next door to his bakery was the award-winning Sussex Cheese & Butter Co., which had recently diversified into selling ice cream.

Donnelly brought his accidental creation into the ice cream shop as an edible alternative to putting ice cream in cups, and, just like that, the ice cream cone was born.

📰 As well as allegedly inventing the ice cream cone, Walter Donnelly led a full life which included being a teacher, steelworker, reporter, life-insurance salesman, anti-parking-meter activist, and amateur pilot who crashed into a horse (the horse was okay). Read the article here: backyardhistory.ca/f/the-strange-life-of-sussexs-inventor-of-the-ice-cream-cone

📙 His story and many more appear in the fourth Backyard History book ‘Mysterious Stories From Atlantic Canada’s Past,’ which you can find at backyardhistory.ca/books

07/29/2026

Summer Artifacts day 14!

Today’s artifact is a shipping crate from the Flewelling Match Factory, which once stood in Hampton throughout the late 1800s until 1918. The G. & G. Flewelling factory was an integral backbone of Hampton’s economy for over 50 years, expanding from a local riverside mill into a massive operation that shipped over 1.6 million matches daily across Atlantic Canada and beyond. This surviving wholesale box, complete with its original wood-block stamped lettering, is a direct link to Kings County’s rich industrial history.

Come by the museum to see more artifacts and discover the history of kings county!

07/29/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Kpm8bvQs/

07/18/2026

Summer artifacts day 13!

Today's artifact is a baltric that belonged to Captain Clarence Spooner, "C" Company, 74th Battalion. It was used at Camp Sussex, 1887-1900.

Be sure to stop by!

07/16/2026

Day 12 of our summer artifacts series!

Today's artifact is a man's pocket watch with a clear face with black numerals and a k**b at the top. It's from around the 1950s with a gold colored case.

Be sure to stop by!