Nova Scotia Interpretive Master Plan 2.0 Current Situation Prepared by: 16 Understanding the current situation of interpretation in Nova Scotia, both within and outside of the Heritage Division, is an important part of the Interpretive Master Plan. This includes identifying units within the Division that provide interpretation (and those with the potential to expand their interpretation), and a description of the Nova Scotia Museum system and the provincial collection. A SWOT analysis provides an assessment of the NSM’s current interpretive products. In partnership with: Commonwealth Historic Resource Management Limited Robert Frame - Consultant 17 Economic Planning Group Nova Scotia Interpretive Master Plan 2.1 Heritage Division The preservation, interpretation and promotion » Heritage Outreach and Funding Programs: of public awareness of the inherent value of Nova These programs support community Scotia’s unique natural and cultural heritage museums with funding and museological is the responsibility of the Department of advice; administer the Heritage Property Act Tourism, Culture and Heritage. Other agencies that identifies, preserves and encourages and organizations support and complement » The Nova Scotia Museum: This is not the appropriate use of heritage buildings; the Department’s work, but ultimately, it is one single institution in the traditional provide research grants to promote research the Heritage Division that is responsible for sense, but rather a family of 27 sites in in disciplines relevant to the programs safeguarding provincial heritage resources for which the province has a direct or shared of the Nova Scotia Museum; and help future generations. responsibility for collection management, identify projects and fund partnerships research, exhibition and interpretation, with local governments and a variety of By meeting the requirements of legislation, and educational programming in the organizations that advance the cause of managing operations and delivering programs, natural sciences, history and archaeology. heritage conservation and its promotion. and developing, enforcing and implementing The sites range from full-service museums regulations and policies, the Heritage Division to village complexes, historic houses and strives to protect, enhance and celebrate the industrial mills. This decentralized museum heritage of the province. The goal is to ensure system is unique in the country, and it has that Nova Scotia’s historic legacy will endure been successful in bringing the natural and continue to contribute to a Nova Scotian and cultural history of the province to identity and sense of place. These operations and many areas of the province. The system programs fall into five (5) categories and can be also has faced challenges as a result of its identified briefly as: decentralized nature, but overall this unique organization has brought strength and diversity. Partnerships with communities in the operation of several of the NSM sites builds local knowledge, ownership, and support for the provincial museum program in communities throughout the province. Form:Media Prepared by: 18 Current Situation 2.0 Courtesy of Bob Semple and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic » Heritage Promotion and Development: This unit is responsible for marketing the Heritage Division. The majority of their work is with the NSM, and includes responsibility for the NSM website, individual websites, rack cards and other Division brochures, the event guide, the Learning Resource catalogue, marketing research, and graphic standards The Community Museum Assistance » Special Places Protection: This program and photography. Program (CMAP) is particularly important for is specifically tasked with implementing supporting community museums across the legislation designed to safeguard key province, as this funding supports operations palaeontological and archaeological sites, and special projects that help communicate including underwater sites. It formally the province’s stories. protects sites and ensures that high standards of research are met through the administration of a permit system. Many sites in this program, like Joggins, have the potential to be further utilized to interpret the province’s natural and cultural history. » The Historic Places Initiative: This is a Canada-wide program in which Nova Scotia Each of these five units and programs within the is a partner, that aims to identify and Heritage Division contains interpretive resources encourage the protection and appropriate that are considered in the Interpretive Master use of heritage resources from buildings and Plan. The NSM is the most obvious interpretive landscapes to cemeteries and waterways. resource and the main focus of the Master One key component is The Standards and Plan, but the other units and their programs Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic contain untapped resources for telling the Places in Canada, a pan-Canadian tool stories of the province. Partnerships and for heritage conservation practices in sharing of resources across all of these Division Canada. departments and programs presents exciting new Form:Media (3 images) opportunities to engage visitors. In partnership with: Commonwealth Historic Resource Management Limited Robert Frame - Consultant 19 Economic Planning Group Nova Scotia Interpretive Master Plan Form:Media (2 images) Nova Scotia Museum Barrington Woolen Mill Museum, Barrington The purpose of this section is look at each of Barrington Woolen Mill is an original mill building the 27 sites in the Nova Scotia Museum system with its mill race, original spaces and machinery individually, with respect to their current intact in situ. The machinery, however, is not interpretative exhibits and programs. This is a operational. The mill is the last of its kind in cursory look at each site, providing background eastern Canada and the northeastern United information only. A more detailed inventory of States. interpretative exhibits and programs at each site was completed in Martha Grantham’s report, Interpretation at the site includes photocopied Nova Scotia Museum Interpretive Product Inventory signs, binders with restoration pictures and other (2005). small signs, a silent CBC video with historical footage, as well as a staff tour and demonstrations (carding, spinning, weaving etc.). The stories focus on the history of this mill as well as the man that owned and operated it, the role of Barrington in sheep farming and wool production, the industrial technology of the mill, the nature of work in the mill and the role and value of mills like this to rural women. Balmoral Grist Mill Museum, Balmoral Mills The Balmoral Grist Mill is a seasonal operation. Its interpretive strength is that it is a working mill with a miller who demonstrates the operation of the machinery, and guides who lead visitors through the processes involved in grinding different types of grain. There are some limited interpretive exhibits, demonstrations (i.e., traditional toasting of oats) and hands-on opportunities. The site also hosts special events. Barrington receives school groups in June and September and there are plans to purchase twenty looms this year for an outreach program. Prepared by: 20 Current Situation 2.0 Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture and Heritage Form:Media (2 images) Cossit House Museum, The Dory Shop Museum, Firefighters’ Museum of Nova Scotia, Sydney, Cape Breton Sydney, Cape Breton Yarmouth Cossit House is operated by the Old Sydney The Dory Shop Museum is part of the historic The Firefighters’ Museum is located on Yarmouth’s Society, as one of a number of community waterfront of Shelburne and is managed by main downtown street. There are two galleries, properties. It is a small 18th century minister’s the Shelburne Historical Society, who are also both with large open spaces, many large-scale home situated in Sydney’s Heritage Conservation responsible for the Ross-Thomson House and pumps and trucks, and several exhibit cases District along with a number of relevant Store as well as the community museum and with smaller items. The walls are used to display properties – a strength of the site. The house, archives. The Dory Shop is the last of a number of photographs, clothing and equipment. which is the earliest remaining house in Sydney, is similar shops that produced thousands of dories a key component of a walking tour involving other for the deep-sea fishery from the mid 19th century The museum tells the story of firefighting buildings and streetscapes of Sydney’s historic into the interwar period. techniques and technology as it evolved in north end. Nova Scotia since the 19th century, as well as Guides introduce the subject of the dory famous fires in the province, a toy display and The house and costumed interpreters tell the and direct visitors to the display of boats and interpretation of Yarmouth policing. Recently, story of a Loyalist minister and his family, as well panel exhibits that explain the history, role an exhibit renewal plan was completed and as settlement and early life in Cape Breton. The and significance of the Shelburne dory and additional planning and design began in house is small; making space for demonstrations the invention of the dory clip technology that December, 2008. or programming limited. The grounds include a promoted mass production of these versatile large backyard and small heritage garden. little boats. A video presentation of an interview with long-time Shelburne dory builder Sidney Mahaney shows