The Future of Our Past
Council of Nova Scotia Archives

Rockingham Heritage Society

The Rockingham Heritage Society was founded in 1989 when a group of interested residents gathered at a local school to share memories as well as concerns about rapid development that threatened to extinguish visible reminders of the past. Glenn Taylor organized the first informal meeting and was pleasantly surprised that those who attended wanted to form an organized society. Since that time active volunteers have concentrated on collecting oral history and photographs. The Society has an extensive photograph collection, some of which is published in semi-annual calenders. The collection also includes maps, deeds, census data, minute books, letters, store records, newspapers and videotapes.

The Society does all it can to preserve and promote the history and heritage of the greater Rockingham area. This area includes communities between Bedford Basin and Birch Cove Lake, and from Fairview Cover to Fernleigh Park. Preservation involves the collection, cataloguing, and storage of materials documenting the history of the Rockingham area as well as a program of research using these and other materials relating to Rockingham's past. Preservation also involves advocacy with a view to conserving the past and preventing the destruction of Rockingham's heritage in a context of urban growth and development. Promotion involves the dissemination of information collected by the Society through a program of activities and publications. The Society sponsors a number of events designed to enhance awareness of Rockingham's heritage.

Below is an example of the type of record found in the archives of the Rockingham Heritage Society.

Badminton Game

[ca. 1945]

Photo of Rockingham resident Mrs. Hillis and her friends playing badminton on a court near her home on the Bedford Highway. Trees completely surrounded the court creating a shard, secluded spot invisible from the road. Today, an Irving gas station occupies this site.

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