Historic N.S. museum’s new exhibit offers a glance into the past

Serving as the oldest house in Bedford, N.S., stepping into the Scott Manor House’s new exhibit is like taking a trip back in time.

The historic property located just outside Halifax recently opened a new exhibit which offers a look at four distinct time periods for the site.

“We begin in 1770 when the Scots first arrived here from Ireland and started to build up property and get grants from the king and all that good old history, and that’s why the house is 250 years old,” said curator of the Scott Manor House, Francene Cosman, in an interview with CTV's Crystal Garrett on Thursday.

The house also sits on a historically significant area, as it’s located near the site of Fort Sackville.

“It was a defensive site because the fort was protecting the new town of Halifax from hostile environment at the time, but that was the purpose of the site, it overlooks the river so anybody coming down the river to attack the city or the town would be seen by soldiers stationed here,” said Cosman.

Cosman said she is drawn specifically to the Victorian period, and that can be seen through the many artifacts in Scott Manor House from that time.

Some of the Victorian period artifacts. (CTV/Crystal Garrett)“It was a time of industrialization and very rapid growth and development, so that’s why I chose the Victorian period, around 1850,” she said.

“The artifacts speak for themselves from that period of time.”

The exhibit also explores the 80s, as it was a very historic time for Bedford. At that time, Cosman even served as the town’s first mayor.

“It was a great time of hard work and lots of fun. The people was what it was all about because that drove the process that we went to the Utilities and Review Board and became a town after a lengthy hearing,” said Cosman.

A photo of Francene Cosman is seen from when she was the first mayor of Bedford. (CTV/Crystal Garrett)The house has also undergone much work to stay in the shape it is, with work beginning in 1948 when the house was bought by a family that took it through a lengthy restoration process.

“It was a huge undertaking, they did a fabulous job, and that brought us to the house we have today,” said Cosman.

A photo of the Scott Manor House on display in the museum from 1948. (CTV/Crystal Garrett)During the summer, the museum opens up its tea room for visitors to sit and relax with some freshly baked snacks and a warm cup of tea. The tea room also serves as a fundraiser for the manor’s maintenance, as well as its curation.

The manor already has events scheduled for this summer, with all proceeds going right back into the museum.

A full list of scheduled events for the house can be seen on their website.

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