Museums & More

Pick up the 'Explore our Museums' Gift Passport
Tour brochure at our Visitor Centres. Exciting
things to see and do for the whole family!

Visit Six of the Eight Eligible Museums, get your Passport stamped at each one and receive the Grand Gift Package, containing items donated by each participating location!

Former Liverpool Town Hall

The former Town Hall is a National Historic site of architectural and historical significance and it is now the home of the Sherman Hines Museum of Photography & Galleries of Art. The building was constructed during 1901-1902 on land donated by the Gorham family and features elegant restrained classical detailing.  It is located at 219 Main Street. 

Fort Point Cairn

Found at the Fort Point Lighthouse Park in Liverpool (see below), the cairn was erected on July 1, 1936 by the Queens County Historical Society. It is constructed from local stone and bronze plaques commemorate two outstanding events in Liverpool's history. The plaque on the landward side is in recognition of the 1604 visit of Sieur de Monts and his geographer Samuel de Champlain to Port du Rossignol. The plaque on the seaward side commemorates the privateers who sailed for the British navy during the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Gorham Monument

On the corner of Church Street and Gorham Street, Liverpool, this iron railing enclosed monument is the final resting place of James and Jedidah Gorham. Until his death in 1841 at the age of 80, James Gorham was a well-respected citizen of Liverpool. He was a merchant, magistrate and a member of society. His goal for the "public good" was manifested by his liberal donations to public objects - the Congregational Church, the Academy he built for the town, and the Temperance Hall. Portraits of the Gorhams can be seen at the Queens County Museum.

The Cobb Monument

Found on west Main Street, on the banks of the Mersey River, this area was the location of one of the first homes built in Liverpool in 1759. The house, belonging to Captain Sylvanus Cobb, burned down around 1943. and the monument that now stands was erected in 1933 by the Queens County Historical Society.

Loyalist Monument

The monument is located on Highway 103 across from the United Church in Port Mouton. The cairn commemorates the loyalist Tarleton's Legion Landing over 200 years ago.

Fort Point Lighthouse Park

21 Fort Lane,
End of Main Street, Liverpool
Contact:  Ann Langille
Telephone : (902) 354-5260 (Mid May - Mid Oct)
                         (902) 354-5741 (Year-Round) 
Email:  info@regionofqueens.com
Fort Point Lighthouse (1855) is the third oldest surviving lighthouse in Nova Scotia.  Visitors can climb the tower and experience what it would have been like to be a keeper of the light. Costumed interpreters and displays bring to life the Privateering and shipbuilding heritage of Queens County. The gift shopfeatures local folk art and unique lighthouse collectibles. The Lighthouse is open mid-May to mid-October daily. For more details see "Explore our Lighthouses" brochure.

Hank Snow Country Music Centre

Bristol Avenue, Liverpool
Contact:  Lauren Tutty
Telephone : (902) 354-4675
Fax: (902) 354-5199
www.hanksnow.com
The Centre is located in the historic CN Railway Station, only minutes from country music legend Hank Snow's childhood home. The restored station, where Hank was a frequent visitor, features many famous personal memorabilia of native son Hank Snow, including his 1947 convertible Cadillac. Canadian country music stars, including Caroll Baker born in nearby Port Medway, Wilf Carter and Ronnie Prophet are all showcased.  A re-creation of the Station Master's office displays local railroading history and a gift shop offers rare country CD's, tapes and unique souvenirs.

Milton Blacksmith Shop

351 West Street, Milton
Contact: Christine Tupper (Curator)
Telephone: (902) 354-2550
Open: 10 am - 4 pm   June to mid-October
This quaint restored 1903 Smithy shop is located on the shore of the Mersey River. All are welcome to view the operational forge, the ox sling, and the displays on horseshoeing and wood and metal working. The museum also features photos of historical Milton.

Liverpool Heritage Murals

Two striking murals are located on the waterfront facing the picturesque Mersey River. The first heritage mural depicts the "Protectors of Liverpool" circa 1780 a tribute to early settlers of the area. The second mural, the "History of the Mersey River" is one of the largest murals in Atlantic Canada, covering a space of nearly 6,500 square feet. These larger than life pictorials tell the story of the Mi'Kmaq settlements and the rich history of Queens county forefathers.

Dr. Thomas H. Raddall Research Centre

www.queensmuseum.netfirms.com
A relica of this world renowned writer Dr. Thomas Radall's personal study is located in the Queens County Museum (see below) on Main Street in Liverpool,  Next to the study is the Research Centre, which houses one of the most extensive collections of literature on the Mayflower settlers. The genealogy centre is a fascinating source of family history information.

