Ross Farm Museum
4568 HWY 12 B0J 2M0 New Ross, NS, Canada

What a beautiful first weekend to be open and we are so happy to be offering sleigh rides! We booked completely for today and tomorrow but if you would like to book your family in for a upcoming weekend there is still lots of availability! Visits to the museum are by booking only and can be done by visiting http://rossfarm.novascotia.ca

Did you know that today is the Lunar New Year? We hope the Year of the Ox brings you peace and prosperity.

Reopening - Feb. 10, 2021: Good day to everyone! I hope all is well with all of you out there! I am very pleased to announce that Ross Farm Museum will be open to visitation starting Wednesday, February 10th! We have been following the progress of Covid 19 containment and to get open safely at this point we are opening up for outdoor activities! Once the Covid 19 caseload is stable at 0-1 new cases per day, but 10 or fewer total active cases in the province then we can open ...Continue reading

Viola Desmond was an African Nova Scotian who served not only as an entrepreneurial mentor to young women from her community, but whose 1946 criminal prosecutio...n for daring to violate racial segregation in a New Glasgow theatre marked a watershed moment for civil rights and social justice in the Province,and in Canada. In 2017, the Nova Scotia Museum was very fortunate to receive a gift of several objects & photographs related to Viola Desmond, kindly offered to us by the Davis & Clyke families, which now form part of a Viola Desmond collection. Part of the generous gift from the Davis and Clyke families was the monogrammed suitcase known to have been used by Viola Desmond to carry her cosmetic samples on business trips around the province. (NSM Cultural History Collection 2017.3.1) Included in the Viola Desmond Collection, a 1953 calendar from Viola's beauty salon shared with a barber shop run by her husband Jack (NSM Cultural History Collection 2017.3.2). As well as, among others, a small photograph of a young Viola Desmond in the salon, perhaps from when it first opened (NSM Cultural History Collection 2017.3.9). Learn more about the Viola Desmond collection in this blog post from Martin Hubley, Curator of History. https://museum.novascotia.ca//international-womens-day-201 Explore our Infosheet on Viola Desmond for more information about her life and further references (Link to PDF) https://ojs.library.dal.ca/NSM/article/view/5762 #AfricanHeritageMonth #AHM2021

Temporary Closure Update - December 10th, 2020: Dear friends, visitors, guests, supporters and fans of Ross Farm Museum. While we are hopeful that the Covid-19 case-load in the province will continue to follow a downward trend, at present Ross Farm Museum will remain closed to visitors until further notice. For the safety of the community, of staff, and of Nova Scotians, we are supporting the stay the blazes home movement during this second spike. I am really impressed by... how well Nova Scotians are managing the second spike and we are all glad to see the numbers drop. Once we get back down to consistently negligible numbers we will evaluate re-opening. I appreciate that there is a great deal of Covid fatigue, and it is very disappointing to have to exercise this degree of self-control just before the holidays. That said, I have been moved by the memes running around that say the reason we stay home is so that when we get back together we are all still here. So far, Nova Scotia is an example of this working. We want to make sure that all of you are still here when we can re-open. The thought of that is a merry one indeed! Happiest of Holidays to you all. See you in 2021!!!! Pete Cullen Director, Ross Farm Museum

We recently had a staff member retire from the museum after 10 years. Cameron worked here at the museum after retirement from his previous job and spent these years enjoying his true passion and sharing his knowledge of farming and oxen with staff and visitors. It was clear to see Cameron's joy for farming and oxen anytime he was working on the farm and chatting with visitors. The board and staff thank you for your contribution to the museum and we know you definitely won't be a stranger. Thank you, Cameron, and congratulations on retirement, may this next chapter of life bring you endless time to do the things you love!

December 6, 1917, Railway Dispatcher Vincent Coleman went to work from his home on Russell Street in Halifax's North End. He left his wife Frances looking after... their young two-year old daughter Eileen, dressed in a cheerful blue dress handmade by Frances. As Coleman relieved the night dispatcher at the telegraph, in the distance there was a muffled crash, followed by a column of black smoke rising above the rows of parked freight cars in front of the station. The Mont-Blanc had caught fire after the collision. Coleman, was especially worried about Passenger Train No. 10, the overnight train from New Brunswick. It had about 300 people aboard and was due in Halifax at 8:55 am. Vincent Coleman sends his final message. His station 750 ft from the centre of the blast, disappeared. Vincent Coleman's home, 2000 feet from Ground Zero, was wrecked & burned by the explosion. The kitchen sink crashed down on two year old Eileen cutting her neck, leaving her little blue dress spattered with bloodstains. Coleman's wife Frances suffered serious back injuries. Her two older children Gerald and Eleanor rushed home from school to take their mother & sister to Gottigen Street where soldiers took them to the Camp Hill Hospital. Frances Coleman and all four of her children survived and recovered. A few days later, searchers found Vincent Coleman's body in the wreckage of the Richmond rail yards. Frances was presented with the telegraph key, the watch and the pen of her husband. The Coleman artifacts form a special part of @ns_mma permanent exhibit on the 1917 Halifax Harbour Explosion #halifaxexplosion https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca//vincent-coleman-and-

