N.S. museums preserve past, look to future after budget cuts

The interior of the North Hills Museum is pictured. (Source: Madeline Hoyle)

In February, amid a series of budget cuts, Nova Scotia announced it would be shutting down 12 provincially run museums, saying it would save them $980,000 annually. One of the museums on the chopping block was the Barrington Woolen Mill Museum, although executive director Sam Crowell didn’t hear about it first from the government.

“A couple people called about the museum and I didn’t know what they were talking about,” Crowell said. “It was a double whammy.”

The Woolen Mill Museum is part of the Barrington Museum Complex, which includes the Old Meeting House Museum, the Seal Island Light Museum and the Old Court House Museum. The complex is operated by the Cape Sable Historical Society.

Crowell said they have been working for years to provide community programming and experiences to drive tourism dollars, which is why the province’s decision caught them off guard.

“I was pretty shocked,” Crowell said. “We were doing very well and taking on other projects. We had no reason to suspect this was coming.”

After the dust settled, Crowell and the museum were in for another surprise. The province reversed its decision on six museums, transitioning them to community-led management so their doors could stay open.

The Woolen Mill Museum made the cut for the saved museums, including:

• Cossit House in Sydney
• McCulloch House in Pictou
• Ross-Thomson House in Shelburne
• Perkins House in Liverpool
• North Hills Museum in Granville Ferry

“We are thrilled that communities have stepped up and we value our museums in Nova Scotia,” the province said in an email. “The Province is providing an estimated $300,000 in one-time transition funding for these six museums.

“Moving these sites from provincial operations to community-led management results in substantial and ongoing savings for taxpayers while allowing resources to be redirected where funds are needed most.”

Crowell said they will receive $45,000, which is less than half of what the mill received for an operating grant last year. She said their funding has returned to pre-2008 levels and they will have to rely on volunteers more than ever this summer.

“We’re still trying to do the things we did as best as we can,” she said. “It’s going to be more self-guided tours.

“It’s frustrating. It’s not considerate of our communities.”

Crowell notes the mill, which produced fabric for uniforms in the First World War, is perched on a rocky island in the Barrington River, which puts it at risk of rot and deterioration. The costs of maintaining the site could be burdensome for the group as it adjusts to the new funding arrangement.

“The last big capital project was finished in 2022,” she said. “It needs a new roof, so that’s a big price tag.”

Madeline Hoyle, museum director for the Annapolis Heritage Society, which runs the North Hills Museum, said they were also surprised by the province’s initial decision to close the site.

“It was certainly not something we had any warning was going to happen,” Hoyle said. “When it happened, we were well into the planning process for the season. We had to think of some backup plans. The situation kept changing.”

Hoyle said they are getting around $50,000 for the museum this year.

“We had our original plan and our seasonal events in the works and then we cancelled them,” Hoyle said. “Our plan for this year is to maintain normal operations as much as possible.

“Do as much as we can with the resources we have. The dust is still settling on these budget cuts.”

The North Hills Museum is an 18^th century farmhouse that features the collection of the late Robert Patterson. Hoyle said their goal is to preserve and tell the stories of the museum.

“Museums more broadly are community spaces that are vital,” Hoyle said. “Having the space itself means a lot.”

With files from CTV News Atlantic’s Andrea Jerrett

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