Black Loyalist History Exhibit at Museum of Industry

The stories, strengths and struggles of Nova Scotia's Black Loyalists are featured in the travelling exhibition Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities at the Museum of Industry, Stellarton, until Jan. 19, 2003.

The travelling exhibit, organized by the Nova Scotia Museum, includes some of the findings of historical and archaeological research about Black Loyalists in two communities: Birchtown, Shelburne Co., and the Tracadie area of Antigonish and Guysborough counties. The surnames of the known Black Loyalist families who emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1783 are part of the exhibition.

The research and the exhibit are facets of a two-year Nova Scotia Museum project that began in 1998. Members of the Brownspriggs Historical Society of Guysborough/Antigonish played an active role in the project's advisory group, which also included people from the two communities, the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, Parks Canada and the Department of Education's African Canadian Services Division.

"The Loyalists exhibit has a particular significance to New Glasgow and surrounding areas, since the appearance of the first Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia began the line of descendants for many local families," said William Paris, Jr., of New Glasgow. "Most migrated to this area in search of work. I am pleased that the Museum of Industry is hosting this exhibit at this time. It is important to highlight this heritage all year round."

In the 1780s, more than 2,700 Black Loyalists landed in Nova Scotia as a result of the American Revolution. Survivors of slavery, war and harsh conditions in an unknown land, they founded settlements throughout Nova Scotia. By 1785, the largest community of free blacks in North America had been established in Birchtown, Shelburne Co. In 1787, 74 Black Loyalist families were granted 3,000 acres (1,200 hectares) called the Brownspriggs Grant, in what is now the Tracadie area of Antigonish/Guysborough counties.

The Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities project was funded by the Multiculturalism Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Nova Scotia Museum and the Learning Resources Division of the Department of Education.

The exhibit will travel to other venues in Nova Scotia during the next few years.

During the stay of the exhibit, the Museum of Industry will offer a special two-hour educational program suitable for students in grades 4 through 6. Teachers can call the museum for additional information.

Online visitors may also want to visit the Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities virtual exhibition, at http://museum.gov.ns.ca/Black Loyalists. The Web site was contracted through the Canadian Heritage Information Network as one of the exhibitions chosen to be part of the Virtual Museum of Canada in 2001.

Museum of Industry in Stellarton is part of the Nova Scotia Museum and is open year-round. In addition to travelling exhibitions such as Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities, the museum offers interactive displays and interpretation about Nova Scotia's industrial economy, society, and landscape. Admission is charged. More information is available by calling 902-755-5425.