Website: www.argylecourthouse.com/

The oldest surviving courthouse in Canada, built c.1803-05. The first court session was held here 29 October 1805. The building was restored in 1981-82. The first floor contains the cell-block and jail-keeper's quarters, while the second floor consists of the courtroom, grand jury room and the judge's chamber. Immediately to the south of the Court House is the new Argyle Township Court House Archives. This state-of-the-art modern archival facility was created in 2005 from a former 1877 church building. It was opened in November 2006. The public has access to a large and attractive public research room with open shelves making the large genealogical collection easily accessible to users. The archives also has a large climate-controlled, fireproof vault where all original archival materials are stored, and retrieved for researchers by staff. There is an extensive genealogy and local history collection, and the largest collection of genealogical resources on microfilm in southwestern Nova Scotia. An experienced historian and Certified Genealogist is charge of the archives.

Hours
Year round
Archives - Mon.-Fri.8:30-noon; 1:00-4:30pm.

1 May -1 November
Museum - Mon.-Fri. 8:30-4:30; excepting July &
August when open 7 days a week, 8:30-5:00pm.

Membership(s)
Membership fee is $30.00 per year for individuals and $35.00 for families or couples. For this the members do not pay research fees at the archives, receive reduced rates for photocopies and also get our quarterly newsletter The Argus.

Parking Spaces(car)
30

Contact Information
Peter Crowell
Municipal Historian & Archivist
ns.aliantzinc.ca
Phone: (902) 648-2493
Fax: (902) 648-2537

Trudy Olsen
Genealogical Researcher
hotmail.com
Phone: (902) 648-2493
Fax: (902) 648-2537

Admission
Adult: $2.00 (Museum)
Family: 4.00 (Museum)

Admission Details
Child under 10 free

Organization Type/Service(s)
Museum
Archives
Genealogical Holdings
Photographic Holdings

Theme(s)
Buildings
  - Courthouses
  - Jails

Facilities
Wheelchair accessible
Public washrooms
Bus tours welcome
Parking available
Tourist info
Gift shop

Special Group Tours Offered
No

Genealogical Holdings:

Scope of Holdings
Family files and publications, genealogies, charts; family bibles; scrapbooks; Church registers: most RC for Yarmouth & Digby Co., Anglican for Yarmouth, Digby & Shelburne (mfm), 1799-1920; cemetery inscriptions; funeral home records: Sweeny's (1890-1960); Huskilson's (1953-2002); township books; vital statistics: Provincial Registers & indices for all counties; census records: 1838,1851,1861-1901 for all NS counties, indices for Yarmouth Co.; directories; library of local history; county municipal records: Argyle Municipality; land grants, petitions (some); deeds (Yarmouth County to 1920); probate records (Yarmouth County to 1920); school records (Yarmouth municipal registers); local newspapers: mfm, index to Vanguard from 1966

Extent of Holdings
Three filing cabinet drawers of pure genealogy files; three metres of genealogies on the shelf held in binders; several reels of microfilm (F.E. Crowell, Clement V. Doane) which are very dense with genealogies. Census transcripts and indexes, church records, family papers, newspaper holdings, etc. Substantial holdings also in area of published genealogies and community histories in the research library.

Founding Family Names
Acadian - Amirault, Babin, d'Entremont, Doucet, Duon/d'Eon, Muise, Pothier/Pottier, Surette, etc.
Planter - Abbott, Crowell, Frost, Hobbs, Larkin, Morton, Nickerson, Seeley, Spinney, etc.
Loyalist - Andrews, Gavel, Gray, Hatfield, Hurlburt, Lent, Tooker, VanAmburg, etc.

Research Fees
The museum responds to general and genealogical inquiries; searchable database. The first half hour is free. A $25 per hour fee is charged there after for Society members; $30 per hour is charged for non-members. Local researchers are available for hire.

Duplication Fees
Photocopying services are available at 35 cents per page.

