Colchester Historeum Museum & Archives

Colchester Historeum Museum & Archives Explore Colchester's past and present through fascinating museum exhibits and archival resources Our Gift Shop offers local publications for purchase.

The Colchester Historical Society continues to preserve and present Colchester County’s past by striving to offer an authentic and inclusive perspective of local history and culture through community and visitor engagement in its operation of the Colchester Historeum, a museum and archives located in Truro, Nova Scotia. Using contemporary methods of interpretation, collections management, and educ

ation, we encourage conversation, understanding, and meaningful connections between all individuals. The Museum collects, preserves and exhibits artifacts and stories related to Colchester heritage. The Archives preserves thousands of records, documents, publications and photos to help with historical and genealogical research.

The Colchester Historical Society is getting ready for a fall book sale. If you have a surplus of gently used books, ple...
05/29/2026

The Colchester Historical Society is getting ready for a fall book sale. If you have a surplus of gently used books, please bring them to the Colchester Historeum at 29 Young Street. Our summer hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm.

Using the ramp accessible from the parking area behind our building can make your delivery easier.

The book sale will be held on Saturday, Sept. 19. We will have lots of great titles to choose from. Payment by cash and debit.

The Historeum has received the Doug Kirby Award for Outstanding Achievement in Archival Preservation from the Council of...
05/29/2026

The Historeum has received the Doug Kirby Award for Outstanding Achievement in Archival Preservation from the Council of Nova Scotia Archives in recognition of our school register project.

This three-year project involved reorganizing, researching, describing, and rehousing our vast collection of Colchester County school registers. To date more than 10,000 individual registers have been processed. A new database makes these records more accessible to archives staff and to the public.

Registers 100 years or older have been digitized, and these scans have now been uploaded to novamuse.ca. Researchers can find a full list of registers that have been processed, along with instructions on how to access digitized records here: https://colchesterhistoreum.ca/cmsb/uploads/school-registers.pdf.

Thank you to the CNSA for this recognition.

We gratefully acknowledge the funding provided by Library and Archives Canada under the Documentary Heritage Communities Program which made this project possible.

For Throwback Thursday we have a photo of log driving on the Stewiacke River at Forest Glen, circa 1925. ...
05/28/2026

For Throwback Thursday we have a photo of log driving on the Stewiacke River at Forest Glen, circa 1925.

Diane Holbrook and Ron Cummings of Massachusetts visited the archives Tuesday to research Diane’s McNutt ancestors in Co...
05/27/2026

Diane Holbrook and Ron Cummings of Massachusetts visited the archives Tuesday to research Diane’s McNutt ancestors in Colchester County.

In addition to genealogies and vital statistics, Diane even found an account book with entries from 1797 to 1805. It was kept by Diane’s sixth-great-grandfather, William McNutt (1733-1823), a grantee of Onslow Township.

The book’s owner was identified by Carol Campbell and James F. Smith. In their book "Planters and Grantees of Cobequid, Nova Scotia, 1761-1780" they write: “The book’s pages reveal that William was a local trader, supplying his neighbours with goods such as ‘Cotten Stockings, Coars Combs, Small buttons, gloves, Shawls, Bandanah Handkerchiefs, papers of pins, Skenes of Silk, Sticks of Twist, Butter, Suger, Tenpenny nails, Lime, quires of paper, Cisors, To Bacco, Spirits, Raysons, oats, wais Coat Patrons, Scarlet Coats, hat Covers,’ and yards of ‘Linen, fustin, Broad Cloth, Carsymere, Shaloon, thickset, striped muslin’ and other common fabrics of the day.

"No entry in this volume is more ironic than one showing a charge of 3 shillings, 6 pence to Abner McNitt, 14 June 1797, for ‘tu spelling Books,’ and 2 shillings for ‘won pennif.’ Incidentally, the spelling books were big sellers!"

Who was Dr. Clement Ligoure and what was his connection to Truro? Come in and see a trio of banners produced by the Asso...
05/26/2026

Who was Dr. Clement Ligoure and what was his connection to Truro? Come in and see a trio of banners produced by the Association of Nova Scotia Museums and learn how this Trinidadian faced challenges with grace and determination to improve the lives of Black Canadians.

Thank you to the Association of Nova Scotia Museums for loaning these educational banners.

05/23/2026

How could you resist an opportunity to explore Colchester County history on a Saturday? The Historeum is now open from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday, until August 22.

Come in, have a chat, and learn more about early life in the heart of Nova Scotia!

Join us for a Lunch & Learn presentation with author Linda Little at noon on Wednesday, June 3 as she recounts how her h...
05/22/2026

Join us for a Lunch & Learn presentation with author Linda Little at noon on Wednesday, June 3 as she recounts how her historical novel, "Grist", was born in the Balmoral Grist Mill where she worked for many seasons.

In addition to short readings from her novel, she will examine how narratives built on the past shape our understanding of where we came from and where we are. Her presentation will also explore assumptions made and subsequent stories told about women's place in history.

Bring your lunch, refreshments provided.
Admission by donation or free to CHS members.

For Throwback Thursday we have a snapshot of the train bridge across the Shubenacadie River from Green Oaks to South Mai...
05/21/2026

For Throwback Thursday we have a snapshot of the train bridge across the Shubenacadie River from Green Oaks to South Maitland, 1940.

The bridge was completed in 1901 and saw its final train in 1983. It was demolished several years later, but the piers remain. Today, a lookoff on the west side affords a view of the river and the piers.

One of the faces you'll see at the Historeum front desk this summer is Olivia Hooper.Olivia is attending Mount Saint Vin...
05/20/2026

One of the faces you'll see at the Historeum front desk this summer is Olivia Hooper.

Olivia is attending Mount Saint Vincent University and has one year left toward her Bachelor of Education (Elementary) degree.

This is her fourth summer at the Historeum, and she would love to show you around! The museum and archives is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm.

Summer hours are now in effect at the Colchester Historeum. The museum and archives is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-4p...
05/19/2026

Summer hours are now in effect at the Colchester Historeum. The museum and archives is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm until Aug. 22.

Come and explore Colchester history with us!

Address

29 Young Street
Truro, NS
B2N3W3

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+19028956284

Website

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