Museum Closures

Given the continued spread of COVID-19 and based on public health officials’ guidance some sites have temporarily closed:

Nov. 20, 2020

We asked the Curator of Palaeontology at the Joggins Fossil Institute, Melissa Grey, Ph.D., and the Director/Curator of the Fundy Geological Museum, Danielle Serratos, M.S. to answer a few questions about the museums they work in and why those institutions are so important to Nova Scotia and the world.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

I’ve always regarded RMS Aquitania as the greatest ocean liner ever built for the North Atlantic Ocean. There are a number of reasons for this and I hope that this brief history of this remarkable ship will give you an appreciation of what made her so special.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Guano was essentially seabird or bat excrement that was gathered for use as fertilizer. The word comes from the Andean indigenous language Quechua, and refers to any form of dung used as agricultural fertilizer. There's evidence that the Andes people had gathered guano for centuries.

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

The oilskins in our Robertson Store ship chandlery have been an important item of our collection since the museum opened. They represent over 300 years of proud seafaring tradition in Nova Scotia and are a good reminder of our roots.

First class lounge panel from RMS Titanic, M2004.50.108

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

James Augustus Farquhar’s story carries through several galleries in our museum. His memorial statue stands between our Days of Sail and Age of Steam galleries, but his story does not begin there.

By Regan Maloney

I drive a 2006 Saturn Ion. One museum visitor this past summer exclaimed in the parking lot that it was, “the first fossil that they would see today”. The Saturn Ion went out of production in 2007 so they are becoming a rare sight on the roads. It’s my personal living fossil.

For this edition of Fundy Field Notes, we asked seasonal frontline staff member Krista Klassen to write a contribution. Krista and her family relocated from the Yukon to Parrsboro last Spring. She has noticed so many wonderful things about Parrsboro that we often take for granted so we wanted to give her the opportunity to share what brought her here.

This summer we baked together. Please enjoy all of our Nova Scotia Museum summer recipes in one place. Remember you can always share your bake #NovaScotiaFamilyCookBook 

Week 1 - Uniacke Estate Museum Park - Lucy bread 

4 cups of flour 

2 cups of sugar 

1 cup of milk 

1 cup of butter 

3-4 eggs 

1 tsp baking soda 

And a little spice 

Nova Scotia Museum sites are pleased to act as community distribution centres for washable, reusable, non-medical masks.

If you can, please purchase your own mask for use in indoor spaces. However, if you are not able to purchase a mask, 24 Nova Scotia Museum sites will have a limited supply available. Masks are available in both adult and youth sizes, and are adjustable. Each person can request up to two masks for each member of their immediate family.

During the summer, Museum staff are busy with field work and responding to public inquiries about potential fossil finds.  

“We had a feast of strawberries, the first I have seen.”

Mary Ann Norris, June 27, 1821

The Nova Scotia Museum is pleased to welcome you back to our sites! 

Since closing our museums in March, we have been working hard to find ways to connect with our visitors and share Nova Scotia’s remarkable natural and cultural heritage. We are excited to welcome visitors back to some of our museums. 

“Commenced working in the garden. I hope we are going to have spring.”

Mary Ann Norris, April 29, 1837 

Acacia Grove (Prescott House Museum) in late May

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#thoughtsonrocks - Growing up Fundy

A windy day at Carrs Brook beach, and the remains of the old wharf.

By Regan Maloney Catbird nest from Bon Portage Island, Nova Scotia

Natural History Museums are famous for their displays and dioramas. Dioramas are displays that recreate a scene with plants, animals and a painted background. The scene could be of dinosaurs from millions of years ago or of a forest with trees, deer and birds.