Photographic Holdings:

Scope of Holdings
The collection consists of images of the families, communities and institutions that make up the Municipality of Argyle in Yarmouth Co., NS, and portray Acadian life in the area from 1870 to the present. Identified photographs of families and individuals predominate; other photographs depict regional architecture, village scenes, local people at work, and industry.Photographs by Major Sabean Eugene Meuse, Gordon S. Hatfield and Siffroi Pothier; portrayal of Acadian life in Nova Scotia 1870 to the present; original pre-1910 photographs, tin-types, glass negatives and ambrotypes.

Extent of Holdings
Approximately 35,000 photographs. Copies of all photographs are available in three-ring binders. Parts of the collection are accessible through a card file or database.

Duplication Fees
Photocopying and photographic reproduction services are available. Fees quoted upon request. The scanning of photographs is not permitted.

Community Holdings
East Kemptville, Gavelton, Springhaven, Quinan, Bellevilles
(North, Middle,South), Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau, Abram's River, Tusket,
Hubbards Point, Amiraults Hill, Sluice Point, Surette's Island, Morris
Island, Wedgeport (Upper, Middle, Lower), Plymouth, Comeau's Hill, Pleasant
Lake, Little River Harbour, Glenwood, Roberts Island, Argyle, Argyle Head,
Central Argyle, Lower Argyle, Argyle Sound, Pubnico, Upper-Middle & Lower
West Pubnico, East and Lower East Pubnico. (Listed geographically here not
alphabetically.)

Cemetery Holdings
Sainte Famille Catholic Cemetery, Amirault's Hill; Carleton Cemetery; East Kemptville Free Baptist; East Kemptville Old Methodist; Hatfield Memorial (East Kemptville); Lakeview (Kemptville); Forest Glen Cemetery; Gavelton Meeting House Cemetery; Greenlawn Cemetery (Gavelton); St. Agnes Catholic Cemeteries, Quinan (2 cemeteries); Sainte Anne's Catholic
Cemetery (Sainte-Anne-du-Ruisseau); St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, Surette's Island; Plymouth Cemetery; Saint Michel Catholic Cemetery (Wedgeport); Highland Plains Cemetery (Pleasant Lake); Nickerson Family Cemetery (Summerville); Old Argyle Cemetery (Argyle); Mount Pleasant Cemetery (Argyle); Lower Argyle Cemetery;Saint Pierre Catholic Cemetery, West Pubnico; Old Catholic Cemetery, West Pubnico; Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery, Lower East Pubnico; Argyle Sound Cemetery; Forest Grove
Cemetery, East Pubnico; Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Cemetery, Melbourne; Arcadia Cemetery; St. Stephen's Anglican Cemetery, Tusket; Tusket Public Cemetery; Chegoggin Cemetery; Pleasant Valley Cemetery; Deerfield Cemetery; Canaan Cemetery; Tusket Lakes Cemetery (Canaan); Round Hill Cemetery (Easty Pubnico); Old Cemetery Pubnico Head; Old Cemetery East Pubnico; Norwood Cemetery; Port Maitland Cemetery; Sandford Cemetery; Old Trinity Cemetery (Yarmouth); Beaver River Founders Cemetery; Beaver River Free Baptist Cemetery; etc. [complete listing is on website, just in case I've missed a couple].

Note: An important note here!! Most of the above cemeteries that we hold this data on falls into the category of gravestone inscriptions. Part of an ongoing project called the Yarmouth County Gravestone Inventory. In addition to this we have real cemetery records (those generated by the cemeteries as corporate bodies) for Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Argyle; Tusket
Public Cemetery; and Greenlawn Cemetery (Gavelton).

Other Services
Archives research fee $3.00 half day/ $5.00 full day

Additional Fee Information
Publication Fees: Fees may be waived for educational purposes; commercial fees quoted upon request. Photographs must be accompanied by an appropriate credit line.