Rossignol Cultural Centre

205 Church Street, Liverpool
Telephone:  (902) 354-3067
Fax:  (902) 354-2705
Email:  rossignolcc@auracom.com
www.rossignolculturalcentre.com
Located just up the hill from Main Street, the Rossignol Cultural Centre combines 12 surprising and unusual museums in one. The Guide Sports, Hunting, Fishing and Mi'Kmaq Museum features images and artifacts of early guiding and native life. There are folk art, outhouse and apothecary museums and a re-created English Tea Room. The Wildlife Museum has an 18 foot giraffe, musk ox, polar bear, wolf, caribou and other animals from North America and Africa. Outside there are teepees, an early settler's cabin, a yurt, a blockhouse and a re-creation of Maude Lewis' tiny house.

North Queens Heritage House Museum

25 West Caledonia Road, Caledonia
Contact: Sandra Rowter - Curator
Telephone : (902) 682-2989
Email: heritage@auracom.com   
http://northqueens.ednet.ns.ca
Built in 1854, the Heritage House is one of the oldest homes in the northern Queens area. The house is furnished with interesting turn of the century artifacts. A display of logging history, excellent archives for the North Queens area and a genealogy of local families are most notable. A CAP site is also available for community computer access. The museum is open June to September.

N.F. Douglas and Company Store

9849 Main St, Caledonia
Telephone: (902) 682-2334
Email: nfd@auracom.com
General store, operating since 1875. Museum area displays samples of merchandise typical of the early 1900s to the '50s: cure-all elixirs, Victrola 78 records, furniture and fixtures. Open year-round.

Old Burial Ground

Main Street at Old Bridge Street, Liverpool
Contact:  Region of Queens Municipality
Telephone:  (902) 354-5741
Email:  info@regionofqueens.com
The earliest burial ground in Liverpool (1760) and resting place for many of the town's first proprietors.  All the headstones have been researched and documented.  Interpretive panels tell interesting stories about the gravestones.  Tours with costumed animators are offered during Privateer Days in early July.  Restoration of the old fountain is in progress.  Open year round.

Old Meeting House

69 Long Cove Road, Port Medway
Contact:  Chris Georghiou
Telephone: (902) 677-2661
Email:  chrispam@eastlink.ca 
This provincial heritage property was built in 1832. It is an architectural gem with simple roof lines and a warm ambient wood panelled interior. The unusual pews were built in the "collegiate style" facing one another in tiers rising to the high windows. The pulpit is at one end, the singing gallery at the other. Open June to October.

Perkins House Museum

105 Main Street, Liverpool
Telephone: (902) 354-4058
http://museum.gov.ns.ca/peh/index.htm

Perkins House is the oldest house in the Nova Scotia Museum collection. This charming example of a Cape Cod was built in 1766 for Simeon Perkins, a native of Connecticut. He came to Nova Scotia in 1762, during the Planter migration, participated in privateering, and soon became one of Liverpool's leading citizens. Among the many features of this graceful old home is the Perkins Diary, Simeon's 40 year testimonial to colonial life in Liverpool through his eyes and from his hand. Walk upstairs and observe the appearance of standing in the "Upside Down" hull of a ship. The museum is open June 1 to October 15.

Queens County Museum

109 Main Street, Liverpool
Contact:  Linda Rafuse - Curator
Telephone: (902) 354-4058
www.queenscountymuseum.com
Built in 1980, the Museum was designed to represent a large warehouse of the colonial days of Liverpool. This museum houses documents and artifacts that tell the story of Queens County's rich natural and human history. Experience the history of the Privateers, the Mik'maq, African Heritage, the Shipbuilders, the Log Drivers or the World Wars. Watch the working model railway in action and see the Dickens' Christmas Village display. The Thomas Raddall Research Centre for the genealogist, also operates within the museum. It includes a faithful reproduction of the authors study, including his own furnishings. The Centre also houses Liverpool's early Township records from 1759 containing many descendants of Mayflower families.

Sherman Hines Museum of
Photography & Galleries of Art

219 Main Street, Liverpool
Telephone/Fax:  (902) 354-2667
Email:  shmp@shermanhines.com
www.shermanhinesphotographymuseum.com
Four galleries along with a permanent collection of photographs by prominent Canadian photographers are showcased in the elegant setting of the former Liverpool Town Hall. Photographers from throughout Nova Scotia and Eastern Canada are featured in exhibits that change periodically. Rotating shows by internationally renowned photographer and Liverpool native, Sherman Hines; a permanent exhibit of holograms; a camera obscura and much more make this gallery a must see for photography enthusiasts. The facility also houses the only Museum of Photography east of Montreal and an extensive photographic library.

Veterans Memorial Park - Greenfield

Route 210, Greenfield (opposite the store)
A small riverside park in commemmoration of our Veterans from which to view the waters of the Medway River, enjoy a picnic and learn about early pioneers, the Gold Rush, the first train, fishing guides and much more.  An information kiosk displays brochures and local events, together with a large interpretive panel depicting the history of the area.  Open year-round.

Veterans Memorial Park - Liverpool

Bristol Avenue (beside river bridge), Liverpool
Relax beside the Mersey River, enjoy a picnic or learn about the history of the river bridge and the shipbuilding history of Liverpool from interpretive panels.  Boaters can access the water via a boat ramp.  Parking available.  Open year-round.