Mrs. Sylvia Weagle was an enthusiastic teacher, toy maker, and rock collector. She loved teaching kids and inspiring them with her toy creations. Sylvia also wrote some (unpublished) notes about rocks from Georges Bank, which she thought were dinosaur eggs.
Heritage Day, 2024
Heritage Day 2024 celebrated the life and legacy of Mr. William Hall, V.C., the African-descended Nova Scotian farmer and naval hero. What do we celebrate when we celebrate William Hall, his life, and his achievements? For more than a hundred years, Black Nova Scotians have celebrated Hall as a good neighbour and dutiful family member, as a courageous Black man who overcame entrenched race-based prejudices to live as freely and generously as he could.
Heritage Day - William Hall
Monday, February 19, 2024
Heritage Day is an annual reminder of our storied past and an opportunity to honour the remarkable people, places and events that have contributed to this province’s unique heritage.
Hello,
Here's what's happening across the Nova Scotia Museum.
Many types of dinosaurs did not chew their food - but used their sharp teeth to cut large pieces of food, which they swallowed without chewing. These dinosaurs used powerful stomach muscles and stones (gastroliths) to grind up their food. We can see many types of birds and other animals still doing this today.
We want to ensure you have all the information you need to plan your holiday museum visits. Each site within our museum family will be operating on special hours during the holiday season, so please take a moment to check the schedule before embarking on your visit.
Wishing each and every one of you a delightful holiday season! May it be filled with warmth, wonder, and a visit to a museum.
What Have I Found?
Have you ever been enjoying the outdoors, stumbled upon something interesting, and wondered if you’d found something special? If you think you have found something with heritage value, staff at the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism, & Heritage (CCTH) would like to hear from you.
The Nova Scotia Museum collections include snow crystals from 1940!
These intricate models of snow crystals were created by Edwin Reiber for the Cranbrook Institute of Science (Michigan). The models were the "first accurate models of snow crystals".
Get ready for a spooktacular time at our museums' Halloween events. A ghoulish good time awaits you!
Hello everyone,
Here's some of the latest events from across the Nova Scotia Museum.
Mi'kmaq History Month
October is Mi'kmaq History Month. Thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers, the Mi'kmaq called themselves L'nu'k, which simply means 'the people,' 'human beings.' Their present name, Mi'kmaq, derives from nikmaq, meaning 'my kin-friends.'
Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
After a wonderful summer season, some of our family of 28 Museums will be closing for the season. This month is your last chance to explore some of our sites until next year, closing dates are listed below.
Image: Dr. Ruth Holmes Whitehead, Order of Nova Scotia Investiture Ceremony, 2015. Photo Credit- Communications Nova Scotia.
The Nova Scotia Museum is sad to announce the passing of former Curator, Dr. Ruth Whitehead. Dr. Whitehead passed away in Halifax on August 29th, 2023.
Delicate fossils found in museum are cleaned, repaired, and mounted in archival supports when the fossils are put on display or used for research. This #FossilFriday we share an update on the museum conservation of the Gyracanthus magnificus specimen. Above is our Geology Intern, Robbie, using a wooden mallet, chisel, and diamond whetstone to chip away the very old plaster that the fossil fish spine was embedded within.
Imagine finding a giant fossil
Even the sound of the name, Gyracanthus magnificus [ Jyra’-can-thus mag-nifi-cus ], evokes excitement, and magnificus this fossil sure is!
The 325 million year old fossil was discovered in the limestone rocks near Baddeck, Nova Scotia in 1866. Gyracanthus magnificus was first mentioned in the scientific literature in Acadian Geology (Dawson 1868).
In Canada the first day of August is designated Emancipation Day, recognizing the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834. In Nova Scotia, Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs Tony Ince introduced legislation marking Emancipation Day in April 2021.
Following Premier Huston's recent declaration of a provincewide state of emergency in Nova Scotia, all museums located in these following areas will be closed today, Sunday July 23, 2023: HRM, East Hants, West Hants, Lunenburg County, and Queen’s County,
Historic Collections
While doing research on Rev. Dr. David Honeyman, the first Curator of the Nova Scotia Museum (1868-1889), we found these specimens – Rev. David Honeyman’s first discovered fossils from Nova Scotia.
Our summer season started on June 1. While some of our family of 28 sites reopened their doors, it's important to note that a few of our locations will remain closed temporarily due to the ongoing forest fires across the province. The safety and well-being of our visitors, staff, and the first responders are our top priorities, and we appreciate your understanding in this matter
Robbie Hussey, our new Co-Op student from Cape Breton University has been applying new numbered labels on various fish fossils and coprolites that were found in Lingan by Dr. Erwin Zodrow in 1984.