Monday, July 20, 2015

Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum

Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum

Monday we grabbed the sisters next door and went to the Cole Harbour Heritage Farm Museum.
It is right in the middle of Cole Harbour, but you surely don't feel it when you're there. 


This is the remainder of a farm that was here since the 1800's and perhaps earlier. 
It is one hectacre in size and has this farmhouse in addition to other outbuildings 
and another home that was moved in. In 1976 it was designated as Provincial Heritage Property 
in recognition of the fact that it represents surviving examples of a way of life that has all 
but disappeared in this area. 

Inside the farm house is a cute little tea room and gift shop. 


We are so fortunate to live next door to the sisters. 
We have new neighbors now.
Sister Tait and Sister Smith, are both from Utah. 
Sister Tait is brand new and Sister Smith goes home next transfer. 


 They grow quite a few of the veggies that they serve in their own gardens. 
We had rhubarb pie that was divine. 


The gardens are delightful to walk through and enjoy a bit of nature.


 This made me smile. There was this hive and then another that you can barely see that is two boxes high. 


Not just veggies grow here! 


 There were loads and loads of very pretty flowers

"From 1860 - 1940 over 100,000 children were emigrated right across Canada 
to be used as indentured farm workers and domestics. Canadians 
thought these children to be orphans, when in fact only two percent were. 
They were sent by families who had fallen on hard times and because there was no social system
to help the families get over the difficult times, they surrendered their children. 
My father was a British Home Child. He arrived In Quebec on 26 April 1928 as a 15 year old 
with another 9 children. They all went to various destinations. 
My father ended up as a farm labourer in St John - not a happy time for him. 
He managed to run away and lying about his age, got various jobs, one being a lumberjack. 
After 3 years he got himself back home to England."
This was written by my friend Diane who served her mission in the Ireland Dublin Mission after me. 
Diane was born and raised in England, and still lives there. 
This was a very hard time for all the families!


Stuart Harris, the last person to farm the site of what is now the farm museum was a British Home Child.
The NS branch of the British Home Children and Descendants Association
 occasionally meet here and last year donated this bench to the farm.


Some of the barns and other outbuildings. The building on the far right is the Giles home.


 The Giles House is one of the oldest buildings in Cole Harbour. 
The house was originally built in ca 1780 on one hundred acres of land purchased by Joseph Giles in 1789. 
Giles moved to Cole Harbour from the United States in 1786. 
He was one of the earliest settlers of Cole Harbour. 
The modest farm house was moved to the Cole Harbour Farm in 1976 to save it from demolition.




This scraper is like one that my neighbor in Colstrip gave me, 
except mine doesn't have the additional bar attached. 


2 comments:

  1. My brother and his wife used to live up the street from there and I spent lots of time at their house. Back as recently as the late 70's and early 80's the mall across the street was fields for this farm! Wish I'd known you were going to the tea room as I have a gift certificate for there I would have given you.

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  2. Wow! The places you get to see are awesome!!! Thanks for sharing!!

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