Coal and Grit

The Coal and Grit exhibit explores the history of coal mining in Pictou County through artifacts and photographs from the former Stellarton Mining Museum collection. Donated over a period of 50 years by community members, these items preserve the stories of past generations. Originally created as a temporary exhibit for the Museum of Industry’s 1995 opening, its popularity along with support from the Westray Families Group led to a refreshed and expanded version. It now includes events after 1995 and the recent history of surface mining.

Curated by local historian Judith Hoegg Ryan, who draws on her own coal mining heritage, community connections, and decades of research, the exhibit offers a deeply personal and richly documented account of the region’s coal mining past.