At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month - remember them. #RemembranceDay #LestWeForget #CanadaRemembers

Chris doing what he does best over at Haliburton & Shand House Museums, other then making barrels of course! :)

Dear friends, patrons and partners of Ross Farm Museum. As of today, Thursday 26 November, 2020 Ross Farm Museum is closed to the general public for visitation. We will evaluate re-opening by booking only on December 10. Reopening will depend on the Public Health Authority’s estimation of Covid 19 risk levels in the province. This is the unfortunate reality we live with this year, but Ross Farm Museum’s Board of Trustees, Management and Staff feel that closure is the best w...ay to protect the safety of our visitors, staff and partners until Covid risk demonstrably drops. This is not the time to take risks. Following safety protocols in the workplace, we are continuing to improve the farm site and make sure that we are ready to offer the fun, safe, interesting experience that you expect from us when we can open again. Thanks to much appreciated Provincial and Federal funding, staff have been working very hard all year to upgrade our buildings and add to our overall infrastructural capacity. As well, our interpretive staff have been working hard to work within our Covid restrictions to offer the best possible experience to our visitors. We can’t wait to open up again and, as with us all, to open up fully in a post-Covid world. We have hosted over 1500 visitors and guests since opening on August 7th and I would like to thank you all for taking the time to come and share a bit of history, nature and farming with us. We are proud to serve you and proud to represent the history of Nova Scotian agriculture! On behalf of the Board of Trustees, the Management and the Staff of Ross Farm Museum, I ask that each one of us pay close attention to the Public Health Authority’s mandates for Covid safety so that when we can open up again Nova Scotians are all happy and healthy and can get back to sharing our knowledge, interests and friendship in our museums. Until then, stay safe, be kind, and I look forward to seeing you all as soon as possible! Pete Cullen Executive Director Ross Farm Museum

Please note: The museum will be closed tomorrow, November 11th as we pay respect to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedoms and to give thanks to our military that serve and who have served to maintain those freedoms. At 11:00 a.m. please pause for a moment of silence. #lestweforget2020

The method of choice for a Mi’kmaw artisan working with wood was usually to carve an object with a crooked knife. But Louis Jeremy, born in Brickton, Nova Scoti...a in 1879, had other ideas. This rare wooden bowl combines expert wood turning with intricate wood carving. Look at the care and skill that went into creating the oak leaves, acorns and squirrel. As is the case with so many Mi’kmaw artisans, Jeremy’s respect and appreciation for all living things can be seen in his work. Louis Jeremy was a prolific woodworker, crafting a wide range of objects bowls, small boxes, deer and moose calls, baskets, furniture and other decorative pieces. https://museum.novascotia.ca//g/objects/carved-wooden-bowl #mikmaq #mikmaw #woodcarving #heritage #novascotia

This is the only piece in our collection known to have been produced specifically for museum display by the Mi’kmaq. The diorama was made by unknown artisans fr...om the Pictou Landing Mi’kmaq First Nation Community in the late 1800s. In it, you can find many of the traditional materials used and objects made by Mi’kmaw artisans of the time. Look for wood splints, birch bark, glass beads, baskets, a peaked hat, moccasins and more. The diorama was made for, and initially displayed by, the Greenhill Museum in Pictou County. In the mid-1960s, the diorama was catalogued with this whimsical label: The Original Pictou County Homemakers Micmac. Zoom in and explore the details on our website https://museum.novascotia.ca//19th-century-doll-diorama-mi Object #: 1975.16.1 #mikmaq #mikmaw #mikmaqhistorymonth #novascotia

Drop by the Chester Art Centre tomorrow from 12 - 2 pm to learn about the history of the turnip jack-o-lantern and carve one with Ross Farm Museum Director, Peter Cullen!

A reminder to all our spring virtual pumpkin planters: This weekend is the last chance to pick up your pumpkins, if you have yet to pick yours up or book in for the weekend please do so. The weather is looking to be terrific again with lots of beautiful fall colours around the farm! If you planted virtually earlier in the year but haven't received information on how to book your spot for the harvest this weekend please send us a message here on Facebook or email us at [email protected] We look forward to seeing everyone!