Sister Rita Clare (1933-2017) grew up in a musical family in Sydney. As a child she attended St. Joseph's School and Holy Angels Convent. She graduated from Holy Angels High School, the school where she would teach music for thirteen years. She…

On August 6, 1846, Anna Swan was born in a log cabin in Millbrook near Tatamagouche to parents of normal stature. Her birth weight was thoughtto be nearly 6 kilograms (13 pounds). Due to excess growth hormone likely because of a problem with her…

Anna Hamilton was born in Brule Point, Colchester County, in 1918. She received her education at Pictou Academy, the Provincial Normal College, and Acadia University, where she completed her B.A. in 1942 and M.A. in 1954. Anna then went on to teach…

Take a walk down University Avenue sometime. There’s one name you’ll notice that shows up on several buildings on the street: Killam. Starting at Dalhousie University, you’ll see the Killam Memorial Library looming on campus. Walk further down the…

One of the most recognizable sites in Yarmouth is the Milton Horse Fountain. Located on Main Street at the corner of Vancouver Street, it is often used as a directional point. The fountain was a gift from prominent Yarmouth resident, Clara Killam,…

During the Victorian period, it was common practice to create mementos from human hair. Hair art typically was made as an act of rememberance – a memento mori for a lost loved one. Other examples of hair art signify a special bond, created as a…

Mona Parsons moved to Wolfville at the age of 10 – a move precipitated by the loss of her father’s business in a fire in their hometown of Middleton. Mona graduated from Wolfville’s Acadia Ladies’ Seminary in 1920, and furthered her studies at the…

Nineteenth-century Nova Scotia differed from today’s province in countless ways. One was in the field of medicine. Until Maria Louisa Angwin (1849-1898) came along to break a barrier, all doctors in the province were — and had always been —…

On March 24, 1914, the Board of Governors of Acadia University in Wolfville announced plans for a Women’s College Residence. The new residence would be home to 50 women plus house several staff members and a matron who would oversee their wellbeing.…

It was not unusual for young Nova Scotians in the late 19th century to head off to find work in the United States. It happened in many sectors, though not often in the arts. So how does one explain the Prat family in Wolfville, who produced not one…