Yarmouth County Museum Opens Expansion

A $1.8-million expansion of the Yarmouth County Museum opened today to make more room for exhibits and to save artifacts from deterioration.

Climate-controlled storage facilities in the new preservation wing are saving the museum's collection of ship portraits, newspapers dating from the 1830s, clothing and other artifacts previously stored in the basement. This wing connects the main museum building to Abram Little House which is now a centre for archival research. Moving archives to this new space makes more room for exhibits in the museum.

"This expansion is a major addition to the cultural well-being of Yarmouth county and will ensure the ongoing preservation of Yarmouth's history for many years to come," said Eric Ruff, director and curator of the museum. "We want to thank everyone who's been involved in making this project a success."

The Yarmouth County Historical Society used $1.2 million in provincial and federal funds to expand the 42-year-old museum. Some of the funds were used for a marketing campaign which resulted in a rise in museum attendance to 14,432 visitors in 1999 from 9,648 in 1997.

"Like our well-developed waterfront, historic buildings and heritage sites, the Yarmouth County Museum is one of the many things that encourages tourists to spend time in this town," said MLA Richard Hurlburt on behalf of Economic Development Minister Gordon Balser. "Our investment in this expansion is ultimately an investment in local business that provides services to tourists and contributes to Nova Scotia's economy."

"The Yarmouth County Museum is quite significant - not only to those in Yarmouth County, but to other Nova Scotians and people from around the world," said Senator Jane Cordy on behalf of George Baker, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "This museum is recognized the world over for its incredible collection of ship portraits and for its excellent facilities for genealogy research. This is truly something to be proud of."

The government funding was invested through the Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification. The agreement is managed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Nova Scotia Economic Development.

The society also received financial contributions from the Town of Yarmouth, the Municipality of the District of Yarmouth, corporations, local businesses, organizations and residents. Assistance was provided by the Southwest Shore Development Authority and the Yarmouth Development Authority.

The public is invited to tour the new preservation wing and archive centre on Friday and Saturday afternoons beginning at 3:30 p.m. Regular summer museum hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

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