The Second World War was a terrifying time for Jews throughout the world. It would take the end of the war and liberating death camps for people to realize the full extent to which Jews were persecuted under the Nazi regime. Canada was not immune to…

Born in Africville, George Dixon (1870-1908) accomplished something no person of African descent – anywhere in North America – had ever done. Dixon became a world champion in boxing, not once but twice. George turned to boxing when he was young,…

Over the thousands of years the Mi’kmaq have lived in what is now called Nova Scotia, they have had hundreds of chiefs. One of their many leaders was the remarkable Peter Wilmot (1824-1932). His forest expertise was legendary. As one story goes:…

Aileen Aletha Meagher (1910-1987) exemplifies versatility. She ventured down various paths in her life and stood out in each one. Aileen first came to prominence at track and field. At the time, especially at the Halifax convent school she…

In her later years, Portia May White (1911-1968) offered this explanation for her life:"First you dream, then you put on your walking shoes." In the era in which Portia grew up, few would have imagined that the sixth child of Izie and Rev. William…

In 1936, the recently widowed Flora Marsh (nee MacQuarrie) and her family of four teenaged children moved from Sydney, Cape Breton, to Halifax. The children grew up in a household rich with music, their mother a talented pianist from a musical…

By the 1890s, women in Halifax and across Canada had created a plethora of organizations devoted to serving and reforming society. From the middle of the nineteenth century, women had been working through church and community organizations to…

In April 2001, the Canada Parks and Monuments Board declared Edith Archibald a "person of national historic significance" for her role in the first wave of feminism in Canada. A reformer and woman of influence, Archibald was instrumental in the…

Daniel Warnell (1814-1888) was born in Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia. He was first recorded in census records in 1851 as living in the Jeddore area, although his son, William, was recorded as born in Salmon River Bridge in 1843. Daniel worked as a…

The Yarmouth County Museum officially opened its doors on June 9th, 1969, at 22 Collins Street, right in the heart of the Collins Heritage Conservation District. It is dedicated to the memory of Major Daniel and Alvina Murphy, who, two years…