What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 10am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Thursday 10am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm Friday 10am - 12pm 1pm - 4pm

Colchester Historeum Museum & Archives

Name: Colchester Historeum Museum & Archives
Address: 29 Young Street, Truro, NS, B2N3W3, CA
Telephone: +19028956284
Price range: $

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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.

09/02/2026

Save the date for the Colchester Historical Society Book Sale on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9am-1pm. Donated books have been accumulating over the last several weeks, so there will be lots of great titles for readers of all ages. Payment by cash and debit.

Pre-loved books will be accepted at the Colchester Historeum until Tuesday, Sept. 17.

08/28/2026

Save the date for our Lunch and Learn event at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 16, as British Home Children descendant Don Ambler discusses the vast child migration program from the 1860s to the 1940s that brought more than 100,000 impoverished children from Britain to Canada. Among them, approximately 5,000 arrived in Nova Scotia.

In his presentation, Ambler will explore how these children and their descendants made significant contributions to Canada; however, their stories and placements remain largely overlooked in Canadian history. He will also share specific insights about Colchester County, along with details about his father, Irvine, an orphan sent from the UK to Canada at the age of 13 in 1927.

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

08/27/2026

For Throwback Thursday we have a photo taken from Terrace Hill Cemetery, Truro, looking north-east, circa 1950. The tower of St. Andrew’s Church can be seen near the centre of the photo, as well as several homes on Arthur Street (numbers 45, 49, and 55) and King Street.

08/24/2026

The Historeum will resume regular hours starting tomorrow, Tuesday, Aug. 25.

The museum and archives are open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, closed daily between noon and 1pm.

08/21/2026

This weekend we say goodbye to our summer staff, Marley, Alana, and Olivia, who have welcomed visitors to the museum and archives over the last several weeks. We wish them all the best as they continue their education. You can still see them Saturday from 10am-4pm.

This also marks the end of our expanded summer hours. The Historeum will resume regular hours starting on Tuesday, Aug. 25, open Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, closed daily for lunch between noon and 1pm.

08/20/2026

For Throwback Thursday, we have a photo of the home of Dr. John L. Peppard, known as Derry Place, now 194 Station Road, Great Village.

John Leander Peppard was born May 15, 1840, in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He resided and practiced medicine for most of his life in Great Village, the birthplace of his father. He married three times and had eight children.

Dr. Peppard died on September 20, 1907, as the result of accidental strychnine poisoning. He was working with his friend Samuel Lindsay on Peppard’s farm, when he returned to the house to mix a drink for himself and Lindsay. The Truro Daily News reported: “It is believed that Dr. Peppard, in mixing the drink for himself and companion, took the wrong bottle from his surgery shelf. There were two bottles side by side exactly alike in size, shape and general appearance, and with liquids similar in color; one was harmless and the other was deadly strychnine. Unfortunately both men drank a solution made from the strychnine bottle.” Lindsay died the following day, and a double funeral was held on September 25.

08/19/2026

Historeum archives staff received a request yesterday from Jim Willis, Onslow Mountain, left, who was hoping to find a local telephone number in use during the late 1960s. Archivist Ryan McLellan and researcher Joanne Hunt used a combination of early numerical telephone directories to find the number used by Jim’s grandmother, Blanche Willis. Staff discovered she was also listed as Mrs. Blanche Boomsky.

The stage name Boomsky was used by her husband, magician Isaac Willis, who performed as the "Great Boomsky" and later settled in Truro. Jim said his grandmother was often referred to as “Mrs. Boomsky” by members of the community.

08/13/2026

For Throwback Thursday we have a photo of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in The Falls, now known as the Balmoral Kirk, situated next to The Falls Cemetery.

The church opened in 1872 and operated until 2002. In 2009, it was purchased by Steve and Beth Johnston and extensively renovated. Beth received a Colchester Heritage Award for the renovations in 2010. It was renamed the Balmoral Kirk and reopened as an event venue in 2013.

The Kirk was listed for sale in July 2026.

08/06/2026

This Throwback Thursday, to celebrate a new roof and refurbished dormers on the heritage building we call home, here are a few photos of 29 Young Street over the years.

The building was constructed in 1900 as the Science Building of the Provincial Normal School and opened in that capacity in 1901. It was designed by architects Elliott & Hopson of Halifax – who also designed Halifax City Hall – and built by contractor James Reid at a cost of about $25,000. The exterior is constructed of Wallace red sandstone and brick in the Beaux-Arts style, and it received high praise for its details. The classrooms were said to have “the most perfect laboratories in Canada east of McGill University.”

When the Nova Scotia Teachers College moved to Arthur Street in 1961, the building was used for industrial arts education for several years. The historic building was extensively renovated and chosen as the home of the Colchester Historical Museum, now the Colchester Historeum, which opened in 1976.

08/05/2026

We are looking forward to a group visit from the Truro Black Cultural Development Association today. This afternoon's presentation will be a highlight of their Historeum visit. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Address

29 Young Street
Truro, NS
B2N3W3

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 12pm
	1pm - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 12pm
	1pm - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 12pm
	1pm - 4pm
Friday	10am - 12pm
	1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+19028956284

Website

http://colchesterhistoreum.ca/

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