The Future of Our Past Council of Nova Scotia Archives

 Cumberland County Museum Archives

The Cumberland County Museum Archives (CCMA) began as the Amherst Township Historical Society in 1973 with Dr. Graham P. Hennessey as its first elected President. The establishment and operation of a museum was one of the mandates of the Amherst Township Historical Society. In 1978 a fundraising drive was initiatied, an endowment fund was established at the current museum site, Grove Cottage was purchased in 1980. On 17 September 1981, the museum was formally opened by Hon. Joseph R. Smallwood.

The chosen theme of the Cumberland County Museum is the industrial history of Cumberland. While the majority of the collection reflects this, artifacts and specimens pertaining to other parts of the County's human and natural history are also collected. An Archives of county related material is an important part of the collection. Peter Latta, an early CCMA curator was crucial in the development of the archives. He created the collection policy, established the collection and researched the County history that led to the focus for Cumberland county and thus the preservation of its most important documentary history. The archives contains documents, plans, books, photographs, oral history, and various materials including regarding record industrial development in Cumberland County. The collection includes documentary evidence of the numerous industries and their supporting businesses, the men who developed and managed those industries, the workforce who maintained them, their social history, the industries progress,

products and patents. Supporting documents from across Canada have been collected in the form of journals, histories, studies, and catalogues to help interpret the industrial impact. Latta also ensured that the Museum preserved a well rounded historical collection of the area that includes agriculture, arts and culture, folklore, religion, settlements, education, business and political history.

Cumberland County Museum continues to build on the legacy that Latta has developed. Presently the Museum and Archives' focus is on the contribution of women in industry.

Below are the types of records found the the Cumberland County Museum Archives.

Letter from B.B. Barnhill, 1917

Search ArchWay for records from the Cumberland County Museum Archives.

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